231 Years of Play | The Story Continues

The Gifting Event ✦ 20% off the Gifting Sale collection ✦ Use code 231YEARS ✦ The Gifting Event ✦ 20% off the Gifting Sale collection ✦ Use code 231YEARS ✦ The Gifting Event ✦ 20% off the Gifting Sale collection ✦ Use code 231YEARS ✦ The Gifting Event ✦ 20% off the Gifting Sale collection ✦ Use code 231YEARS ✦ The Gifting Event ✦ 20% off the Gifting Sale collection ✦ Use code 231YEARS ✦ The Gifting Event ✦ 20% off the Gifting Sale collection ✦ Use code 231YEARS ✦
231 Years of the Perfect Gift. 20% off with code 231YEARS.
Celebrating 231 years of play ✦ FREE gift when you spend £35 ✦ 2 free gifts at £45 ✦ 3 free gifts at £70, worth £48 ✦ All 4 free gifts at £100, worth £73 ✦ Celebrating 231 years of play ✦ FREE gift when you spend £35 ✦ 2 free gifts at £45 ✦ 3 free gifts at £70, worth £48 ✦ All 4 free gifts at £100, worth £73 ✦ Celebrating 231 years of play ✦ FREE gift when you spend £35 ✦ 2 free gifts at £45 ✦ 3 free gifts at £70, worth £48 ✦ All 4 free gifts at £100, worth £73 ✦ Celebrating 231 years of play ✦ FREE gift when you spend £35 ✦ 2 free gifts at £45 ✦ 3 free gifts at £70, worth £48 ✦ All 4 free gifts at £100, worth £73 ✦
The Art of Gifting

The Great Gifting Event

231 years of knowing what makes a great gift. Gifting favourites across games and toys, gone when they are gone.

20% off the Gifting Sale · code 231YEARS
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No More Guessing

Find the perfect gift by age

Little hands, big imaginations. Every age has its perfect first game.

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Chapter One · The Games

Famous for our games

The classics the world plays were born in our London workshops.

Backgammon set open on a walnut table in evening light
The Quiet Hour
Backgammon
 Staunton chess mid game on a green marble table
Since 1849
Chess
 Snakes and Ladders board flat lay with wooden counters
All Together Now
Family Games
 Dominoes mid game on a limestone table in dappled shade
The Long Afternoon
Traditional Games
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Est. 1795 · The World's Oldest Games Company

231 years in the making

Eight generations of one family, teaching the world to play.

1795
The story begins
Thomas Jaques starts making games in London. The first chapter of play is written.
1849
The Staunton chessmen
We craft the first Staunton chess set. It is still the standard the world plays to this day.
1851
The Great Exhibition
Jaques games go on show to the world, and Happy Families is dealt for the very first time.
1860s
Croquet conquers the lawn
We put croquet on the lawns of Britain and start a garden games love affair that never ended.
1896
Ludo is born
We register Ludo, and family game night gains its most argued-over classic.
2026
231 years of play
Eight generations on, the same family still makes the games. The story continues with you.
Read the Whole Story
Celebrating 231 years of play ✦ FREE gift when you spend £35 ✦ 2 free gifts at £45 ✦ 3 free gifts at £70, worth £48 ✦ All 4 free gifts at £100, worth £73 ✦ Celebrating 231 years of play ✦ FREE gift when you spend £35 ✦ 2 free gifts at £45 ✦ 3 free gifts at £70, worth £48 ✦ All 4 free gifts at £100, worth £73 ✦ Celebrating 231 years of play ✦ FREE gift when you spend £35 ✦ 2 free gifts at £45 ✦ 3 free gifts at £70, worth £48 ✦ All 4 free gifts at £100, worth £73 ✦ Celebrating 231 years of play ✦ FREE gift when you spend £35 ✦ 2 free gifts at £45 ✦ 3 free gifts at £70, worth £48 ✦ All 4 free gifts at £100, worth £73 ✦
Gifts That Start Stories

Who are you gifting for?

A christening, a birthday, a new arrival, or the friend who takes games night far too seriously. Every gift here is made to be kept.

