220 Best Shopping in England

For more than 100 years, Dunhill has been synonymous with the most luxurious and sophisticated men's goods, including accessories, briefcases, and superbly tailored clothes. This Georgian mansion, their flagship, also features a barbershop, cellar bar, courtyard restaurant, and bespoke services, where you can order custom-fitted menswear or unique versions of the brand's celebrated leather goods. The smaller, original St. James's shop has been on Jermyn Street since 1906.

This quaint little store is entirely devoted to Alice in Wonderland paraphernalia.

This market displays the wares of local artists outdoors on Saturdays. 

This building set in a Tudor courtyard contains around 50 stalls displaying jewelry, silver, linens, porcelain, and memorabilia. There’s also a lovely tearoom next door.

Exquisite leather bags and personalized, printed canvas totes are what made Hindmarch famous, and this store sells her complete collection of bags, several with a whimsical motif. You can also order a custom piece from the "Be A Bag" collection, with its totes and wash bags imprinted with your chosen photo, or from the "I Am A Plastic Bag" collection made from recycled plastic bottles. There are branches around the corner on Pont Street in Knightsbridge and in Notting Hill.

The company's "global flagship" store displays exquisite jewelry—as well as silver and leather goods, watches, china, and crystal—in a discreet, very British setting that epitomizes quality, expensive good taste, and hushed comfort. If you're in the market for an immaculate 1930s cigarette case, a silver cocktail shaker, a pair of pavé diamond and sapphire earrings, or a ladylike handbag, you won't likely be disappointed. And, for the really well-heeled, there's custom service available as well (Ringo Starr had a chess set made here). Having been at its original location since 1847 (some 66 years after Asprey was established in 1781), the company celebrated its 240th birthday in 2021 with a move to a new flagship store just around the corner on Bruton Street.

This shop displays fine old furniture, portraits and landscape paintings, silver, and toys, with their price tags tied on with ribbon.

This place has more than 60 showcases and stands selling every kind of antique imaginable, including silver, porcelain, and jewelry.

This charming Victorian arcade houses various specialty stores selling fashion and shoes, as well as bars and restaurants.

For two to three weeks in late November and early December, the outdoor Bath Christmas Market sells gift items and regional specialties—from handcrafted toys to candles, cards, and edible delights—in over 200 chalet-style stalls concentrated in the area just south of the Abbey.

This gallery, close by the Abbey, carries the work of prominent artists, potters, sculptors, painters, and printmakers.

For years the purveyors of Britain's coolest motorcycle leathers, Belstaff has expanded into dresses, skirts, and handbags, as well as knitwear, boots, tops, and trousers for men, women, and children. Outerwear in general and leather jackets in particular remain a strength. All the items reflect the brand's functional yet unconventional heritage. Previous customers include Lawrence of Arabia, Amelia Earhart, Steve McQueen, and Che Guevara.

The early bird catches the worm at this Friday market, so come at 6 am (flashlight recommended) to bag a bargain at London's largest antiques market. Dealers also arrive before dawn to snap up the best silver, paintings, objets d'art, jewelry, and furniture, most from Georgian through Edwardian times, but there's also the odd vintage collectible like 1980s arcade games. The early start grew out of a loophole in the law (dating from when the market began on the site in 1885) that said stolen goods bought between sunset and sunrise could not be prosecuted as the origin of the goods could not be determined (stolen goods are no longer welcome). An influx of French antiques dealers has recently joined the Bermondsey veterans selling from their covered stalls. The market finishes at 2 pm.

Family-owned and run since 1879, Blackwell's stocks an excellent selection of books. Check in about the regular literary events hosted by the store.

This unique shop near the British Museum specializes in rubber stamps, with everything from businesslike "Paid" stamps to Alice in Wonderland characters, Egyptian gods, VW Beetles, flying saucers, and more. Get a custom-made personal stamp—a great gift for a young person—or bring back stamps of British icons like a double-decker bus, the Tower of London, or a bust of Shakespeare as souvenirs. It also carries crafting supplies and scrapbooking materials, and has friendly knowledgeable staff on hand to advise.

These well-made, well-priced Italian shoes hit the elusive sweet spot of being both fashionable and wearable. Styles range from sneakers, flatforms, and loafers to ankle boots, ballerina flats, and elegant suede heels.

