Not very good. Too few things and mostly uninteresting exhibits. And very small. Save your money.read more

Literally just around the corner from Buckingham Palace. Definitely fun to walk around and browse…read more"unique" souvenirs with the Royal Crest and more. Yes they are overpriced. My way of judging overpricing of this store is to think what it is worth, then add a 50% surcharge for being "Royal" and THEN double it and I am always close to the actual prices. Now if you want something almost unique then the prices are CRAZY and TRULY unique the prices are OUTRAGEOUS- see my pics :) Definitely gotta go, browse and buy a must-have trinket or two - eg four metal drinking straws and a cleaning brush in a red back marked "Buckingham Palace" (I'm sure EIIR uses them all the time when traveling?) £9.95 Review #68 2019

Absolutely love this place and I always make a point in visiting whenever in London. I love the…read moregift shop, the courtyard for outside lunch and the interior of this museum is so ornate and detailed in art. My favorite room is the Cast Courts with spectacular displays of replica columns and architecture from around the world in one room. You can almost imagine what it was like back in time when architecture reflected the power of art. I also loved taking photos of the stairways filled with art on the walls and ceilings. Definitely a magical place to stroll and enjoy the beauty art and history. Another favorite, is the huge modern whimsical blue and green glass light fixture at the entrance amongst the old historical artifacts in the museum. Highly recommended if you love art and history.

The shop at the V&A must be one of the best museum shops on earth!…read more It's packed with design driven stuff and really reasonable prices. Think unique jewelry, home decor items, scarves, heavenly smelling soaps and some of the most stylish tote bags with the V&A logo at just £5! I grabbed a William Morris print tote, and some of that wonderful soap - and had a hard time passing up pretty much everything else here. If you're a crafter, know that they sell really reasonable fabric cuts as well. If you're looking for a cool, reasonably priced gift for someone who appreciates great design, stop in!

Picked up a brooch from Sothebys after a successful bid but found the overall experience wanting…read more They were very disorganized - my initial outreach, to inquire about collection logistics (picking it up versus shipping), required multiple emails before someone finally acknowledged my request & I was advised picking it up would the more cost-effective option.....since I was visiting London in a couple of months, we agreed I would stop by I provided the date I would be there to collect my item and they requested my departure documentation, about 6 weeks in advance, so all the export paperwork would be ready.....you see where this is going..... They were not prepared, at all. They couldn't find me in their system, then they couldn't locate the item. The paperwork had not even been started & it took over 2 HOURS to prepare....... when I sent them everything, as requested, 6 weeks prior and I had emails assuring me everything would be ready At one point, I was told they weren't expecting me until 12 days later - which would have been my departure date FROM GERMANY. Again, simply reading our correspondence would have shown that you acknowledged the date I stated I would be there to collect the item - maybe a calendar entry on your part would solve these mix-ups in the future? The paperwork I was provided forced me to get TWO sets of customs stamps leaving the UK and then the EU, and they were also bold enough to charge a £90 "administration fee" for refunding MY VAT! And this not to mention the buyer's premium they charge (which everyone does so can't fault there) but they also charged another £60 for storage, for not picking up my item within 30 days. Are you serious?! I love Sothebys & the items you offer for auction but I will definitely think twice before purchasing from this London location. All the extra fees and disorganization may prove the experience unworthy - I've seen better!

Steer clear. I entered a watch that was running well (I kept…read morea video of that), into the sale, agreed value £30-50k. Before auction they said it needed a revision by their watchmaker and it would cost £800 but it would be deducted from auction sale, I agreed. It took a further 2 months then I received news it was all going ahead in the December 2020 auction. However because they decided just before auction there was a problem with the back case they refused to sell it. I had wasted 4 months and had to pay for the revision before it was returned. It was only returned after I paid the revision cost but not running at all, they blamed the parts in the movement that were running perfectly until it went to them, remember I have a video. Steer clear. Edit DeleteShare

Green and Stone is a great little art shop that is also a framers…read more I love the old feel to this store, as these guys have been on the go since 1927. They have a fine selection of the best quality oil, acrylic and watercolour paint. They also sell paper, canvas, brushes and easels. They also have a great range of gifts such as globes, pencils, photo frames, perfect for the artist or writer in your family. The only downside is it is a bit pricey.

