Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop

28/04/2026

Not sure you can achieve this fantastic model theatre by illustrator Marìa Gordon? You CAN! It's really easy to cut out and make. It's 6 sheets in a beautiful illustrated folder. You will need a craft knife, scissors and glue. A steel rule is also recommended. Rusalka, the mermaid is the star of the show.

https://youtube.com/shorts/t7uJ8fhvxnc?si=OgsViEjz9RvHe3-n

14/02/2026

https://www.pollocks-coventgarden.co.uk/additionalmedia/

Here you'll find all the information about current projects - next month sees us on a creativity tour - first stop Hampstead at The Well Walk Theatre

Find out more here and book directly with them before they sell out.

The Harlequinade at Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop in Covent Garden. Other films and media from the iconic Covent Garden Shop

14/02/2026

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0n1085q

As a Londoner, (for the first 35 years of my life anyway) it was a honour to be given the accolade of a 'Listed Londoner' and share my specialist subject with Robert Elms himself.

I got to talk about Covent Garden and Pollocks and a shout out to lots of people.

his Listed Londoner tells Robert Elms why she embraces change.

27/01/2026

Londoners! For a long time we have wanted to offer some workshops. We have now teamed up with the The Well Walk Theatre in Hampstead to do 10 workshops in their beautiful space - The Livingstone Studio. 5 for children (aged 5-8) on a Tuesday afternoon from the end of February through March and 5 on Wednesday evenings for adults. These with dinner! We hope you can join us. Book direct with The Well Walk Theatre

https://www.thewellwalktheatre.com/shows

07/01/2026

Our featured paper theatre this January is Rusalka by artist María Gordon. Read the interview with Spanish artist María here

https://www.pollocks-coventgarden.co.uk/2025/10/16/meet-artist-maria-gordon-and-discover-more-about-the-world-behind-benjamin-pollocks-toyshops-latest-release-the-rusalka-paper-theatre-inspired-by-the-cantabrian-grey-sea-and-beech/

05/01/2026

We made it onto Broadway.

New Yorkers - you still have time to purchase a Toy Theatre from Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop and see almost the whole collection at Printemps, New York at One Wall Street with Broadway.

28/11/2025

Three miniature dioramas to cut out and make, charmingly illustrated by Tug Rice. ‘Tableaux’ offers the theatre lover endless scenarios to explore: who’s in love? Who’s hiding a secret? Who’s related and who’s to blame?

Cut, fold, and assemble 3 miniature Victorian-inspired scenes, Will you stage a witty drawing room comedy, a gripping murder mystery, or a dramatic melodrama?

https://www.pollocks-coventgarden.co.uk/products/tableaux-three-miniature-dioramas-by-tug-rice/

20/10/2025

Rusalka by María Gordon.

Whilst it finds it's proper place on our website, it can be seen and ordered here;
https://www.pollocks-coventgarden.co.uk/products/rusalka-a-paper-theatre/

Our newest publication: The melancholic love story between a water nymph and a prince 'Rusalka'. A slavic folktale best known as the Opera by Dvörak and beautifully told in paper theatre form by illustrator María Gordon.

Printed in London, 10 minutes from the original Pollock's shop in Hoxton. Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop are publishing new fairytale 'toy theatres' by contemporary artists.

2 new paper theatres coming soon and to be published in time for Christmas.

09/08/2025

ShopShop

We only do one discount code a year! This one will get you £7.75 off your paper theatre order until 18th August whilst we have a little break from here (the shop will be open 10.30 - 6pm as normal everyday, a later opening time of 11 on Sundays with a larger selection of traditional and classic toys)

So that’s about $10 for our US customers for a chance to order before it potentially gets a bit tricky and expensive after 29th August. The removal of ‘De Minimus’ means an $80 customs flat fee for any item sent by post so we will be halting US deliveries from then until we work out a way to make it more reasonable. This won’t affect orders placed before 18th and we ship by courier.

That’s just a bonus for our European customers because we now offer a service where we collect the taxes so you won’t be asked for any extra to pay at the door.

This service also extends to customers in New Zealand, Australia & Singapore.

Home customers: that’s free shipping plus some change and if you spend over £60 you receive the full £7.75 off your goods because it’s free shipping anyway.

If you’re in South America please check out because they have stock a lovely selection of our paper theatres.

Please contact us if you want us to send to your country that we haven’t mentioned and we’ll look into it 👀🎭✨Otherwise see you soon!

05/08/2025

Use the code 'ShopShop' on our website
https://shop.pollocks-coventgarden.co.uk/discount/ShopShop

To give you £7.75 off your online order (valid until 18th August 2025)

So that's about $10 off for our US customers (stock up before the tariffs arrive)
It gives UK customers basically FREE shipping (normally £6.00 and free over £60.00)
European customers - we now collect the taxes and pay them for you so you don't get any additional requests for payment at the door and you can order with confidence. AND the discount will give you about 8.50 euro off.
We also offer this delivery service where we collect taxes to Australia, New Zealand and Singapore
And if you are wanting to order from us from somewhere else, then do email us for more information or a stockist on your continent!
Otherwise you just HAVE to come and visit us.

https://www.pollocks-coventgarden.co.uk/about-us/covent-garden-store/

29/07/2025

On looking for some images of Covent Garden in the 80s for our 44 years at 44 celebration last year. I came across this article in the LA Times from 1987 'Browsing in London's 'newest' Covent Garden.' For those of you who don't know - Covent Garden used to be London's Fruit & Vegetable market along with the flower traders. It got too congested and was moved out to Nine Elms in Vauxhall, just south of the River Thames. It was going to be knocked down in fact but eventually after lots of campaigning was saved and in 1980 was opened as a shopping centre. Pollocks' was asked to open a boutique in a smaller unit, upstairs at No. 44 and has been there ever since, changing it's name to Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop in 1988 when taken over by Peter Baldwin and his brother. (Full history on our own website)

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-02-15-tr-3314-story.html

We are mentioned under the heading 'would be impresarios'. And the good company we kept then was Paul Smith who opened his first shop at 44 Neal Street (and still in Neal Street). Our friends at Kensington Dolls House and Cabaret Mechanical Theatre are mentioned (now a bi-annual London fair and resident in Hastings, East Sussex respectively) as well as Stanfords map shop who have moved around the corner from their beautiful building but are still in Covent Garden (Mercers Yard).

Long gone shops named are a personal favourite 'Strangeways' very 80s and quite surreal homeware and the very exciting for a teenager - Covent Garden Store (eventually it became Marks and Spencers and now is a branch of Boots)

So, we are very proud to have withstood all the change in Covent Garden and still finding new customers for our paper theatres and classic toys.

You can download a copy of our magazine that celebrated 44 years at No. 44 last year here

https://www.pollocks-coventgarden.co.uk/press/

It's always a little marvel when we are reminded of our long residence in our little upstairs shop in Covent Garden whilst everything around us changes when customers come in to share their memories.

We received these photographs from Mark Murray who wanted to retrace the photograph of his Mum from the 1980s. Mark came back to Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop with his son and took a photo of him with the original photo taken 40 years before.

Thank-you to Mark and do send us any photos or memories you have of Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop and Covent Garden