Smythson of Bond Street

Smythson of Bond Street is a luxury stationers and leather goods retailer and their main store is on Bond Street in London. At the back of the store there's a small museum, which though small, is worth seeing.

Frank Smythson opened his first stationery store on Bond Street in 1887 (opposite the current shop). This really is the luxury end of the market and they supply the Queen and her family with their personal stationery.

Smythson also sells leather goods such as diaries, notebooks and small travel goods. To give you an idea of price, when I first visited in 2010, a travelcard wallet was £95 and a 'Gent's accessory box' was in the sale from £10,765 to £5,400 so you can see they cater for a wide range of budgets.

Don't be put off as the shop welcomes browsers - we may become customers one day - and it has a small museum near the back of the shop, on the right, in a small side room.

Following the refurbishment in 2012, the museum is much smaller but there are still some archive materials on display. Staff are really helpful and will do their best to point out other historical pieces around the store.

This is a museum about the company so has archive materials from 1887 onwards. Previously I've seen the founder Frank Smythson's original trade card, a selection of wartime Christmas cards, a Smythson notebook used by Sigmund Freud, and examples of fine stationery specially produced for the Maharajas of India during the 1920s. Look out for John F Kennedy's and Princess Grace of Monaco's condolence books.

Address: 40 New Bond Street, London W1S 2DE

Tel: 020 7629 8558

Official Website: www.smythson.com

The shop is very close to Sotheby's so you might like to try a London Auction House Viewing too.