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Christmas in London 2009: Traditional Toys
Christmas in London 2009: Traditional Toys
Ditch the downloads and Nintendo DSs, and fill your child's stocking with a collection of bright, long-lasting traditional toys this Christmas. From dolls houses to rocking horses, wooden playthings to magic tricks, London's independent toy shops are brimming with sturdy, well-made and aesthetically pleasing trinkets. Many of our chosen shops are also a joy to visit and offer a range of in-house events and activities for children to help distract them while you shop.
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Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop
44 The Market, Covent GardenThis tiny shop in the heart of Covent Garden is crammed full of traditional toys but is probably most famous for its selection of toy theatres which range in price from £8 to £80. Wend your way up the spiral staircase and wallow in a wonderland which comes across as a real box of delights. Keep a look-out for the traditional Jack in the Boxes, Russian dolls, marionettes, glove puppets and toy soldiers. This is pure nostalgia and if you're after a unique, well-made and long-lasting gift for youngsters or for any toy-loving adult then Benjamin Pollock's should be on your shopping list. Covent Garden Market itself is a real treat at Christmas with street artists warming up the winter-chilled crowds, decorations and lights adorning the plaza, and stalls serving up traditional Christmas fayre. If you're up for a really festive day, time your visit to coincide with a carol concert at nearby St Paul's Church ('The Actors' Church').
Bob & Blossom
140 Columbia Road, London, E2 7RGOnly open on a Sunday, when the flower market takes over the area, Bob & Blossom offers a traditional and uncomplicated range of quality toys. Crocheted elephants, colourful wooden blocks, spinning tops, miniature cars and knitted rattles are regular staples. Inside candy-striped gifts boxes - perfect at Christmas time - are a range of bits and bobs just for babies. Their popular range of kids' clothing is also worth a peek. Combine your toy-buying trip with a wander along the flower-filled market, and stock up on festive blooms, wreaths and a tree while you're at it.
Davenports Magic Shop
7 Charing Cross Underground Shopping Arcade, WC2N 4HZFrom budding Harry Potters and bumbling Tommy Coopers to dynamic David Copperfields, Davenports is a haven for magicians of every level and ability. Non-magicians too are guaranteed a spellbinding time wandering around this cavern of tricks. The oldest, family-run magic business in the world (allegedly), this is a friendly, fun environment in which to while away a Christmas present-buying afternoon. Rummage through the diverse collection (from limited edition collectables to books, cards and accessories) and enjoy the well-executed demonstrations from their team of magic professionals. Concentrate hard enough and you can take what you've learnt back home to entertain the troops on Christmas Day (you might even find a trick for making the washing-up disappear...). Informed and truly interesting this is a unique gem in an unexpected corner of the city centre. When you've finished wave your magic wand in the direction of Villiers Street and disappear underground into the dusty depths of Gordon's for a restorative glass of wine and a chunk of cheese.
Dotty Dot
67a St Helens Gardens, London, W10 6LLEverything in this cute sounding kids' shop will appeal to young children from wooden mobiles to wall stickers as well as the ever-popular Donna Wilson soft toys with their cross-stitched mouths and wonderfully expressive eyes. Dotty Dot was set up in 2006 by Fiona Roffey after she had worked in the retail trade for a number of years and every item in the west London shop as been hand picked by her. Princess costumes, colouring-in books and giant puzzles are at the designer end of the scale so you get a wide choice of unique toys that you won't find in other high street toy shops. From the collectible Naef toys and Donna Wilson dolls to books by Italian artist Bruno Munari, all the merchandise is beautifully arranged in the simply decorated space. Already proving popular this Christmas are 100 per cent cotton king, queen and knights costumes which come with thick felt tips so the kids get to colour them in before dressing up escaping to their make believe fairy tale land.
Harrods
87-135 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, SW1X 7XLIt'll be packed and full of tourists but, if you can cope with this, Harrods has its finger on the pulse of traditional toys and has a range big enough to ensure that you find everything you've got jotted down on your Christmas list... and a few more besides. From pirate ships to Power Rangers, quad bikes to croquet sets, and trampolines to Teddy bears they house probably the best overall range of children's toys in the city, if not the country. Unlike many of London's other department stores, Harrods does Christmas really well and their Toy Kingdom is no exception. Such is the popularity of their "appointments" with Santa that they sold out by the end of October. Obviously this isn't the place to come for bargain basement buys but if you're after a one-stop, Christmas toy shop then this is the place to come. Hyde Park with its Christmas ice rink and festive Winter Wonderland is just a short walk away, so if you're in need of a bit of fresh air and space after your department store frenzy you've not got far to go.
Honeyjam
267 Portobello Road, London, W11 1LRA replica toy Aga is, apparently, this uber trendy toyshop's best-selling item - hardly surprising given the store's proximity to Notting Hill, but applying a quirky take on a traditional model is what Honeyjam does best. Retro toys from the Thirties through to the Eighties sit alongside vintage toys as well as fair trade, sustainably made, and eco-friendly play things. This Christmas, their dressing up costumes will turn your kids into a cast of fairies, pirates, dragons and pirates. The brainchild of Irish model Jasmine Guinness (nickname 'Jam') and lifelong friend Honey Bowdrey, Honeyjam evolved because the two women couldn't find toys they wanted for their kids. They seem to have hit upon a winner and now stock some of the best-looking toys in town - look out for their bright pink and green wooden tea set, worthy of any west London pad.