Heirloom wooden toys
A Welcome to the World
Christening Gifts
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 Wooden tractor and farm animals beside a birthday present
The Big Day
Birthday Gifts
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 Dolly the Dachshund pull along toy
From Grandma & Grandpa
Gifts for Grandchildren
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 Toddler placing numbers in the counting game
Learning Through Play
Little Learners
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 Backgammon by lamplight, gifts for adults
Play Never Gets Old
For the Grown-Ups
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 Child playing with The Friendly Farm animals
From the Farmyard
Animal Lovers
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Chapter Two Continues

First toys for the next generation

The pull along family that starts a collection. One arrives as a gift, the rest follow on birthdays.

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Made for Every Generation

Old hands taught young hands to play

Older hands and young hands playing Mexican Train Dominoes in the sun
Wise hands ♡
A grandmother's hand and a child's hand at the wooden solitaire board
Small hands, big moves

The same games pass from grandparents to parents to children. Play is not something we grow out of, it is something we hand down. ♡

20% off with code 231YEARS
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Our Story

The oldest games company in the world.

Line drawing of the J. Jaques and Son shopfront, established 1795
Croquet on the lawn, archive style
Since 1795 we have been at the heart of play, inspiring generations to play, dream and grow together. ♡
Joe Jaques · 8th Generation
Discover Our Story →
231 Years in Two Minutes

Our story, on film

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♛
Est. 1795
231 years of play
✦
Family Run
Eight generations of one family
★
4.74 from 24,618 reviews
Rated by real families
✦
Timeless Quality
Made to last, made to hand down
✦
Loved Worldwide
Generations of joy
♛
Est. 1795
231 years of play
✦
Family Run
Eight generations of one family
★
4.74 from 24,618 reviews
Rated by real families
✦
Timeless Quality
Made to last, made to hand down
✦
Loved Worldwide
Generations of joy
♛
Est. 1795
231 years of play
✦
Family Run
Eight generations of one family
★
4.74 from 24,618 reviews
Rated by real families
✦
Timeless Quality
Made to last, made to hand down
✦
Loved Worldwide
Generations of joy
♛
Est. 1795
231 years of play
✦
Family Run
Eight generations of one family
★
4.74 from 24,618 reviews
Rated by real families
✦
Timeless Quality
Made to last, made to hand down
✦
Loved Worldwide
Generations of joy
Your Chapter · @jaquesoflondon

The story is written by you

Real families, real moments of play. Share yours with #231YearsOfPlay and become part of the archive.

Girl with her Jaques spelling set, sepia
First day of big school ♡
Boy loading cars onto the Jaques ferry, sepia
All aboard the number 26
Girl playing with the wooden train set, sepia
Round and round we go ♡
Little hands stacking the counting cubes, sepia
Five, six, seven...
Little hands at the wooden garage, sepia
Rush hour
Baby with the pull along dog, sepia
A best friend on wheels ♡
Mum and son at the solitaire board, sepia
One marble at a time
Girl covering her eyes beside a Since 1795 box, sepia
No peeking ♡
Two children playing giant tumble tower, sepia
Steady... steady...
Toddler learning the wooden clock, sepia
Learning home time ♡
Share Your Jaques Moment
Celebrating 231 years of play ✦ FREE gift when you spend £35 ✦ 2 free gifts at £45 ✦ 3 free gifts at £70, worth £48 ✦ All 4 free gifts at £100, worth £73 ✦ Celebrating 231 years of play ✦ FREE gift when you spend £35 ✦ 2 free gifts at £45 ✦ 3 free gifts at £70, worth £48 ✦ All 4 free gifts at £100, worth £73 ✦ Celebrating 231 years of play ✦ FREE gift when you spend £35 ✦ 2 free gifts at £45 ✦ 3 free gifts at £70, worth £48 ✦ All 4 free gifts at £100, worth £73 ✦ Celebrating 231 years of play ✦ FREE gift when you spend £35 ✦ 2 free gifts at £45 ✦ 3 free gifts at £70, worth £48 ✦ All 4 free gifts at £100, worth £73 ✦
The Gifting Event
Gifting treats, while they last

20% off everything in the Gifting Sale collection with code 231YEARS, plus up to 4 free gifts when you spend £35 or more. Gone when they are gone.

Use code 231YEARS at checkout
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Newest Launches of 2026
The newest additions to 231 years of play.
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Our Planet Pledge
Responsibly sourced wood and toys made to be handed down, not thrown away.
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Free Play Ideas
Printable activities and expert guides for screen free afternoons.
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