Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop

Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop Review

This Covent Garden Piazza shop carries on the tradition of its eponymous founder, who sold minature theater stages made from richly-detailed paper from the late-19th century until his death in 1937. Among his admirers was Robert Louis Stevenson, who wrote, "If you love art, folly, or the bright eyes of children, speed to Pollock's." Today the antique model theaters tend to be expensive, but there are plenty of magical reproductions for under ten pounds. There's also an extensive selection of new but nostalgic puppets, marionettes, teddy bears, spinning tops, jack-in-the-boxes, and similar traditional children's toys from the days before batteries were required.