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There are two types of people in this world: those who are in a museum or gallery for the actual exhibits, and those who are just there for the gift shop. Sometimes, those shops are packed with disappointing tat, but other times they’re full of proper gems – the kinds of souvenirs you can pass down through generations.
Want to know where to find some of the best London souvenirs? Well, the Financial Times recently asked its audience to share their favourite shops in the world for picking up keepsakes, and there are five Big Smoke shops that feature. Keep in mind that the average FT reader has a household income of around £239k, so these stores are a lot more bougie than your bog-standard souvenir shop selling Big Ben key rings and ‘Keep Calm Carry On’ mugs.
From museum shops to 150-year-old purveyors, here’s the lowdown on the five London souvenir stores that made it onto the FT’s list of reader favourites.
The V&A
After hours spent roaming the V&A’s exhibit halls, you could easily spend another hour or two browsing its gift shop. Aside from the sort of stuff normally found in a gallery shop – posters, coffee shop books, tote bags, etc – visitors can also purchase unique pieces of jewellery, craft kits, silk scarves, sunglasses and products inspired by exhibitions like David Bowie Is Forever and Cartier. You don’t even need to go to the museum to shop – you can buy souvenirs straight from its website.
London Transport Museum
The FT said that the shop at the London Transport Museum is ‘best for vintage signage’ and ‘especially good for children’s presents’. If you’ve ever wanted a sofa made to look like the seats on the Central line, an original ‘Way Out’ sign from the London Underground, a model of the old Docklands Express or a Top Trumps of London buses, this is the place to go.
Drake’s
If your idea of a souvenir is a handcrafted tussah silk tie or £400 rugby shirt, then head to Drake’s, the third London shop featured on FT’s list. The posh haberdasher was founded by a man called Michael Drake in east London in 1977. It started life in Spitalfields but now has a store on London’s most stylish street, Savile Row.
L Cornelissen & Son
This art supply shop on Bloomsbury has been providing materials to London’s creatives since 1855 when it lived in Covent Garden. It’s got everything a budding or all-out professional artist could possibly need to create a masterpiece. There are oil paints in every colour under the rainbow, 550 different shades of pastels, paintbrushes in all shapes and sizes, paper of every kind and more.
James Smith & Sons
You can’t live in London for long before realising that an umbrella is an absolute essential. And if there’s anywhere that’s going to sell you an umbrella to survive every sudden gust of wind, it’s James Smith & Sons. With an array of ceremonial umbrellas, high-tech folding models and beautifully designed everyday versions, it’s been a purveyor or high-quality umbrellas for over 150 years.
Find out which other souvenir shops were named the best in the world here.
And see the 100 best shops in London, according to Time Out, here.
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