"Where are the shops?" Topic

I'm coming to England for the Salute 2010. As I'm in the area I would like to visit some shops with figures, not only Napoleonic but also other periods.

Periods: Napoleonic land and sea, ECW, WWII land and arial, fantasy and ACW.
Makers: GW, Perry (also metal), Warlord (also metal), OG and..and..and

So if you have some ideas. Where do I go?

Wouldn't this make more sense on the British Wargaming message board?

"As I'm in the area"

Which part of England are you coming to and for how long? I assume the London area since you mention Salute.

To be honest, you will find far more at Salute than you will ever find in the VERY FEW B&M shops we have here in the UK.

If I were you I'd plan to spend all your money on figs at Salute (pre-order if possible) and spend the rest of your time in the UK seeing the sites. I'm sure I and my compatriots can give you plenty of suggestions – we are fortunate that we have 2000+ years of history here!

Mike Snorbens

Yes, it was London.

You probably right.

Thank you.

OK, glad to help! Here's a few suggestions for places to visit while you're here:

National Army Museum, Chelsea
Imperial War Museum
RAF Museum, Hendon
Tower of London

I'm sure others will offer a few more.

HMS Belfast if that's still on the Thames? If you have time to venture outside London then Bovington Tank Museum, Caerleon Roman Army Museum and the Jorvik Viking Museum in York are all worthwhile.

HMS Belfast was still there last summer when I visited.

tiny people, sailors.

If you have 'others' in attendence, we thoroughly enjoyed a full day at Hampton Court – direct train from the city (against the rush hour, so plenty of seats) arrived early, picnic lunch (grapes from the great vine) and a relaxing day wandering around the whole place.

I just wish we had thought to book a river ferry back to the hotel in London to complete the thing, as the train back was rather deflating.

Mike is spot-on. Very very few games shops in Britain – hence the size and popularity of shows like Salute.

His list of museums is pretty good too. I would add the British Museum. If you go, plan for it to take all day. Entrance is free, but the food is very expensive. Mind you, the food EVERYWHERE in London is very expensive!

Another place you might consider is the old Royal Navy dockyard at Chatham, not far out of London. You will probably like the bit about how the old wooden ships were built. The ropery is still in working order, was at one time the longest building in Europe or the world or something.

Don't forget Greenwich. The Cutter Sark is still under repair but there's the Maritime Museum & the Royal Observatory. Last time I went there I got a boat from Westminster.

If you desperately want to visit a shop you could try Wargames Heaven in Brighton – not too far from London and it stocks some of the things you mention! I agree with the general consensus that there will be far more at Salute.

A slightly less-visited site is the Wallace Collection – a place I love. Lots of interesting armour pieces from about 1350 up to 1700-ish. There's a load of other stuff, too, but that's what I pay most attention to…

(Glances out of office window) – HMS Belfast still present and correct.

Not many historicals shops around London. Navwar is open for a few hours each saturday afternoon. Leisure Games in Finchley and Orcs Nest in central London both have general gaming and RPG stuff, more so at Leisure Games. There is a new store opened near Waterloo Station but the name escapes me. IIRC it's mostly GW/FOW stuff.

Many, many museums to choose from. Maritime Museum was under refurb last time I went and many galleries were closed. Imperial War museum is a day in itself.

Bovington and Jorvik (Viking Centre in York) are a good few hours travel outside of London.

G.

Also Firepower, The Royal Artillery Museum in Woolwich.

Museum of London – near St Paul's – is good and free: a pre-planned itinerary is the way to do things and distances between places are often not all that great (say 1000 yards between British Museum and St Pauls, for example) so if you are prepared to walk you can catch sight of all sorts of building styles and surprises while traversing this glorious conurbation.

If you're available on a Friday evening, you should check out SELWG.

selwg.com

Please tell them that their only overseas member recommended this!

"Jorvik (Viking Centre in York) are a good few hours travel outside of London."

York however, is definitely not within "day trip distance" of London!!

Oh wait, they'll be running stuff at Salute. So I guess you'll see them….

The point has to be made time and again that the trade the UK is in the rolling market of the show circuit which offers far more comparison shopping than any store could ever manage to achieve.

The English gamers do not, as a rule go to wargames stores. From necessity they use mail order and shows.

The only games store in London open regualry is the Orc's Nest off of Tottenham Court Rd and that is mostly RPG's Navway's store in London has very restricted opening hours.

British gamers meet in clubs, for example when I lived near Bristol the big one was Lincombe Barn Wargames Society.

bristolwargaming.co.uk

The alternative is the basement group as the US would call it.

There are many shows so get a UK wargames magazine in advance.

In not sure of the state of the Cutty Sark after a fire a few years ago. Getting to Greenwich, use the Dockland Light Railway and the foot tunnel under the Thames.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutty_Sark

If you like ECW, Roundway Down and Lansdowne battlefields are a couple of hours drive to the west and largely unspoilt. There is some forestation over Lansdowne but you have an idea of what the Cornish infantry had to face.

link
link

The Tilbury fort is also worth a visit

link

HMS Warrior is an ironclad for 1861, situated in Portsmouth is easily reached by train from London.

link

You can also see HMS Vicotry the most complete 1st Rate from the Napoleonic era on the same trip

link

Elliott
The ex-pat Englishman

Thanks to you all.

My hands are full :-)

The Cutty Sark is not open to the public as it is still under repair and swathed in canvas screens.