The Armoury of St James’s

A tiny shop located in the Piccadilly Arcade, this shop is very, very cool for its selection of minature figures priced about £5 to £15. I am sure the prices are higher for the more intricate figures, but they have antiques including war brooches, paintings and busts. If you are into war history, this is most certainly an interesting place to visit for five or ten minutes.

The Armoury of St James’s is a fascinating collectors’ boutique offering an extensive range of historic miniature military figures. All miniatures available are hand painted and most are completed to a truly outstanding standard.
Among the thousands of figures on display, most of the important military themes are represented, including WWII, WWI, British colonial wars, Crimean campaign, Napoleonic wars, 7 Year’s War, Medieval knights, Japanese warriors, etc. There is a considerable selection of the individual historic military commanders as well as various rank and file troops.
I was particularly impressed by the collection of figures of Napoleon as well as many of his marshals and generals. I also enjoyed studying the varieties of Napoleonic forces including the famous cuirassiers on horsebacks, the old guard grenadiers, and the Saxon infantry.
The figures are available in various sizes, with most made in traditional ¹⁄₃₂ scale, but plenty of larger miniatures are also on offer. In addition to lead and tin, there are some items available in porcelain. All are hand painted by experienced internationally acclaimed professionals.
Prices for most items are considerable, which is certainly justified given the excellent quality of workmanship. A ¹⁄₃₂ figure of the highest quality costs in the range of £100 and some larger custom made pieces may be worth up to over a £1000. There are some cheaper options, however, with the more mass market, but still very high quality figures, costing around £20 each.
This shop is undoubtedly a heaven for collectors or someone simply interested in the military history. However, if you haven’t expressed interest in this area before, it’s still worth taking a look just for the experience. There are very few places in the world that showcase such range of beautiful historic miniatures.