Hamleys Gift Ideas

Hamleys is named after William Hamley, who founded a toy shop called "Noah's Ark" at High Holborn in London in 1760. A branch in Regent Street was opened in 1881,but the Holburn branch was destroyed by fire in 1901 and was relocated from 231 to 86–87 High Holborn. The business has survived in various forms to the present day, and at one time was the largest toy shop in the world. Hamleys moved to its current Regent Street premises in 1981. In fact Hamleys was there 11 years before Eros statue in Piccadilly Circus at the end of Regents Street.

So great had the shop's reputation become by the end of Queen Vicoria's reign, that Jean Jaques and Sons asked if they could launch their new 'Gossima' exclusively through Hamleys. The public immediately took to the game which they christened 'ping pong' after the noise made by the bouncing of its hollow white celluloid ball. Not until 1921 did it officially become Table Tennis. Not many people know that!

Even being bombed five times in the blitz did not stop Hamleys. The staff wearing tin hats served at the front door, rushing in to collect the toys, and hand them over at the door. After the War it was business as usual; the Festival of Britain in 1951 brought a Grand Doll’s Salon as well as a vast model railway to hypnotise children of any age.

Below is a tiny selection of what is available, but click on the banner to walk through the doors of one of the greatest toy shops in the world.