In this second set on London, we visit the small Sloane Square in Chelsea, decorated with simple lights and surrounded by historic buildings, then scoot all the way over to Regent Street in the West End to gaze at the Christmas themed decorations in the windows of Hamleys, one of the world's greatest toy store.

SLOANE SQUARE is a small hard-landscaped square on the boundaries of the central London districts of Knightsbridge, Belgravia and Chelsea. The area forms a boundary between the two largest aristocratic estates in London, the Grosvenor Estate and the Cadogan. The square was formerly known as 'Hans Town', laid out in 1771. Both the square and Hans Town were named after Sir Hans Sloane (1660–1753), an Anglo-Irish doctor who, jointly with his appointed trustees, owned the land at the time.

Estates on all sides are made up of ornate, luxuriously furnished private apartments set behind railings - a minority of these remain combined to form large townhouses. Gothic, classical and Edwardian architecture mix; the area has grown piecemeal, under strict character and aesthetic demands of local urban planning. Elements of almost every street were reinstated, in similar style, after the London Blitz. The square has two notable buildings: Peter Jones department store designed in 1936 and now a Grade II listed building on account of its early curtain wall and modernist aesthetic, pioneering in the UK for a department store. The building was carefully restored 2003–2007 with internal upgrading in line with the original designs. This included making the three story atrium full-height. Peter Jones now operates as part of the employee-owned John Lewis chain. The other notable building is the Royal Court Theatre first opened in 1888 which was important for avant-garde theatre in the 1960s and 1970s when the home of the English Stage Company.

The Venus Fountain in the center of the square was constructed in 1953, designed by sculptor Gilbert Ledward. The fountain depicts Venus, and on the basin section of the fountain is a relief which depicts King Charles II and Nell Gwynn by the Thames. Positioned slightly off-center in the square is a stone cross that is known as Chelsea War Memorial. Made of Portland stone, and designed by an unknown architect, the cross has a capped head on a tapered shaft above a molded three stage octagonal base. A large bronze sword is affixed to its west face.

HAMLEYS is the oldest and largest toy shop in the world. It is named after William Hamley, who founded a toy shop called "Noah's Ark" in High Holborn, London, in 1760. Ownership of the shop passed through the family, and by the time it was operated by Hamley's grandsons in 1837, the store had become famous, counting royalty and nobility among its customers. It moved to its current site on Regent Street in 1881. This flagship store is set over seven floors, with more than 50,000 lines of toys on sale. It is considered one of the city's prominent tourist attractions, receiving around five million visitors each year.

In 1938, Queen Mary, consort of King George V, gave Hamleys a royal warrant. During the Second World War, the Regent Street store was bombed five times. In 1955, Queen Elizabeth II gave the company a second royal warrant as a "toys and sports merchant".

Notes
TRIP INTRODUCTON: Set # 1 provides an introduction to this short series. Please use the link below if you would like to review this information:
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-679356-1.html

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