I remember the shop in West Street that is now called Model Zone. I think it might have been called Model Aerodrome before the name change?

I remember a shop in Coombe Terrace near the bus garage. (probably the one you mention). I always looked in the window when I went to the chemist or the chippie. I was more in to buses than models and he always had a good range for me to look at. I haven't been past there for some time so don't know if it is still there.

I can remember most of the model shops in Brighton and Hove and I certainly remember Arther Mullett's in Meeting House Lane as I sometimes purchased items from that shop. I was also a member of the snooker club that operated above the shop and I was playing snooker at the time the assasination of President John F Kennedy was anounced on Friday, November 22, 1963. The announcement came via a BBC news bulletin on a monochrome television and it stopped all play for some while. More to come later on my memories of model shops.

Danny Bloomfield mentions that model flying is still going strong. I began making model aircraft at a very early age and following a 40 year break from model flying I have resumed and I am now a member of the Brighton Radio Flying Club that has a number of vacancies for new members. For more information about BRFC go to www.brightonradioflyingclub.co.uk

Hi Danny, The popularity of model aircraft making seems to have sprung up after the war, with the advent of two specialist suppliers in Brighton. These were Arthur Mullett (as above) and the Southern Junior Aircraft Co. at 89/90, London Road. Later there was the shop at Bostel House, 37 West Street, which was Modelmakers (Brighton) Ltd., who also traded as Model Aerodrome Ltd. in the 1950s. Later still they had another shop at 38 Brooker Street. Other shops opened by the end of the 1950s were Southern Hobbies Ltd. at 113, Western Road; C.T. Hammond (later known as The Model Shop) at 187B, Lewes Road; Bradshaw Model Products Ltd., at 40, Waterloo Street and 5/6, Cross Street (later in the 1960s at 366, Kingsway). It would appear that by the 1970s only the model shops remaining were in West Street and Lewes Road, although there was also Adur Models, who had a brief existence in John Street. There may of course have been others who stocked model aircraft, but the above were all listed as specialist suppliers.

I well remember Clapshaw & Cleeve opposite the Regent cinema. Prior to and during WW2 my Mother was friends with the staff there and they used to give me model kits of ships and aeroplanes in wood and plastic to build for display in their shop window. There was also a glass cabinet on the wall behind the counter that displayed all the latest Hornby 'O' gauge locomotives.

The model shop on the corner of Cranbourne St and West St was called Model Aerodrome in the 60s. I also used to use a model shop in Lewes Rd right next to Gladstone Terrace on the east side, I think it was called The Model Shop. They used to have a good selection of balsa wood models, tissue and dope etc. I do remember Harry Brooks in Victoria Rd, that shop had a big selection of models and model making accessories. ( I’m sounding like an anorak, sorry).

I believe the shop in West Street was called the Model Aerodrome.

I remember (back in the early 1990s) Model Aerodrome on West Street, and their impressive range of sci-fi model kits. I visited Brighton earlier this year (my first time back home in 16 years), and a) Model Aerodrome was now Model Zone and b) there was a lack of sci-fi models; I was not impressed.

Concerning model shops, there is still one in Queens Road Brighton, more or less opposite the top of North Road Brighton if that's any help.

There is still a great model shop in Sackville Road, Hove called LSA Models which has fantastic window displays excellently made models in really good dioramas, although I only ever walk past late in the evenings and its always closed so I've never ventured in. I remember seeing the one in Lewes Road but never going inside. The boxes in the window display had all faded to a dull blue. Apart from the listed shops, in the 80s there also used to be Beatties in Dyke Road, in the same shop that is now Pizza Hut. I spent many a Saturday gazing wistfully at the massive boxes high up on the shelves of 1:32 scale bombers, but my pocket money would usually only stretch to 1:72 fighters. Woolworths and possibly WH Smiths also had fairly good ranges of model kits and even corner shops, (Johnsons in Woodingdean, for example) sold models for pocket money prices.

The comments on this page certainly take me back. I'm not from Brighton, but there used to be plenty of model shops in London. Hammersmith Broadway had a huge one. I was keen on boats mostly, living near the Round Pond in Kensington Gardens, but I also made balsa planes with elastic band propulsion. I wonder what the balsa trees are used for now? A pity most kids don't indulge in this 'anorak' activity, perhaps there would be less violence around.

I am suprised that in all the comments no-one seems to remember Clapshaw & Cleeve.

Yes, I remember C.T. Hammond's model shop in Lewes Road: it used to be big on flyable model aircraft. However, my particular bent was for scale model aircraft plastic construction kits, which I bought there as well as at Bradshaws in Lewes Road, Woolworths in London Road and Model Aerodrome in West Street. When I was ten my mother bought me an Airfix Spitfire and Gloster Gladiator. By the end of that weekend I had two wonkily assembled models, streaked with plastic cement, unpainted and with the waterslide transfers cut out and glued on as I had no idea how to fix them properly. From these small beginnings came a hobby that kept me happily occupied for the next eight years, by which time I had assembled over three hundred model aircraft kits, eventually to a really good quality finish. In the end I had to resort to buying hard-to-obtain French and Japanese kits via mail order as I'd exhausted the catalogues of Airfix, Revell and Frog. The assembled products filled my bedroom and overflowed into the rest of the house. Sadly, a couple of years after I went to university in Bath my mother died, and the house was cleared and sold in my absence. Doubtless the whole lot went into the bin. I note with interest that the same 1/72 Airfix Spitfire that cost two shillings in 1959 now retails for £5.65 on Amazon. That's a rise of 5,650%. I can't think of another commodity that's risen by that percentage in fifty years - not even petrol. Could be in part that that's why it's a rarer hobby these days, notwithstanding the advent of computer games and the Internet.

