Relics

This age-old West End antiques and bric-a-brac shop down the intriguing Ruthven Lane is well worth a visit when you’re in the area. Whether you’re rummaging through their random, cluttered treasure trove of odds and sods from across the last century and beyond, or searching for something specific for the home, there’s plenty for browsers and serious shoppers alike.

There’s no semblance of obvious order to the place – stuff is just piled or hung wherever it’ll fit, from guitars and other instruments to lamps, telephones, vases and glassware, books and comics, bags, old coins and who knows what else. Bigger pieces, including stereo separates, furniture and other homewares, tend to live outside.

Prices can vary wildly – for every bargain to be found, you’ll baulk at the cost of something else that looks outwardly worthless. The owners’ attitudes are similarly uneven – friendly, useful advice some days, snooty indifference others, but it’s all part of Relics’ musty, time-warp charm. Note that the cat – who you’ll sometimes discover fast asleep atop a precarious stack of stuff – is not for sale.