The Lanes Armoury, Described To Us Every Day, By Hundreds of Our Daily Visitors, Including, By President Ronald Reagan Over 40 Years Ago, As, Probably, The Most Amazing & Very Best Shop In Britain & Especially Featured in The New York Times

Thousands of worldwide visitors to the UK come to visit us here, every day {except Sunday} of every week, and the most consistent, much appreciated and most kind comment includes they believe we are the most amazing, incredible and interesting shop in Britain, just like a museum, but, everything is for sale! If we were a UK National museum, we would likely be the very smallest, but, we contain thousands upon thousands of original collectables and books, ancient, antique and vintage from a 20 million year old megaladon shark's tooth, to a samurai sword made almost 800 years ago {we have at any one time, up to 350 original samurai antique swords in stock to view, apparently the largest original selection to be seen for sale in any shop in the world }. From an Ancient Greek 'Wreath, or Crown Of Victory' in solid hammered gold, made around 2300 years ago from the time of Alexander the Great, to many cased duelling pistols, and numerous cased Georgian and Victorian sporting guns, all with their original tools, made for a prince, or a fantastic selection of original French sabres used by Napoleon’s generals and commanders of his Imperial Garde, to a 1st Edition 'Great Gatsby', and several various James Bond or Charles Dickens Ist Editions.

We always try to have an intriguing selection of Ist Editions, for example this month you can view and buy, rare James Bond 1st Edition books, Edgar Rice Burroughs Tarzan Ist editions, alongside Bull-Dog Drummonds, and, up to 2,000 other history based books in stock, all vintage and hardback. We also stock antique magical and witchcraft pieces, wondrous artefacts, many arcane or esoteric, such as a collection of amazing African Congo ‘fetish’ and so-called voodoo statues, many near identical to those in the `Rockefeller Collection in the Met in New York, or, an incredibly rare ancient Hun or Visigoths Life-stone mounted sword, around 1,600 years old, reputedly imbued with magic powers to enable its warrior owner to be protected or healed from fatal wounds inflicted by their ancient Roman combat adversaries, also, a stunning early 19th century Witch Ball, mounted upon an Ancient Greek bronze ‘after the antique’ statue of Atlas, and each piece can be with a history that could likely be beyond compare.

Twenty four years ago, after 80 years of their family’s trading in Brighton, the Lanes Armoury was honoured by being Nominated & Awarded by BACA, In The Best Antique & Collectables Shop In Britain Awards 2001
Presented by MILLER'S Antiques Guide, THE BBC, HOMES & ANTIQUES MAGAZINE, for the British Antique & Collectables Awards. The version of the antique dealers ‘Oscars’ of Britain.

It was a great honour for Mark and David, especially considering at the beginning of the new millennium, in the year 2000, there was over 7,000 established antique and collectors shops in the UK, according to the official Guide to the Antique Shops of Britain, 1999-2000, that we were nominated, and voted into in the top four, out of 7,000 other antique shops, within the whole of Great Britain.

We were also very kindly described and listed as one of the most highly recommended visitors attractions in the whole of Europe {and thus the UK} by nothing less than the 'New York Times ' within their travel guide "New York Times, 36 Hours, 125 Weekends in Europe. However, this is not the sort of intimidating gallery that you may find in the most exclusive parts of London or Paris, where each room may only have a few, well lit, exclusive pieces with six and seven figure price tags. We are more like a Dickensian, ancient spell-book and magic shop, within our ancient narrow Brighton Lanes, just like Diagon Alley, as one may find within the pages of Harry Potter {by the genius author J.K Rowling} with glass cases overflowing with thousands of flintlocks, artefacts and antiquities, and thousands upon thousands of antique swords, rifles and muskets, mounted upon numerous heaving racks affixed upon the guards red painted walls, rising up from floor to ceiling. Glorious antique helmets by the dozen, piled high upon cabinets, and thousands of books stacked up on the floor and in cabinets and upon desks. Plus of course we have the ubiquitous original old ghost books, volumes on spells, sorcery and magic, and original, ancient pagan, mystical charms.

In the previous 104 years, our family’s past and present clients have included some highly fascinating people from all fields of interest, such as, Hollywood & British legends, of film and theatre, royalty, aristocracy, and academics in all fields, including curators of museums such as the British museum and likely the most famous and very first museum in the world, The Tower of London, and politicians of all types, and from all manner of countries around the world. For example, in the 1970’s {before Mark’s experience serving President Reagan} he was introduced to late great Garfield {Garry} Weston, Canadian billionaire, one of the world’s most famous philanthropists and owner of Fortnum and Mason in Piccadilly London, whereupon Mark supplied Garry with finest antique Meissen porcelains thereafter for his antique department in Fortnums. He also had the incredible good fortune to meet the genius writer, artiste, actor and raconteur. Barry Humphries {aka Dame Edna Everidge}. After a glorious afternoon of entertainment, wit and wisdom imparted by Barry, Mark sold to him a fabulous rare piece of Art Nouveau for his collection. And on one extraordinary visit to our shop, in October 1970, when Mark was present {but still, at the time, studying at Brighton College } David snr and Camilla {Mark and David jnr’s mother} were visited by Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. With their intention to buy a mansion house from David and Camilla {for Elizabeth’s ex-husband Michael Wilding} but, remarkably, resulted in Elizabeth selling to Camilla her own Rolex watch, just in order to annoy and anger Richard {as intensely as possible, and needless to say, it was remarkably successful}

Our oldest regular collector is now over 103 years old, and our most regular customer has been coming to us for over 78 years! Every month over 60,000 of our regular followers around the world request our weekly stock updates by our updates email. and it is so easy to join in with them, just go to our home page, enter your regular email address in the box, and click go!. you will then get an update email every weekend, {if you don't, just check your spam or junk box.}

Every single item from The Lanes Armoury is accompanied by our unique Certificate of Authenticity. Part of our continued dedication to maintain the standards forged by us over the past 100 plus years or more of our family’s trading.

The autographed photographs in the gallery, one from President Reagan, that was taken in the Oval Office in The White House and was very kindly given to Mark during his visit in the 1980’s. and the two certificates from The BACA Awards, and The New York Times.

Plus, in the gallery, a photo of Elizabeth Taylor & Richard Burton arriving at Brighton Railway Station in October 1970, prior to their visit to our shop to see Mark and David’s parents.

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