Walking the streets of London

[grasshopper]

I’ll be heading to London for a week or so in the second week of July for a cousin’s wedding. I suspect I might have a day or 2 of free time so I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations on shops or places worthwhile for a fellow pen freak to visit? Preferably around the London area, unless anyone has a strong recommendation for me to venture outwards - traveling time might be a factor, but could still be worth considering.

 

Many thanks in advance.

 

Would anyone like anything from there?

[wimg]

Hi grasshopper,

 

You should go and see the Portobello Road market and visit the small shops in the arcade; there are a couple pen dealers with some nice, not the run-of-the-mill vintage pens.

Also visit the Pen Friend store in the Bush House on the Strand. They have modern and vintage pens.

 

Some UK web sites for pens:

Writetime: www.writetime.co.uk

Hans's Pens: www.hanspens.com

Andy's Pens: www.andys-pens.ukhome.net

David Wells: www.old-pens.co.uk

The Writing Desk: www.writingdesk.fsnet.co.uk

Penbox: www.penbox.co.uk

 

Just check Jim Mamoulides' site as well, for more links (www.penhero.com).

 

Most general 'High Street' pen dealers in the UK have a stock line in new pens, be it not very adventurous, and prices are quite high (retail, sometimes retail plus).

 

HTH, warm regards, Wim

Edited June 18, 2005 by wimg

[RSVP]

Wimg, I don't think the top link is right, I went to it and got something entirely different.

 

J

Edited June 18, 2005 by rimmerjar

[wimg]

Hi James,

 

Thanks, of course this happens the one time I didn't check . I got these sites from someone else a while back, loosk liek the first one had gone bust or so, and linked through to something else. I removed it already.

 

I better check the other ones too .

 

Thanks again!

 

Warm regards, Wim

 

P.S.: The other ones, the ones left now, are ok.

 

edit: added P.S.

Edited June 18, 2005 by wimg

[Joe]

I would only recommend this rather famous store I like to visit in Bluewater shoppping center in Kent (just off the M25)

 

http://www.websterspenshop.co.uk/

 

 

Joe.

Edited June 18, 2005 by Joe

[zxc]

I live in London (about 15min from central) and didn't know half these shops, thanks wimg! You really do know it all

 

Most general 'High Street' pen dealers in the UK have a stock line in new pens, be it not very adventurous, and prices are quite high (retail, sometimes retail plus).

 

Couldn't have put it better myself. Very true.

[RSVP]

I believe there are also 5 Independent Montblanc Boutiques at 13 Old Bond Street, 60/61 Burlington Arcade, 10/11 Royal Exchange, 6 Canada Place (Canary Wharf) and 151 Sloane Street.

 

Of course there are Harrods and Selfridge's famous pen departments.

 

I don't recommend high street shops, unless you can find a WH Smith with a pen cabinet, sometimes they have half price on everything / buy 1 get 1/2 of the second , that type of thing. They generally sell Waterman, Parker , Caran d'ache and occasionally Cross.

 

Also, The Pen Exchange, 13 Chichester Rd Islington,

 

The Pen Shop have branches in London at

 

Fenchurch Street

Liverpool Street Station

Oxford Street (Debenhams Department Store)

Regent Street

 

Depending also on your choice (and budget!) , the big jewellers that also sell penmay have something of interest (bear in mind that boutiques in London are often in arcades or suites inside other shops). Youc could try Cartier, Chaumet, Breguet, Asprey / Garrard (Asprey's used to carry pens , but I'm not sure about now), Louis Vuitton Dunhill andTiffany's (they have two lovely FPs in this years catalogue). I think "The City Organiser" are also good.

 

Here are some more (this is a general list, they are all stationers, most will carry pens, some very high end right down through to just paper and biros. You never know what they have in the back cabinets though! Also remember the duty free shops in the airport which also 9usually) carry Cartier and Montblanc.

