# Tool shop in central London



## Anonymous (27 Jul 2004)

hi friends,
next week I will happen to be in London on a business trip with VERY TIGHT TIME SCHEDULE. Could you suggest me a good tool shop to visit between Piccadilly and the City ?
Thanks in advance  
Alberto


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## blurk99 (27 Jul 2004)

Some links in london from...http://www.amgron.clara.net
for good directions try putting the postal codes into www.multimap.com


James Jackson
79 Alscot Rd 
London SE1 (London Bridge)
020 7242 7578 


W Tyzack 
79 - 81 Kingsland Road 
London EC1 (Old Street)
020 7739 7126/2630 


Parry Tyzack 
329 Old Street
London EC1 (Old Street)
020 7739 8301 

Buck & Ryan
101 Tottenham Court Road 
London W1
020 7636 7475 

Jim


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## Anonymous (27 Jul 2004)

grazie Jim !  
Alberto


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## houtslager (27 Jul 2004)

sorry to inform you, but JJ's have closed down well - they have been bought out and that address has shut  
sorry


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## Newbie_Neil (28 Jul 2004)

Hi Mantrakalas

When working in London I happened upon Buck and Ryan and, imho, it is not a real toolshop.

I know that you're tight for time but, to see a real toolshop, you would need to go out to Twickenham to visit D&M.

Cheers
Neil


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## Chris Knight (28 Jul 2004)

Newbie_Neil":3r1kvzx9 said:


> When working in London I happened upon Buck and Ryan and, imho, it is not a real toolshop.



I agree, it is a sad shadow of its former self. Many moons ago it was actually a good place, now it is not worth contemplating.


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## Rural Platypus (28 Jul 2004)

Sadly  neither of the Tyzack stores seem to be there anymore. I checked them out a couple of months ago - empty premises with a pile of post building up behind the door. I work in the city and there's a dearth of anything approaching a good tool shop. I agree that D&M is probably your best bet; Twickenham will take you 20 mins or so on the train from central London. 

If you're feeling bereft of woodworking-related trivia, may I suggest you pitch up at either Borders or Foyles bookshops on Charing Cross Road and ogle their woodworking books - they both have a pretty good selection. Borders also carries the best range of UK & US Woodworking mags in London (std disclaimer: that I have been able to find thus far  ). Borders is also open 'til about 10pm, which is nice.

Have a good trip

RP


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## Alf (28 Jul 2004)

There's a Borders in the Charing X Rd?! When did that happen? Jeez, I feel so out of touch...  Unless Foyles has changed beyond all recognition too, it's worth asking where to go in there, rather than trying to find it yourself. Something of a rabbit warren. :roll: 

This is a terrible tale of woe, chaps. Nothing left but Buck & Ryan, and they a shadow of their former greatness? Tsk. Might be better off finding Samuel Johnson's house or summat, and looking at the furniture. :? 

Cheers, Alf


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## Noel (28 Jul 2004)

I've only seen Borders in Oxford Street, but I maybe wrong....

Rgds

Noel


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## Rural Platypus (28 Jul 2004)

Alf,

There's been a Borders on Charing X road for the last 3-4 years; it used to be a Books Etc. Thats in addition to the one on Oxford St but the Charing X branch has a better woodworking section.

Foyles is being completely revamped at the moment. last time I went in I couldn't find the 'Carpentry & Cabinetmaking' section as it used to be and was directed to Mechanical Engineering :shock: 'Only temporary' they said...

Buck & Ryan isn't that bad; they carry some of the Veritas range, hold a fair few Sorby chisels, sell waterstones and a bit of other gear. Worth a 10 minute visit. Bit pricey though.

RP


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## Alf (28 Jul 2004)

Rural Platypus":t6g58ivs said:


> There's been a Borders on Charing X road for the last 3-4 years; it used to be a Books Etc. Thats in addition to the one on Oxford St but the Charing X branch has a better woodworking section.


Books etc gone? Sigh. I always rather liked them. Still I suppose it has been, erm, seven years (IIRC) since I was last in London... :shock: 

Stuck in the sticks, Alf :roll:


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## Newbie_Neil (28 Jul 2004)

Hi RP



Rural Platypus":ou6szrdi said:


> If you're feeling bereft of woodworking-related trivia, may I suggest you pitch up at either Borders or Foyles bookshops on Charing Cross Road and ogle their woodworking books - they both have a pretty good selection.



I agree with you that the Charing X branch of Borders has the superior WW selection. I normally go in every couple of weeks, when I visit a customer in West Street.

I haven't been to Foyles, is it close to Borders?

Cheers
Neil


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## Jake (29 Jul 2004)

> neither of the Tyzack stores seem to be there anymore. I checked them out a couple of months ago - empty premises with a pile of post building up behind the door.



I'm pretty sure that at least one of them moved rather than shut down. Kingsland Road now, rather than Old Street(?)

PS SE Carter also closed (big old shop in Camberwell). Not enough toolaholics in London.  

Jake


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## Alf (29 Jul 2004)

Jake":1xwcxo10 said:


> [PS SE Carter also closed (big old shop in Camberwell)


Oh really? No great loss, but it used to be my "local". 

Cheers, Alf


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## Anonymous (29 Jul 2004)

Thanks to all for your advices ! 

It really seems that good ol' WW stuff is unable to survive even in London ! I visited once an erratic one-day tool market in St. Olave (nearby Fenchurch) and was full of cheap Chinese (or at least brandless)stuff. 

Just not to get out empty handed, I bought a small wooden true square. Very cheap and ... definitely false ! I use it to press papers on my desk ! 

Cheers
Alberto


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## Jake (29 Jul 2004)

> Jake wrote:
> [PS SE Carter also closed (big old shop in Camberwell)
> 
> Oh really? No great loss, but it used to be my "local".



Looks like it, cleared out and no "we've moved to.." signs.

It was my local too, and would be if it were still open. But then I never did manage to get there in their stupid opening hours (like til noon on a saturday) so being close to my credit card never did them any good.


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## RoyS (2 Aug 2004)

Alf - I'm pretty sure Borders took over (some of) the Books etc stores a while ago, including the one in Charing X Road.

Foyles has indeed been given a major going over after a new generation of the family took over - I think they decided that running a book shop was actually more important than holding Literary Lunches! Seems to me that they are hugely reducing the number of books in stock, while also making them a more interesting selection. A very large WW section, but many will be familiar to students of mail order listings.

Foyles' USP (at least for me) is the excellent coffee shop run by the Monmouth Street Coffee House people. It is alongside a terrific jazz record section, so you get great music with your morning coffee and then go and buy lots of books!

Best wishes - Roy

PS to get back to the original subject in this thread! - The Tyzacks in Kingsland Road was their machines branch and was sold many years ago to Powertek, who closed a couple of years ago. I believe Powertek now only sell via mail order (often advertising in F&C). The old tyzacks hand tool shop is now, I think, a sports injury clinic or some such - sign of the times??


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## Alf (3 Aug 2004)

A coffee shop? In Foyles?! Verily, it's true what they say; the past _is_ another country...  

So very out of touch, Alf


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## Jake (3 Aug 2004)

> The Tyzacks in Kingsland Road was their machines branch and was sold many years ago to Powertek, who closed a couple of years ago.



I was going on the "We've moved to... Kingsland Road" sign, when the Old Street branch shut down a year or so ago. Maybe it didn't last, but the chronology doesn't fit with the branch you're talking about. Think its still listed in Yellow Pages (or Yell, at least) under "Cecil B Tyzack"

http://www.yell.com/ucs/UcsSearchAc...location=United+Kingdom&Submit.x=0&Submit.y=0


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