What a gem of a place…read more I love the antique art materials & always drop in on my way to nearby Chelsea Arts Club

My family has been coming here for years! Well before I was born. We're not local-we're Americans,…read moreand on every visit this was a must stop. There are many antiques from Alfies in my home that we inherited from my mother and smaller special keepsakes from my time living in London in my 20s. My husband & I spent part of our honeymoon in London, and it was his first time in the city (September/October 2024) and this was a nonnegotiable stop for me. Plan to spend a few hours wandering around and exploring-it's humongous! Also, generally speaking not on the inexpensive side but you can always find some gem's. I can remember on one visit when I was 19, we stumbled on a vendor that didn't realize what he had, it was a 20 year old authentic bubblegum pink Kelly (Hermes) and he had it priced under $1000. I still to this day regret not buying it for resale alone (bubblegum pink is not for me lol)

It would be an understatement to say that I am besotted with antiques. I love them. Can't get…read moreenough of them. Know London's antique and vintage purveyors like the back of my proverbial hand. And Alfie's is one of my favourites, a veritable antique market located in trendy Marylebone. With dealers selling clothes, fine and costume jewellery, furniture, textiles and collectibles, Alfie's should satisfy the needs of even the most ardent collector. And with a surprisingly accessible atmosphere at odds with the sometimes rarefied world of antiques and vintage, Alfie's is perfect for a browse for the expert and neophyte alike. I visited Alfie's just before Christmas last year and spotted cute as a button Mark Owen from Take That looking incredibly dapper. This is the place for vintage/antique fans to find unique Christmas presents without recourse to the high street.

Disclaimer that I did NOT get up at ass-o'clock or whatever to go to this market. We got there at…read morelike 9am because I was on VACATION thank you very much. So maybe getting up at 4am is the best, as visiting at 9am (A REASONABLE HOUR, THANK YOU) meant that that Square was perhaps 1/2 full of stalls. Maybe the early bird does indeed, catch the worm but I shall never know. Anyway, this Market happens on Friday AM's. There are stalls selling acres of china, silver cutlery, lace and that one stall that sells royal commemorative tat that I salivate over. Not much furniture, mostly small collectible things. There's also a food stall or two, plus a nearby (slightly ghetto) Sainsbury's.

I am being completely truthful when I say that 5am on a Friday is really the only time to go to…read morethis market. Because it is an antique dealers' market and not a regular vintage/antique market, deals go quickly. There are hundreds of high quality and reasonably priced stalls selling an overwhelming array of goods. I have only done it twice when it first opens but it is best seen before dawn when you see people examining their goods with torches and the lights from their phones.

Junk, the remains of something that has been destroyed or broken up [syn: debris, dust, rubble,…read moredetritus] Shop, a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services; "he bought it at a shop on Cape Cod" [syn: store] Basically this is a place where you can purchase nonsense that you didn't even want or realise you needed. It's also a little bit amazing! Run by 2 old geezers Alice S is right, there is a ramshackle collection of stuff the you just wouldn't put together, Actually if you are in the business for a bargain you may find one here, I can't put a name on what they sell but there is a huge collection of nonsense to browse. Seriously, It's a lovely place, go visit!

I don't know where else in South London you can find an antique javelin, a birdcage and an…read moreautobiography of Frank Sinatra on the same table. The Junk Shop is an Aladdin's cave of rubbish/treasure on Greenwich South Street. The stock varies from biographies and historical artifacts (mainly right wing paraphernalia- a Daily Mail series on the modern monarchy, an enormous hardback on the Third Reich and a Thatcher biography) Amongst all the military-themed bits of tat, there are actually some very good finds- there were some cool old 1950s Christmas cards, some 1960s newspapers in excellent condition and some beautiful vintage postcards. It is a funny old place but definitely worth a rummage through.

Did you know this museum has been around since the 1800s with over 200,000+ portraits?…read moreEach time I'm in London and I get a chance to visit, I make sure to check out the portraits I'd not seen on previous visits. I think if you're going for the first time you'll want to see the most popular portraits first. It's located in Trafalgar Square which is equally as fun to check out. The Hahn Cock (ginormous blue rooster sculpture) no longer sits out front. It's been donated to the National Gallery of Art in DC and can be seen on its rooftop terrace. I've been lucky enough to see it in both places. This museum is a fantastic representation of British history as shown through portraits. A great visit for history and art lovers alike.

I got confused on the first day thinking national gallery was the same as the national portrait…read moregallery. Either way, both are right next to one another and the national portrait gallery had such a wide assortment of pieces from the Tudor era all the way to the current Windsor era. I hated that I only had one hour to look through it all, but everything was so nice, clean and there was much less foot traffic.