Day-trip to London 13th September

[Cat Simon]

I'm off to London this coming Saturday just for the day. Can anyone recommend any good comic shops?
My interests are Fleetway, DC Thompson, Marvel & DC from the mid 60s, 70s to the early 80s.
I'll probably be going to Forbidden Planet and Gosh (in Berwick Street). I know central London fairly ok, but not too sure outside zones 1 & 2, but definitely appreciate any recommendations.

[paw broon]

The best bet is 30th. Century comics at Putney.
http://www.thirtiethcentury.free-online.co.uk/
There are directions on the website.
It is a fair hurl from central London but not difficult to reach. Buses go right to the front door and by tube it's a shortish walk. Well worth the effort.
Gosh is a pleasure to visit. But F.P. is really a giant toy shop with some comics, imo.

[big bad bri]

The best bet is 30th. Century comics at Putney.
http://www.thirtiethcentury.free-online.co.uk/
There are directions on the website.
It is a fair hurl from central London but not difficult to reach. Buses go right to the front door and by tube it's a shortish walk. Well worth the effort.
Gosh is a pleasure to visit. But F.P. is really a giant toy shop with some comics, imo.

I remember the good old days when forbidden planet had comics galore & loads of back issues,they really should dedicate a section downstairs to back issues but most comic shops now seem to cut thier back issues right down

[Phoenix]

The best bet is 30th. Century comics at Putney.
http://www.thirtiethcentury.free-online.co.uk/
There are directions on the website.
It is a fair hurl from central London but not difficult to reach. Buses go right to the front door and by tube it's a shortish walk. Well worth the effort.

Just a clarification. Putney Bridge has been closed to traffic for over a month, and will remain so for a couple more, so buses from central London will be terminating before the bridge, almost certainly outside Putney Bridge tube station. Pedestrians can go across though so Cat could take the District Line to Putney Bridge, walk over the bridge, and then take the first road on the right, which is Lower Richmond Road. It's not a particularly long walk from there to 30th Century. The shop is on two floors, and is quite compact despite the recent extension to the rear, but Cat will find it well worth his time and effort. Certainly all the interests he lists are catered for there.

[TwoHeadedBoy]

Never heard of Gosh before - I'll take a look there next time I'm in London...

Agreed with 30th Century Comics being the best for what you're looking for, but my favourite is Orbital Comics, near Leicester Square. Good for if you're after something perhaps a bit different... Loads of small press things, and dozens of boxes of back issues. Got myself a load of early issues of Poot! when I was there a few weeks ago.

[paw broon]

I forgot about Orbital. I have been in a couple of times and found they had a good stock, the staff seemed friendly and knowledgeable and there was a fair amount of non-American stuff. Good to find out about Putney Bridge as I have a couple of days inLondon coming up, on my way to Brussels, and want to visit 30th. Century Comics.

[SID]

The Book Palace in Crystal Palace is a good one or was the last time I visited years back. Again, not in central London.

[Phoenix]

The Book Palace in Crystal Palace is a good one or was the last time I visited years back. Again, not in central London.

In recent years the Book Palace has converted itself into more of a book store. They dispensed with their British comics section several years ago, and I'm not sure whether they are bothering with any comics at all now. If Cat is considering a visit I recommend a phone call first. If he does go, I've found that Gipsy Hill station is nearer to Bedwardine Road than Crystal Palace station, although he would have to negotiate a bit of a steep hill first. If he is only after comics, British or American, I'd just head for 30th Century (opening hours 10.30 to 6).

[SID]

The Book Palace in Crystal Palace is a good one or was the last time I visited years back. Again, not in central London.

In recent years the Book Palace has converted itself into more of a book store. They dispensed with their British comics section several years ago, and I'm not sure whether they are bothering with any comics at all now.

That is a pity as I enjoyed the visit but it was a long time ago.

To me, the ultimate comic "shop" was Norman Shaw's house. What I would give to go back there again.

[Phoenix]

To me, the ultimate comic "shop" was Norman Shaw's house. What I would give to go back there again.

Absolutely! When I first started to put my Big Five collection together, I became a regular visitor. I couldn't believe my eyes the first time. It was rather like a cross between a magician's cave and a huge bran tub, Hotspurs and Wizards in his front room, Adventures and Rovers in a large rack of pigeon holes in his hall, children's novels by the likes of Frank Richards and all his other aliases on the stairs, all his pre-war Thomsons in a large room upstairs that doubled as his office, and the other main ''bedroom'' had juvenile fiction on shelves on every wall. I would leave home about 6am and drive down, not even thinking twice about going through central London, over one of the bridges, speeding a bit through Balham just in case. I wouldn't risk it now! Even before he died I had started to let the train take the pain. To Crystal Palace. That way I could read The Guardian without risking an accident. 30th Century is very very good in my opinion for the more modern picture strip papers, but neither it nor any other comic shop can hold a candle to Norman's Belvedere Road emporium, my memory of which is undimmed. Great days!

[big bad bri]

To me, the ultimate comic "shop" was Norman Shaw's house. What I would give to go back there again.

Absolutely! When I first started to put my Big Five collection together, I became a regular visitor. I couldn't believe my eyes the first time. It was rather like a cross between a magician's cave and a huge bran tub, Hotspurs and Wizards in his front room, Adventures and Rovers in a large rack of pigeon holes in his hall, children's novels by the likes of Frank Richards and all his other aliases on the stairs, all his pre-war Thomsons in a large room upstairs that doubled as his office, and the other main ''bedroom'' had juvenile fiction on shelves on every wall. I would leave home about 6am and drive down, not even thinking twice about going through central London, over one of the bridges, speeding a bit through Balham just in case. I wouldn't risk it now! Even before he died I had started to let the train take the pain. To Crystal Palace. That way I could read The Guardian without risking an accident. 30th Century is very very good in my opinion for the more modern picture strip papers, but neither it nor any other comic shop can hold a candle to Norman's Belvedere Road emporium, my memory of which is undimmed. Great days!

Can someone please invent the tardis or time travel as i would have loved to go to this house/shop.

[TwoHeadedBoy]

Oh, another one - the Book & Comic Exchange in Notting Hill, plenty of goodies to be found in there. Got two of the three Willy The Kid books in there once for £2 each.