 

 

Ajax Stationers Ltd

85, Kingsland Rd, London, E2 8AG

Tel: 020 7613 0522

 

 

Aldgate Stationers

122, Whitechapel High St, London, E1 7PT

Tel: 020 7375 1001

 

 

The Pen Shop

within Debenhams, 334-338, Oxford St, London, W1C 1JG

Tel: 020 7493 0215

 

 

Cantlie Designs

55a, Poets Rd, London, N5 2SH

Tel: 07769 510520

 

 

Paperchase Products Ltd

289, King's Rd, London, SW3 5EW

Tel: 020 7376 5117

 

Booers

216-218, Eltham High St, London, SE9 1BA

Tel: 020 8859 3604

 

Stationery Box Ltd

Units 27-29, Broadway Shopping Centre, Hammersmith, London, W6 9YD

Tel: 020 8741 0232

 

Sara Stationers

169, Chiswick High Rd, London, W4 2DR

Tel: 020 8747 3351

 

Kilburns Stationers

300, Kilburn High Rd, London, NW6 2DB

Tel: 020 7328 6480

 

Ryman the Stationery

19-20, High Holborn, London, WC1V 6BS

Tel: 020 7405 1642

 

Papyrus Printers & Stationers Ltd

48, Fulham Rd, Chelsea, London, SW3 6HH

Tel: 020 7584 8022

 

Amhurst Stationers

153, Clapton Common, London, E5 9AE

Tel: 020 8802 5222

 

Bureau Trading Ltd

10, Great Newport St, London, WC2H 7JA

Tel: 020 7379 8898

 

Ryman the Stationer

206, Earl's Court Rd, London, SW5 9QB

Tel: 020 7341 7637

 

First Choice Stationers

145, Cricklewood Broadway, London, NW2 3HY

Tel: 020 8450 8283

 

 

Markfel Ltd

309 Cumberland House, 80, Scrubs Lane, London, NW10 6RF

Tel: 020 8969 0004

 

Office Interiors

407, Green Lanes, London, N13 4JD

Tel: 020 8882 3319

 

V7 Local

40, Lordship Lane, London, SE22 8HJ

Tel: 020 8613 1189

 

Stationery Box Ltd

87, Putney High St, Putney, London, SW15 1SR

Tel: 020 8788 1877

 

Eureka

46-48, Warwick Way, London, SW1V 1RY

Tel: 020 7834 2669

 

Historystore Ltd

29, Churton St, London, SW1V 2LY

Tel: 020 7976 6040

 

Penfriend (London) Ltd

Bush House, Strand, London, WC2B 4PH

Tel: 020 7836 9809

 

Filofax Centre

68, Neal St, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9PA

Tel: 020 7836 1977

 

Ryman Ltd

14-16, Great Portland St, London, W1W 8QW

Tel: 020 7636 3468

 

Envoy Stationery & Toys

227, Golders Green Rd, London, NW11 9ES

Tel: 020 8455 1011

 

The Stationery Line

52, Cloudesdale Rd, London, SW17 8EU

Tel: 020 8673 1177

 

Paperworks ULU

Malet St, Camden, London, WC1E 7HY

Tel: 020 7664 2035

 

Papercaper

131, Belsize Rd, London, NW6 4AQ

Tel: 020 7604 3730

 

Ordning & Reda

186a, Kings Rd, London, SW3 5XP

Tel: 020 7351 1003

 

C.L.D Stationery Ltd

7, Imperial Studios, Imperial Rd, London, SW6 2AG

Tel: 020 7610 9292

 

Paperchase

within Books etc, Unit F, Whiteleys Centre, Queensway, London, W2 4YQ

Tel: 020 7229 3865

 

Khan Stationers

117, Broadway Market, Tooting High St, London, SW17 0RJ

Tel: 020 8672 2086

 

Serendipity Productions

9, Brand St, London, SE10 8SP

Tel: 020 8858 6881

 

Bookchair Company Ltd

Bookchair House, 119, Gloucester Rd, London, E17 6AF

Tel: 020 8523 5023

 

 

 

 

J

[grasshopper]

Thanks, fellas!!

 

Wim, I did plan to go to the Portobello market but I may have read that it's active only on Saturday mornings (I could be wrong, I hope I'm wrong) - this would be an unfortunate problem for me as the wedding is sometime on a Saturday morning! :bonk:

 

Thanks for the link, joe!

 

J, wow! What a list!! (let's see how many of these shops i can cover in a day!!) The City Organiser sounds like it might be worth a visit. At the moment, I think I'll just be looking for pen accessories, probably. Travelling and storage cases, journals, stuff like that.

[RichardS]

Grasshopper, I'm afraid your information on Portobello market is correct. It's only open on a Saturday (although there is a vegetable market at the very far end, running just about every day ). However, if you have time in the afternoon, it's still running, especially in summer. Don't leave it too late though!

[grasshopper]

Thanks for confirming my fears, Richard. :bonk: My wife's telling me not to expect any free time on Saturday. Ah well, money saved, I guess.

 

(I'm trying to convince myself that it's )