TIL New Year 2018

14
HAMLEYS: THE FINEST TOY SHOP
IN THE WORLD
As a boy, William Hamley dreamed of
opening the best toy shop in the world,
and in fact, he did. In 1760, he opened
‘Noah’s Ark’ and filled it with every type
of toy, from rag dolls to tin soldiers. By
the time Queen Victoria came to the
throne in 1837, Hamleys was already a
London landmark.
The shop was so successful that a
new branch was opened on Regent
Street in 1881 and added a further five
floors of toys. Hamleys, filled with
everything from toy theatres, puppets,
pedal cars and miniature railways trains,
had become the largest toy shop in the
world.
Just like everyone else, Hamleys
faced hard times in the 1920s, and was
forced to close in 1931. But the story
has a happy ending. Walter Lines bought
Hamleys and worked hard to bring
customers back. In 1938, his efforts
were rewarded when Queen Mary gave
Hamleys the Royal Warrant.
Even though it was bombed five times
during World War II, Hamleys did not
stop. Wearing tin hats, staff served at the
shop entrance, rushing in to collect the
toys then handing them over at the door.
When she came to the throne, Queen
Elizabeth II showed she still remembered
the toys her grandmother had given her,
and in turn gave Hamleys toys to her
own children. In 1955, she honored
Walter Lines with a second Royal
Warrant as a ‘Toys and Sports Merchant.’
The toys may have changed, but if he
were here today, William Hamley would
recognise the same delighted faces that
he dreamt of in his shop as a boy. Its
famous location at 188-196 Regent
Street has over seven floors of toys and
games that are sure to delight any child.
With over 255 years of experience in
bringing smiles and joy to children,
Hamleys is known and trusted by
families all over the world.
Hamleys Toy Shop is situated midway
along Regent Street. Tthe nearest
underground station is Oxford Circus.
HAYWARD GALLERY RE-OPENING:
ANDREAS GURSKY RETROSPECTIVE
London’s Hayward Gallery will stage
the first major retrospective in a UK
institution of the work of acclaimed
German photographer Andreas Gursky
(Germany, 1955) from 25 January.
Widely regarded as one of the most
significant photographers of our time,
Gursky is known for his large-scale,
often spectacular pictures that portray
emblematic sites and scenes of the
global economy and contemporary life.
The exhibition will feature approximately
60 of the artist’s ground-breaking
photographs, from the 1980s through to
six new works, which continues to push
the boundaries of the medium. Gursky’s
art is driven by an interest, and insight,
into forms of collective existence and
includes depictions of massive manmade
structures and huge gatherings of
people in nightclubs, factories, arenas,
and vast landscapes.
Andreas Gursky marks the beginning
of the Hayward Gallery’s 50th
anniversary year and is the first
exhibition to take place in the Gallery
following its two-year refurbishment,
along with two of Southbank Centre’s
Andreas Gursky: Rhine II, 1999/2015. Inkjet-Print 237.8 x 407.8 x 6.2 cm
© Andreas Gursky/DACS, 2017. Courtesy: Sprüth Magers.
t h i s i s l o n d o n m a g a z i n e • t h i s i s l o n d o n o n l i n e