When William Hamley first opened his toy shop in 1760, Westminster Bridge had just opened for traffic-horses and carts. His grandson opened a new branch in 1881, not far from Piccadilly Circus. Hamleys was there eleven years before Eros.
In 1938, Hamleys was awarded a Royal Warrant from Queen Mary, and the young Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret both had Hamleys toys in their nursery. The new Queen Elizabeth II had not forgotten her own childhood companions, and both Prince Charles and Princess Anne received toys from Hamleys.
In 1995, Hamleys received a second Royal Warrant, and in 1981 they moved to their present address-188/196 Regent Street-the Finest Toyshop in the World.
