Toyland, Sydney Street (no longer exists)

Sydney Street (present day)

From a private collection

Memories from the 1950s

By Martin Nimmo, ex-resident, born in Hove
Submitted to the website by e-mail August 29, 2002

Virtually every Saturday morning when I was a child in the 1950s, my Dad took me "down-town" to Sydney Street in the, then far from fashionable, North Laine area. Dad, being a model soldier enthusiast, had only one objective, a shop (I think it was 2, Sydney Street) called "Toyland".

Toyland was run by Mr Gerald Jewson, a veteran member of the British Model Soldier Society, who naturally stocked the whole range of Britain's model soldiers as well as some others (including the smaller scale SAE - South African Engineers - sets of soldiers). While Dad's odd shillings went on more model soldiers for his collection - much to Mum's disgust - my 1/6d pocket money usually went on a Matchbox toy!

By Geoffrey Mead, in response to Martin Nimmo's memories (above)
Submitted to the website by e-mail, September 10, 2002

I too remember this shop at the south end of the street, near to the present David's Book Exchange, but I recall it being The Chocolate Box. Whatever it was called, it was a source of lead soldiers, which in the late 1950's were rapidly going out of favour to be replaced by plastics.

I recall the shop with affection (it had rather incongruous lace curtains!) as it was the destination of my first long shopping trip out on my own without Mum! I must have been eight or nine, so it was 1958-ish. I well remember the adventure from Dyke Road Drive, along Preston Road to London Road, Trafalgar St and into Sydney St ('do not talk to strangers, look both ways at Preston Circus, come straight back!').