The specialty here is a pendant copy of the gold-and-silver cross of St. Cuthbert.

The noisy center of the Bangladeshi community is a hubbub of buying and selling on Sunday. Stalls have food, hardware, household and electrical goods, bric-a-brac, secondhand clothes, spices, and traditional saris. Some of the CDs and DVDs are pirated, and the bargain iron may not have a plug, so check carefully. Shoppers nevertheless flock to the market to enjoy the buzz, sample curries and Bangladeshi sweets, or browse at the many vintage stores lining the northern end of the street. Brick Lane's activity spills over into nearby Petticoat Lane Market, where there are similar goods but less atmosphere.

This traditional sweet shop is like something out of a bygone age. Choose from row upon row of tall jars packed with every imaginable type of candy, measured out into little paper bags.

The knitwear is cozy, but the style is cool in this contemporary Scottish cashmere emporium for men, women, and kids. There are stylish pullovers, wraps, cardigans, hoodies, and adorable baby ensembles, as well as non-cashmere items such as T-shirts and jersey, silk, velvet, or linen dresses. Other branches are in Marylebone and Covent Garden; plus there's a clearance store farther down King's Road.

A trendsetting boutique since it opened in the 1970s, this shop occupying interconnecting town houses has been reinvigorated after a purchase by luxury e-tailer Farfetch.com. Browns focuses on well-established international luxury designers, such as Vetements, Valentino, Marques'Almeida, and Saint Laurent. The menswear, footwear, and accessories collections are equally well chosen. If you're about to go down the aisle, check out the appointment-only bridal boutique at 12 Hinde Street in Marylebone.

Clocks, hip flasks, doors, tools, kettles, toys, furniture, and all sorts of old treasure can be found in this wonderful antiques shop and salvage yard just up the hill from the town center. The Yard Kitchen serves excellent coffee, wine, and soft drinks, plus a menu of light snacks and cakes.

Known for its trademark tartan, this company has cultivated an edgy, high-fashion image in recent years, and following the departure of designer Riccardo Tisci, creative director Daniel Lee is set to put his own stamp on future collections. For those who prefer the traditional Burberry look, the raincoats are still a classic buy, along with handbags and plaid scarves in every color imaginable. If you're up for a trek, there's a huge factory outlet in Hackney on Chatham Place that has clothes and accessories for men, women, and children at half price or less. There are also branches in Chelsea, Knightsbridge, and the Westfield shopping center in addition to this spectacular flagship store.

Specialists in bold costume jewelry where imaginative design gives you a lot of bang for your buck, Butler & Wilson's affordable glamour attracts fans that include the Princess of Wales. Semiprecious stones have been added to their foundation diamanté, colored rhinestone, and crystal collections. The noted British sense of humor is reflected in items like a champagne-glass brooch or crystal skull earrings.

In business since at least 1581, the Cambridge University Press runs this store on Trinity Street.

This is the place for adorable yet understated clothes for children six months and up. You'll find everything from 100% cotton baby romper suits to a fab selection of floral dresses, gingham shirts, and handcrafted alpaca and merino jerseys, as well as twill, corduroy, and cotton pants. Kids’ accessories range from charming mittens and beanies to cool sunglasses and superchic hair bands and clips. A sister shop farther along Ledbury Road (No. 38b) offers moms the chance to buy clothing in a similar vein. Caramel also sells a small selection of children's books as well as decorative functional items like sleeping bags, lamps, and quilts. Prices aren’t cheap, but the quality is superb. Every Tuesday and Saturday, the shop offers a hair salon for little customers. There are also outlets in Selfridges and Harrods.

A huge range of delicious cheeses, mostly British, can be purchased in this welcoming, pungent little shop. Free tastings are often available, and you can also find their stall at the Saturday market in Keswick.

This fabulous delicatessen, famous for its award-winning sticky toffee pudding, is also a great place to purchase picnic provisions.

The independent stores in this beautifully tiled and stained-glass-roofed building on the site of the old thermal baths (it retains the original plunge pool and bathing chair) sell the likes of handmade chocolates, fashion, housewares, pottery, and gifts.

The town's oldest department store, now run by House of Fraser, stocks designer fashions.