While the elegant town of Windsor in Berkshire is famed for its historic castle and royal connections, it’s also a great location for some retail therapy. With trendy boutiques, delicatessens and smart department stores brimming with bargains, there are plenty of options for the perfect memento of your stay. Read on for our pick of the best places to buy unique souvenirs in Windsor, England.
Windsor Royal Shopping
Shopping Mall
With a prime location opposite the impressive Windsor Castle, Windsor Royal Shopping is a classy collection of shops housed within a beautiful grade II-listed Victorian railway station. Its forty-plus stores include top chains such as Bobbi Brown and Jo Malone, as well as cute sweet shops, jewellers and more than enough cosy eateries for a lunchtime pit-stop. There’s also a lovely arts and crafts market open all week long, which means you’ll be spoiled for choice when it comes to choosing a gift to remember Windsor’s regal charm.
Huttons at Home
Store, Shop
This quirky store is chock-full of eccentric soft furnishings, whimsical ornaments and off-the-wall objets d’art. Let your imagination run wild with a ceramic animal statue or an impossibly fluffy cushion. Located on popular Peascod Street, Huttons at Home lets you sample a slice of the shabby-chic style England is proud of.
Eton Antique Bookshop
Store
Packed with antiquarian books and second-hand reads from floor to ceiling, this brilliantly British bookshop is a must-visit for browsers and buyers alike, and an easy stroll from central Windsor. With shelves full of fiction and fantasy, reference and fact, you’ll be sure to find a well-priced novel or biography to devour on the journey home. This store also has lots of historic maps and photographs too, which transport you straight back to Windsor’s intriguing past. The store’s owners are warm, friendly and unmistakably passionate about their work.
Windsor Farm Shop
Farm Shop, Dessert, Vegetarian, Fast Food
For tangy-sweet jams and local cheeses, Windsor Farm Shop should be top of your list. Whether it’s snacks for your march down The Long Walk or a picnic in Savill Gardens you have planned, this little store is an ideal place to stock up. In terms of edible memories, choose a jar of artisan pickle or a shiny box of biscuits as a tasty memento of your Windsor whirlwind.
Sweet Delights Windsor
Though they don’t have an official store – yet! – Sweet Delights knock up pretty personalised gift boxes and decorative signs for birthdays and celebrations, focusing on the little ones. Give your credit card a rest from the glossy high-street chains and support a smaller local business by ordering a cheeky chest of typical English confectionary for a mouthful to remember.
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If you do decide to explore Windsor Royal Shopping as we’ve suggested, one stop you really shouldn’t miss is Havana House. While we’re more or less agreed that smoking is a dirty habit, it’s harder to shake the glamour of a real Cuban cigar. With expert staff and a wide selection, this place is a treasure trove for a ciggie connoisseur. A box of Havana’s finest may not be the most English of offerings, but certainly makes a sophisticated gift anyway. Tip: Don’t inhale. It’s the thought that counts.
Savill Garden, Windsor Great Park
Park, Shop
After a sunshine stroll through Windsor’s glorious Great Park, you’ll find it hard to resist the floral magic of Savill Garden. And just inside is a superbly-stocked shop with items hand-picked to commemorate your visit. Cacti are all the rage, botany books brighten any shelf and postcards capture memories with a less than perturbing price tag.
Daniel Department Store
Store
The truly dedicated shopaholic can get their maximum fix of.. well.. shopahol.. at Windsor’s bright, sparkling department store, Daniel. Packed with stores including well-known brands and designers, Daniel also has stores in Ealing and Chiswick. Head along for homewares, fashion and Windsor’s favourite toy; Lego.
Eton Fudge Shop
Dessert Shop, Dessert, Vegetarian
We Brits, as a collective, have kind of a sweet-tooth. And the deliciously moreish concoction of sugar, butter and a dash of sea salt can prove fatally irresistible for many of us. For a taste of England’s painfully rich favourite treat, head along to Eton Fudge Shop. The cheerful staff will happily let you watch as they shape the gleaming slabs into bite-size lumps of deliciousness. This store is worth a visit for the heavenly smell alone. Take a bag home for each of your pals!
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