Photo Friday: Seeing Neon At God’s Own Junkyard In Walthamstow

I recently headed down to London for a weekend to visit a friend, and after years and years of talking about going, I FINALLY made it to God’s Own Junkyard!

You may have seen God’s Own Junkyard on social media, because it’s *that* type of place. In fact, I’ve wanted to visit for so long that I thought it might end up being a let down.

I am here to tell you that it is NOT! It absolutely lives up to the hype.

This post contains affiliate links. Please note if you buy or book anything through my links, I may earn a little commission that helps keep this site running, at no extra cost to you. Thank you so much for your support!

Tucked away beyond some lovely streets in Walthamstow, this art gallery is jam packed with neon signs in every direction. Some have been featured in film and TV, and you can even buy the artworks for a pretty penny depending on the size.

There’s also a café called The Rolling Scones!! We didn’t indulge in scones (they do actually offer afternoon tea, as well as general café food) but we did break up our visit with a cup of tea.

But back to the art. Because there is SO much to look at here.

The Bracey family have been designing signs for decades (the company Electro Signs was founded in 1952!), starting in seedy Soho sex shops and moving up to fashion designers, musicians and Hollywood movies. They’ve worked with people like Christopher Nolan, Tim Burton and Stanley Kubrick, and they’ve been featured in the first Captain America film, The Dark Knight, Charlie & The Chocolate Factory and Eyes Wide Shut, amongst many more. They are one of the biggest, if not the biggest, neon creators in the world.

We walked around twice and kept noticing different things – then we stopped in the café for a cup of tea, and afterwards we looked around again, and spotted a bunch more things that we’d somehow missed twice!

Like Jesus with guns! How did we miss that twice?

Anyway, here’s a whole load more photos to hopefully showcase just how cool this place is.

I’ve been meaning to visit for years, to the point I kind of thought it might end up being a let down. But I think because it is actually run by an artist and therefore is set up as a real creative place rather than “what would look good on Instagram?”, it really works! This is a real one-of-a-kind place and I’d definitely go back again.

Some quick facts about God’s Own Junkyard

📅 It’s only open Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays from 11am, so plan accordingly.
📸 You’re not allowed to take photos on a camera – only your phone!
💰 It’s completely FREE to get in.

How to get to God’s Own Junkyard

Take the Victoria line to Walthamstow Central. It’s only about 10-15 minutes from King’s Cross so it’s actually far easier to get to than you’d think! It’s then a 15 minute walk to the venue. Make sure to check out the “Ancient House” on the way, and then walk back via Orford Road for a delightful high street.

God’s Own Junkyard is in a small industrial park just off a residential street but it’s easy enough to find.

How long to spend at God’s Own Junkyard

We were there for probably an hour and a half, including a sit down with a cup of tea. You probably don’t need this long, but there’s so much to look at!

The café also serves sandwiches, snacks and drinks, including cocktails – and it’s actually pretty reasonably priced! The most expensive cocktail is £10 and most are £8.50, which is amazing for London prices. I think our teas were £2.50 each.

Overall, this is DEFINITELY worth a visit! We were also really surprised by how lovely Walthamstow itself is, with charming high streets and rows of cottages. It’s become something of a hipster enclave too, with warehouses re-purposed into bars and flea markets. Without a doubt I will be back, if just to see more of the area.