You are right about the lack of model shops in Brighton & Hove. We now have to go over to Worthing to buy modeling bits and pieces, or buy online. There is a thriving model aircraft club called Brighton Radio Flying Club - see the website http://www.brightonradioflyingclub.co.uk/

I well remember the model shops that were in Brighton during the 40s 50s and 60s. Can anyone else remember Southern Junior near the Co-op on London Road or ABC (Alan Brett Cannon) a rather up-market model railway business on Queens Road? I used Arthur Mullett's regularly for most of my requirements, in particular I bought a Cox Olympic 15 for a then New FAI regs power model that I flew in the 1960 RAF Champ's. C T (Fred) Hammond's was handy for bits and pieces being within walking distance of where I then lived. Like Ken and Ian I have returned to model flying, now with Lincoln Aeromodellers. Looking at Mullett's advert above the prices seem so low but then a single channel "left-centre-right-centre" set up cost about one and a half times the average weekly wage. Nowadays I can buy a 2.4Ghz 7channel set, with 6 digital servos for about half my weekly pensions.

Lewes Road shop is now called 'If Only' - like the thought 'if only I'd have kept them in the boxes...' run by Dennis Tompkins and his wife. He's ex Post Office, although has many friends in the bus depot, hence many bus models there. Retiring some day. Previously he called it something '... Bazzar'. The railway shop down Preston Street I used to go to was John Taylors, later he moved to a smaller shop in Spring Street, then Beatties was to open and he became manager. In the latter heyday of the collectors shops in Brighton I proposed and had the 'Collectors Gazette' making a map of all the model shops in Brighton and at one time there were 30 outlets, which then expanded to cover Sussex. We operated our Model Shop which latterly became a book shop in Little Preston Street between 1990-2000 and we now trade online. Queens Road still has John Trory selling stamps, coins, railway and other models trading as Valelink. I recall another model shop in the seventies opposite the Granada in Portland Road, Hove. There's been a few little shops that came and went during our ten years, but these days specialist shops just cannot survive with rent/rates against online shopping and auctions.

Yes, you are right Gordon, there was quite a big model shop in Portland Road Hove - it was called 'The Hove Toy and Model Centre. The shop was double fronted with a red fascia and window frames. My dad purchased my first Hornby train set there when we lived opposite in the Granada Restaurant in the 1960s.

Thanks for all your comments so far everyone. My own interest is in building and flying model aircraft, but as so many people have mentioned, there were model shops in Brighton for all the other branches of the hobby (trains, plastic kits etc.). One or two survive thankfully, and I guess the Internet and mail-order has created access to like-minded modellers and suppliers. You can't beat browsing round your local model shop though!

The Clapshaw and Cleave shop in Brighton I remember from the Seventies was a sports shop. They sponsored a women's football team called C and C sports which I managed.

I remember Clapshaw and Cleave sport shop. Does any one remember A A Baker in London Road opposite Branch pub?

I was buying plastic model kits, rather than the balsa flying ones, and this had jogged a few memories from the late 70s/early 80s. Here's some more places that I used to frequent on my trips in from Lewes. A toyshop in Churchill square, near to the old HMV, with a model section upstairs, which yeiled many interesting kits. They did some flying ones as well. Selina Squirrel in St James Street, another toy shop with a basement of kits, I still regret not buying the 1/48 Otaki Fw190. CTS Models in College Place, funny little place, used to have old kits in stock, run by a couple of modellers I think. A toyshop on the Level, ended up as Pig City skateboards, had a load of kits. I remember not having the money for a Nichimo 1/35th Sherman, unusual kit,  I only ever saw one. A toy/cycle shop in Lewes Road next to the Labour Club, seeing the Frog Sea Fury and I think, Shackleton there in 77 and the flying models shop nearly opposite. Finally, a specialist place in Spring Street for military figures, used to stock Historex not to mention that pretty much every newsagent used to have a few kits for sale, lots of Frog kits from 77 onwards after they went out of business. The only place like it these days is LSA in Sackville Road, that is a proper model shop, but bear in mind plastic modeling has become a very serious business, with a vast range of extras to make very detailed scale replicas, like prepainted photo etched metal by Eduard, stocked in LSA. Modelzone is more about diecasts and the like, with the kits relegated to basically a cupboard.. Hope this jogs a few memories for folks. cheers

Thanks Mr Smith, I'm glad I'm not the only one to remember the shop near to HMV in Churchill Square. I remember buying a model aero engine there but not having enough pocket money for a propeller, so I had to wait a while to use the engine. As you say, many newsagents sold plastic kits, and my father would sometimes treat me to a kit, and a small tim of Humbrol paint. Several school friends used to build and paint fantastic plastic kits but although I enjoyed building them, I could never paint them very well.

I'm doing some research into Southern Junior Aircraft, of particular interest are their Steam Boat and Marine engine. Does anyone have any information about the company, its products, where their products were made, etc? Any information, photos, old adverts etc would be very gratefully received. Thank you