Creepy - crawly, Curios

Things get creepy and crawly at map gift shop, our theme for this year is Curios - those must have, rare and intriguing, even eerie objects that are perfect for spooky entertaining this Halloween.

If you're off out on the razzle, we have the perfect accessory for an instant Halloween fancy dress up outfit, without any of the hassle, (or embarrassment), these masks and glasses start at £3.95.

New products are arriving by the day......pop by soon.  

Lady V Designs - unique fabric wrapped jewellery

Lady V Designs has been an idea playing around in the back of Vincenza's mind for some time. Combining her love of bold African printed fabrics with bold costume jewellery and accessories she has launched her first jewellery collection.

Each piece is hand made and totally individual, each piece is hand-wrapped with the wonderful block wax fabric.  

Never one to shy away from a bold look.  The collection started with large hoop earrings and statement bangles and necklaces.

As the brand is evolving, smaller pieces are being added, that still make a colourful statement but are slightly more subtle and work for everyday wear. 

The whole collection is available from Map Gift Shop and Enza would be delighted to discuss any special commissions. 

Time Out Love London Awards - we have been nominated AGAIN!

"Last year’s Love London Awards saw 16,000 nominations and 75,000 votes cast for 5,000 venues across the city. That, as Led Zeppelin once said, is a whole lotta love."

We are thrilled to have been nominated again!  Regulars to this blog (who have been paying attention) will know that we won this prestigious award 2 years running.  We'd love to make it 3 in a row! We're in great company!  We're up against 2 friends Deli Junction and Harriet Wilde.

There is still confusion surrounding the name or our area.  We are big fans of Archway, both it's name and nature, and we vehemently resist the temptation (mainly led by local Estate Agents) to rebrand our beloved Archway with a name change.  In fact, we think areas such as Highgate and Highbury should consider renaming themselves - Upper and Lower Archway........But in terms of postcodes Archway doesn't exist.  We are Upper Holloway as designated by the Post Office 100 years ago, and the Time Out Love London Award has taken these postcode areas rather than the name of our town centre!  Surely it can only be due to this confusion that there weren't enough venues nominated in the pubs & bars category for Time Out to open it up to the vote?  I think St john's Tavern & Charlotte Despard (both previous winners) can rightfully feel a little miffed again.

Rant over........It’s time for you to champion your favourite bits of Upper Holloway that everyone else who lives here knows as Archway. The polls are open! So click here to have a look at who has been nominated in Upper Holloway & get voting!

Voting is open until October 31 - you can vote in as many categories as you like, but remember that you can only vote for ONE venue per category,  Once you’re done, remember to jump on social media with the #LoveLondonAwards hashtag.

A whole lotta love

It’s time, once again, for you – North London’s beautiful, general public – to champion your favourite bits of the part of city that you call home.  "Last year’s Love London Awards saw 16,000 nominations and 75,000 votes cast for 5,000 venues across the city. That, as Led Zeppelin once said, is a whole lotta love."

We are genuinely chuffed to bits to have won this award for the last 2 years....we would really love to make 2016 our hat-trick, (plus we think the shop is even better now). We've been working really hard to source new lines and we can promise to bring you the best new products on the market to thrill your friends and family this season.

The competition is currently at the nomination stage – the part where you get to reveal which local venues you love the most and why. Nominations close on September 30, at which point the most-nominated venues in each category will go head-to-head in a public vote

So show some local love and nominate all your favourite independents! 

Hampstead Heath London's Countryside by Matthew Maran

A hardcover book with over 120 stunning photographs of the wildlife and landscapes of Hampstead Heath, London, England
Created by

Matthew Maran

Many congratulations to Matthew, who has self-published this book in record time with a Kick-starter campaign launched in February this year.  We are really delighted to have taken delivery of this excellent book, what a great gift for anyone with a passion for The Heath.  Matthew Maran's unique images capture the diversity of the Heath through the seasons, the characters and the wildlife beautifully. 

"I've poured my heart and soul into gathering images for this book and built special relationships with individuals and the wider community connected to Hampstead Heath. I'm passionate about wildlife and conservation and a big advocate of getting out and exploring your local patch and with this book I want to show that you don't have to travel far to experience amazing wildlife encounters."  

Page after page of stunning photographs in this beautiful book.

Hampstead Heath London's Countryside by Matthew Maran

A hardcover book with over 120 stunning photographs of the wildlife and landscapes of Hampstead Heath, London, England
Created by

Matthew Maran

Many congratulations to Matthew, who has self-published this book in record time with a Kick-starter campaign launched in February this year.  We are really delighted to have taken delivery of this excellent book, what a great gift for anyone with a passion for The Heath.  Matthew Maran's unique images capture the diversity of the Heath through the seasons, the characters and the wildlife beautifully. 

"I've poured my heart and soul into gathering images for this book and built special relationships with individuals and the wider community connected to Hampstead Heath. I'm passionate about wildlife and conservation and a big advocate of getting out and exploring your local patch and with this book I want to show that you don't have to travel far to experience amazing wildlife encounters."  

Page after page of stunning photographs in this beautiful book.

Five shows to see this week

I know I keep banging on about it, but we really ARE a talented bunch here at Map Gift Shop!  We are enormously proud to announce that 3 of our team have made it into the Top Five Shows to see this week,  a guide to the London shows you need to see right now!  Sophie's production company Tit4Twat are in their final week of  Losers (Rosemary Branch Theatre) 

The only show to provide the audience the simple power to vote with electonic power sets.....The idea is that the so-called Losers (Arthur, Rachel, Sophie and Tommy) are four wannabe TV stars but wait..... TV doesn’t actually want them. In fact, they’ve been rejected by Brat Camp, Bake Off and even 24 Hours In A&E. So instead of trying to make themselves fit the existing shows, they’ve made a show to fit them & the audience provide the drama by voting for the contestants after each round.  Totally brilliant and engaging theatre!


Losers runs at the Rosemary Branch Theatre from 2 – 14 August 2016 you can book tickets here.

And if that's not enough excitement, both Nadia and Declan are acting in Screens playing Brother and Sister Al and Ayse at Theate503 Battersea.

Emine is more interested in a dead cat than her kids...Al is lost in Grindr, discovering that having a love life is incompatible with his incessant need to mollycoddle his ungrateful, acid-tongued sister Ayşe – a fierce and intelligent young woman, who is drowning in the mire of social media. 

Screens focuses on a Turkish-Cypriot family, it is a witty yet dramatic play using the lesser-discussed conflict in Cyprus as a backdrop to tackle the stigma-infused topics of homophobia, discrimination, violence and loss of self amongst refugees from various partitioned communities: Jewish, Palestinian, Indian, Pakistani, Catholic, Protestant, Sunnis, Shia.  Set against a hyper-modern online framework based on fleeting moments of connection, the play captures the zeitgeist of split personality, the forced weight of tangential interactions and the consequential fluidity of identity – online, for real, and most importantly those that are defined by inheritance.
Read more from Declan Perring who plays Al here book online here

Playwright Stephen Laughton, whose show RUN enjoyed an acclaimed season at The Vaults earlier this year, returns with a new play. This time his gaze falls on the new generation of immigrants, the conflict in Cyprus and short-lived moments of connection in the modern world.  You can buy tickets here.