Mystical Fairies
12 Flask Walk, London, NW3 1HEThe Christmas Fairy is alive and well and living in... Hampstead. For little fairy fanatics (mostly the females in your family), this shop is the ideal place to pick up the perfect winged friend for a festive treat. Many of the toys are suspended from the ceiling on delicate silver branches, while at Christmas extra special decorations and themes adorn the interior. If you've got the little-uns in tow throughout your shopping trip, direct them towards the dressing-up corner where they can transform themselves into all manner of magical fairy guises (there's even a special wizard corner in the dressing-up section for boys who can don their pointy hats and fight off the fairy dust with their wands). Fairy makeovers (£3.50 and £8) are available every day, while their ever-popular Fairy Schools take place on 18th, 20th and 22nd December. You can gather some gifts for the tree while your youngsters learn the art of "fairying".
Never Never Land
3 Mildhurst Parade, Fortis Green, London, N10 3EJThe name alone betrays this enchanting shop's magical appeal. A tiny rectangle of a toy store, it is crammed to the ceiling with heaps of old fashioned delights which really come into their own at Christmas. The dolls' houses are a treat - high-quality structures with individually sold knick-knacks that actually fit together. The minute china sets, cradles, baby dolls and rocking horses are finished with an intricate detail that is hard to find these days. The devoted owner is particularly expert at seeking out unusual wooden toys - keep an eye out for the cute, dancing musical frogs. An enchanting harbour of innocence, this shop is a lovely place in which to pick-up toys for Christmas stockings and entertain the kids at the same time.
Petit Chou
15 St Christopher's Place, W1U 1NRThis tasteful toyshop, catering for children from 0 to 10 years, was opened in 2005 by Marty St James and Iveta Petrakova who quickly became famous for their elegant array of handcrafted toys from all over the world. Ranging from skittles and wooden pull-along toys, to cuddly creatures and less-cuddly buildings, these well-made items are sturdy enough to withstand the rough and tumble of the playroom - you can knock them over again and again and again without fear of scuffing. The German Moorland sheep and wooden ride-on cat walker are very popular ideas for wholesome, unique Christmas presents.
Pollock's Toy Museum and Shop
1 Scala Street, W1T 2HLCrammed inside two townhouses (one 18th, the other 19th century) on a pretty sidestreet you'll find this historic homage to toys of all kinds. Named after Benjamin Pollock, a creator and printer of Victorian toy theatres, the museum now boasts a diverse range of toys from all over the world. Follow the trail up three winding staircases and you'll stumble across everything from battered and bruised century-old bears to a 4000-year-old Egyptian clay mouse. Dolls, dolls' houses, a Victorian nursery, toy theatres, tin toys and folk toys from around the world make up the rest of the collection. You can't actually buy these items but on the groundfloor there's a cool toy shop packed with colourful treats for you to take home and wrap up for the kids. It's free to wander around the toyshop but there is a small admission charge for the museum. Live toy theatre performances take place during school holidays so if you've got the children in tow you might want to settle them in front of a performance while you grab a few bits in the shop. Full of character and charm this is a great place to while away a few nostalgic hours and pick up some pressies into the bargain.
Queens
111b Commercial Street, Spitalfields, London, E1 6BGKitsch, colourful, cute and cuddly this glitzy gift grotto in Spitalfields is irresistible. Wander around its magical wonderland and make friends with flirting fairies, kissing fish, perky-eyed reindeer and nutcracking squirrels. Christmas time is when Queens really comes into its own. Alive with the sights, sounds and smells of the season, head here and indulge in some old-fashioned gaudy glamour.
Soup Dragon
27 Topsfield Parade, Crouch End, London, N8 8PT & 106 Lordship Lane, East Dulwich, London, SE22 8HFThis versatile little shop is great for picking up all sorts of pressies for little ones. Soup Dragon offers an exquisite selection of traditional toys, unusual and affordable clothes and quirky baby toys. The vividly striped leggings, jumpers and hats for very tiny babies make lovely little gifts. Toys wise, there is so much choice - bendy fairy dolls, pretty dolls' houses and soft toys designed especially for babies. The shop prides itself on understanding children and kits out their shop with child-friendly goodies that are a far-cry from the gaudy modern plastic games of other outlets and for this it has a loyal following. The information below is for the original Crouch End shop and the link underneath is for the second branch in Dulwich East.
Soup Dragon, Dulwich East - Information
Traditional Toys
Chelsea Green, 53 Godfrey Street, London, SW3 3SXIn between the Fulham Road and The King's Road, down a quiet side street, Traditional Toys is a treasure trove of wooden playthings: cars, trains, planes, helicopters, trucks, puzzles and building blocks, all beautifully crafted. These are timeless toys that won't need to be replaced just because the next Buzz Lightyear has come along, and they all qualify as top-notch Christmas gifts. A genuinely cool store, Traditional Toys stocks the total antithesis of all the plastic, battery-powered playthings that saturate the toy market today but land high on the toy scrapheap tomorrow. Everything from beautiful castles to musical boxes, Peter Rabbit to Winnie the Pooh is here.
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