Anyone who has visited a Hamleys shop knows that its more than just a shop. It’s an incredible experience – history and fun all rolled into one. Here’s how that came to be. In 1760, a Cornishman from Bodmin, England, William Hamley opened a toy shop in Holborn, London with the dream of making it ‘the best toy shop in the world!’. Little did he know that this was just the beginning of something very big.