London has a new spot to get all the best and latest Harry Potter gear – Hamleys has dedicated an entire floor to Harry Potter Merchandise. The iconic toy store, the oldest in the world, has dedicated their lower floor to Harry Potter. There is not a shortage of places in London to get official Harry […]
London Annual 2018: Top 10 London Bookshops For the Book Lover
Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the 2018 London Annual, and while this special publication is now sold out, you can support great long-form writing about London by subscribing to the Londontopia Print Magazine, debuting in June 2018. Full details here. London is the capital of good bookshops. And while there are dozens of […]
The London Fiver – Five of the Best Vintage Clothing Shops To Visit On Your Next Trip
Many of us out there are dedicated followers of fashion, and there’s something about retro styles that really appeals to us. Whether you want to make something old new again or find an outfit for a fancy-dress party, London has plenty of vintage clothing shops all over the boroughs. Some harken back to the city’s […]
The London Fiver – The Five Oldest Shops in London
Shops, as we think of them, are a fairly recent invention, give or take a couple hundred years. The idea that you would go to a single place where the goods were pre-made was pretty unheard of before the 18th Century. Prior to the rise of shops, individual merchants made most goods to order, whether […]
Borough Market Unveils UK’s Longest Christmas Paperchain
London’s Borough Market has gotten into the Christmas spirit by creating the world’s longest Christmas paperchain. From Borough Market: The UK’s longest paper chain has been unveiled at Borough Market. Members of the public were invited to spread the love by contributing festive messages to the chain which at 472 metres long, is over 150 […]
How London Markets Got Their Names
London’s markets are some of the best places for shopping in the city. You can wander them for hours finding everything from homegrown vegetables to antique furniture. Bespoke clothes can be found next to famous brands at any one of these markets. The names of these markets are as varied as the items they sell, […]
London’s Shopping Street, Oxford Street, To Be Pedestrianized by 2020
Oxford Street is London’s central shopping street where you can find most of Britain’s major department stores. It’s also a major traffic thoroughfare, which leads to traffic jams like you wouldn’t believe – usually buses and taxis as far as the eye can see. Occasionally they have had traffic free shopping days which have been […]
Ten Interesting Facts and Figures about Regent Street in London
Regent Street in West London acts as the border between Mayfair and Soho and represents one of the most important shopping districts in the city. Some of London’s oldest stores such as Hamleys and Liberty of London exist side-by-side with newer retailers including Hollister Co. and Apple. Whatever you’re looking for, you can guarantee that […]
Ten Interesting Facts and Figures about Hamleys – The Oldest Toy Store in the World
Hamleys is one of the premier toy stores not only in London, but in the world. Proudly located on Regent Street, it is both the oldest toy shop in the world and the largest one in London. There are plenty of great large retail stores in the city, Harrods, Fortnum & Mason, Liberty, Selfridges, and […]
The London Fiver – Five Things to Do in Notting Hill
Notting Hill’s name is so old that there is apparently no exact source for it. Found within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, what was once a largely working-class part of London has given way to the upper middle-class. In the modern day, the area has become synonymous with the film written by Richard […]
Ten Interesting Facts and Figures About Carnaby Street
An avenue that’s always in style, Carnaby Street in Westminster has been the home of popular fashions for decades. Named for Karnaby House that was built in the area in 1683 with the street created not long after, it first became known as a retail location in the 19th Century when the Carnaby market first […]
Ten Interesting Facts about Fortnum & Mason You Might Not Know
One of the oldest still-operating department stores in London, Fortnum & Mason has been in existence since 1707. It was established at 181 Piccadilly by William Fortnum and Hugh Mason. Now owned by Wittington Investments Ltd., it grew from a grocery store into the retail giant it is today. Today, as a holder of a Royal […]
10 Interesting Facts and Figures About Liberty of London You Might Not Know
Looking like a building out of Elizabethan times, the Liberty of London department store carries all manner of luxury goods. In 1874, after spending more than a decade working for Messrs Farmer and Rogers, Arthur Lasenby Liberty decided to open his own store in London. The store bearing his named opened the next year, dealing […]
The London Fiver – Five of the Best Tea Shops in London To Pop Into On Your Next Trip to London
Tea, the classic staple of British beverages. Whether one enjoys a cuppa for breakfast, to relax, or while enjoying a traditional afternoon tea meal, it is a drink full of flavor and culture. When traveling in London or new to the city, you may want to take the opportunity to branch out from your local […]
The Fiver – Five of the Best Comic Book Shops in London
I’ve loved comics since I could get into my brother’s boxes and read his. As an adult, I love finding some of the best stores wherever I travel, perusing the aisles for new issues, graphic novels, and collectibles. London is home to several great stores. Some can only been found in London, while others cross […]
Guest Long Read: A First Time Trip to Camden Market
As I mentioned in my previous article about Portobello Road, going to street markets has been a recent addition to my trips to the United Kingdom. In fact, if you consider that Convent Garden doesn’t count, it was only last year that I started my adventures this way. I was travelling with a group of […]
Cool Product Alert: Stunning Wallpaper Murals of London from Murals Wallpaper
As Anglotopia will soon be moving into new offices, this is something we were excited to see come across our web browser. A company in the UK offers up stunning murals of London in Wallpaper form. Here’s a look at their beautiful acurrent collection: Prices seem pretty reasonable and they cut the murals to fit […]
The London Fiver – Five of the Greatest London’s Children’s Shops to Pop Into On Your Next Trip
We often think of London as a place for adults and sure, a lot of articles and suggestions on this site are geared towards an older set. However, London can be a great place for kids too, with many exciting museums and attractions to make the city fun for them as well. This includes plenty […]
Home of Harrods: 10 Interesting Facts and Figures about Brompton Road
One of the most well-known shopping districts in London and possibly the world, Brompton Road sits smack in the middle of Knightsbridge, an exclusive residential and retail district in central London. The road runs from the Knightsbridge tube station all the way to Brompton Cross, where it turns into Fulham Road which leads to the […]
Ten Interesting Facts and Figures about Leadenhall Market
One of the oldest markets in London, Leadenhall Market’s creation dates back to the 14th Century. Even before that, the site of the market was the central part of Roman London. Always a center for commerce, today the covered market mostly caters to food and flower shops and even has a magical connection. Its architecture […]
Mr Selfridge: 10 Facts and Figures You Might Not Know about Selfridges in London
The Gimbels to Harrods Macy’s, Selfridges was founded in 1909 by Harry Gordon Selfridge. Selfridge began his career at Marshall Field’s in Chicago, but after realising that he could only move up so far and that many of his ideas were not taking root within the company, he left the United States for Britain and […]
Londontopia is simply the website for people who love London. It was founded by Jonathan & Jackie Thomas from Anglotopia.net as a place to post articles solely focused on London and its environs. Keep up with all the latest London news at Londontopia! This site is geared towards people who love to visit London and our primary audience is North American but everyone is welcome!
