About Us

Founded in 1883, Langleys Toys is Norwich's friendly, local toy retailer. On our single  floor you'll find a wonderful selection of toys, from traditional to modern, 

Mr. Langley's original store was on Prince of Wales Road on (what was) the edge of Norwich. He proved to be a successful shopkeeper and entrepreneur; in fact in 1925 he planned to launch the nation's very first web site but was disappointed to discover that his typewriter didn't have enough (or any) RAM and wouldn't plug into his phone socket. Instead, he bought out Galpins, a local competitor

Galpins Toy Shop had been in the beautiful art nouveau styled Royal Arcade since the shopping centre opened at the turn of the century. Sadly, Mr. Langley was only able to enjoy his new store for three years, as he died in 1928. His dream of world wide internet sales serving the far flung reaches of the great British Empire died with him.

The present owners took over in 2015 and the expanded store to include a unit in the Chantry Place shopping centre and runs successfully, today. The internet dream was rekindled in 1984 with the advent of the Sinclair Spectrum 48k. Sticking keys, pitiful memory and unreliable tape recorders brought further disappointment.

Today, Mr. Langley's ambitions have finally been realised with the launch of our magnificent web site. WWW.langleysnorwich.co.uk

We hope that you enjoy our efforts.