Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Any market/shop in London with chemistry/science items?

valeg96 - 4-7-2014 at 09:20

On Sunday I'll be leaving for London for a work&study vacation (lol.) that will last about one month. I'll have some free time, mostly on weekends. Is there any second hand shop or flea market where I can find old/used medicine/science/chemistry related stuff? Like old reagent bottles, glassware or books, me and my science professor are really into these things.

I'll go to Portobello for sure, maybe Camden too. Are there other places? I'll be in London from the 6th of July to the 3rd of August.

Hexavalent - 4-7-2014 at 09:28

It's not in London, but if you get the chance to travel up north, I'd recommend a visit to Bygone Times, a large flea market-type place where I have found numerous interesting items of glassware, reagent bottles, occasionally some reagents and books; my last acquisition was a fritted 250 mL Dreschel bottle for £9. You need to look around a fair bit, but you can often find some good items at great prices. The section on the ground floor was the most fruitful, the last time I visited.

http://bygonetimes.co.uk/

jock88 - 5-7-2014 at 11:32


Sorry this is of no use after googling but......

Laurance Corner boffin shop, a shop that sold science related stuff in London. I was in it once in approx. 1990. You could rent out a 'bomb'. (lol).

I thing it must have changed into an army surplus store since.
http://www.londonremembers.com/memorials/laurence-corner-arm...
And some more edit:::



Googling some more (sorry for highjacking the thread) there is a 'boffin shop' in Kansas!

http://boingboing.net/2010/09/02/hms-beagle-awesome-g.html

And some more::::

From the page linked above::
There used to be a very similar store close to London Euston train station (in the UK) called ‘The Boffin Shop’ or ‘Lawrence Corner’. The Boffin Shop sold all manner of laboratory apparatus, instruments, medical equipment…some new but most second-hand or government surplus. They sold instruments from the cockpits of cold-war RAF planes and all manner of bizarre and absolutely amazing stuff. They would let you wander round browsing for hours without hassling you. Lawrence Corner (their sister shop across the road) sold weird and wonderful gowns, disguises and theatrical equipment and stage hardware. Sadly they closed down in the 1990s and have never come across anything as magical or interesting since. I really miss that place.


I will have to second that opinion. It was the only shop I was ever in that had a bomb in the corner with a big sign on it that read (wait for it). FOR RENT
Back in the eighties there were not many places in central London that you were invited to rend a bomb :P

According to link above the shop has moved , quote

"Laurence Corner re-opened as Squadron HQ, not far away in Camden Town. A quick web search for “Squadron HQ london” should find it "


HAVE A GREAT RUMMAGE IN LONDON

[Edited on 5-7-2014 by jock88]

[Edited on 5-7-2014 by jock88]

valeg96 - 5-7-2014 at 12:08

Thank you jock88. It is a shame that in the last 20 years so many chem-related shops closed. I'll try to pay them a visit, but I'm not really interested in clothing militaria. I hope they have some surplus equipment tho.