Hamleys Toy Shop, London

**Philip** · #1 05-28-2021, 02:52 PM

Founded as "Noah's Ark" by William Hamley at Holborn, London in 1760, Hamleys has moved around a bit and seen it's fortunes go up and down. It moved to it's current location at 188-196 Regents Street in 1981 where it has become the largest toyshop in the world. Seven floors packed full of nothing but toys, toys and more toys. Brilliant! Customers include both royalty and hoi-poloi alike.

It's a Builder Plus kit in OO/4mm/HO scale and shows the building as it appeared in the 1980's. The large parts were die-cut but you have to cut out all the fiddly bits yourself from tough card. Ouch!

Official Site: Hamleys - The Finest Toy Shop in the World

**Vermin_King** · #2 05-28-2021, 03:20 PM

Very nicely done, sir

**SCEtoAUX** · #3 05-28-2021, 03:32 PM

Looks like one of those places I would like to spend a day in exploring each floor.

**Madbrit** · #4 05-28-2021, 08:00 PM

Phillip, apart from having this kit somewhere in my stacks you triggered old memories. My friend Dave and I, in the late 1950s, used to cycle up from Mitcham to Hamley's to go up to the model soldier department, a small enclave on, I think, the second floor in amongst the Hornby and Triang OO train layouts. Revisited it , Christmas season 2006 while back in London working on an animated feature film . It had changed, to my nostalgic mind not for the better. Yet, thanks for the memory, sir.

Derek

**Kevin WS** · #5 05-29-2021, 05:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SCEtoAUX

Looks like one of those places I would like to spend a day in exploring each floor.

In the old days yes. Now - I think no - you could safely give it a miss.

Derek is quite right - it has now changed and not for the better at all.

I have been going every couple of years and each time it was worse.

It used to stock all the classic, quality toys as well as tons of specialist toys - which were all the draw cards.

Sadly it is now, due to commercial considerations I guess, a veritable tourist trap for the passing throngs.

This means not very much of anything, and lots of cheap electronic gadgets, throw-away toys and toys from China - all flavour of the moment stuff.

They even have salesmen walking the floors pushing gadgets, tricks and paper gliders on the masses for a couple of pf pounds a time.

Rather go to a pub down the road and have a drink and a Guinness Steak Pie!

**maurice** · #6 05-29-2021, 06:50 AM

.... and also in the very late '50s one used to be able to park one's motorbike in the middle of Regent Street, all day free of charge, and
keep an eye on it from one's office window on the fifth floor *.

Cue for a song ... albeit probably only fully comprehensible to elderly Brits
(and not to be confused with the earlier Jazz number) -

max bygraves fings ain't what they used to be - Google Search

* sixth to some folks.

**Philip** · #7 05-30-2021, 02:29 PM

Thanks for stopping by, folks. I haven't been to the shop for many a long year so your comments made interesting reading.

**Kevin WS** · #8 05-31-2021, 01:00 AM

I forgot to say that the model you made is a fine one of the shop - brought back many happy memories!

**asettico** · #9 06-01-2021, 04:56 AM

Beautiful building, Phil. Even though I never went there, it seems a fascinating place...
If I'm not mistaken, this is the location of one of the best episodes of Mr. Bean, "Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean".

Reading the post of SCEtoAUX I thought: «But then I'm not the only one to think so!»

Generally speaking, It's "risky" to go back at places of youth, because the sizes, the colours, all the sensations are related to completely different contexts. But a shop full of toys... is always a shop full of toys!