The wooden board that outlasts Boxing Day quiet.
or 4 payments of £7.24 with Klarna
🛡️ 30-day full refund, no questions. Fewer than 30 returns from 23,000+ orders.
- Two games, one board
- Solid wood pieces
- Reversible play
- Hand-finished
- Gift wrapped
- Ages 3+
- 30-day returns
- Klarna available
Delivery in 2-3 working days · 30-day returns · Est. 1795
as seen in
Real talk
For the child who has every plastic thing.
The plastic games get quiet by Boxing Day. This one gets set up in January, and again next winter. It's solid wood, not cardboard. The pieces are wood, the dice is wood, and it's reversible, so you've got two full games that live in the same box.
You're not buying another toy they'll tire of. You're giving something that gets played, passed on, and asked for by name.
Joe Jaques, Jaques of London
What's in the box
What comes inside
Everything needed to play both games, packaged as a gift. Wrapped in our signature tissue and branded ribbon.
Reversible wooden board
Snakes and Ladders on one side, Ludo on the other. Solid wood construction that outlasts 100% cardboard games in durability testing. No assembly needed, ready to play straight from the box.
- ✓ Flips between two full games
- ✓ Hand-finished, solid wood
- ✓ Lasts years of family play
Solid wood playing pieces and dice
Every piece is genuine solid wood, not plastic. Heavy enough to feel substantial in small hands. The wooden dice sits perfectly in your palm and rolls with weight.
- ✓ Coloured wood pieces for each player
- ✓ One wooden dice
- ✓ Satisfying to hold and use
Ready to give
Arrives wrapped in our historical tissue paper and luxury branded ribbon. No further wrapping needed. The packaging is part of the gift, and it's the detail every parent tells us about.
- ✓ Signature Jaques tissue wrap
- ✓ Branded ribbon included
- ✓ Arrives gift-ready
Invented in 1873 by Jaques. Still made by us.
Was £40.99
Classic Board Game - Snakes and Ladders & Ludo: £28.99
While they play
What it quietly teaches
Looks like play. Works like a lesson.
Turn-taking
Roll, move, pass. Simple rules, every child learns in one round. The rhythm of waiting and playing builds patience without them noticing.
Counting and strategy
Counting spaces, landing on ladders, dodging snakes. In Ludo, blocking and racing add light tactics. No tutoring, just play.
Playing together
No screens, no Wi-Fi, no noise. Everyone sits at the table. You're teaching them what it means to play with other people.
Tactile play
Weight of the pieces, smooth wood grain, the roll of a solid dice. Hands and eyes stay busy. Minds stay settled.
What families say about Jaques of London
What players say
"Excellent quality wood toys, so well made, no sharp edges, all lovely & smooth, very colourful & plenty of choice. Very reasonably priced & so beautifully wrapped you don't want to open them. Highly recommend this company."
"Fast delivery, excellent products, extremely good quality and long lasting. My granddaughter loves the toys from here. Good age ranges covered."
"These toys tick all the boxes, educational, colourful, fun, well made and great service. I just keep buying more and more."
"We love our toys from Jaques of London. The quality is excellent and they're the perfect size for little hands to hold and play with easily. Beautifully made, sturdy wooden toys that will last for years. Highly recommend!"
"Harrods grade gifting for a very reasonable price. Not the usual tat from China. Had several hand picked orders fron Jaques, nice to know its a UK business with old school quality."
"I am a real fan of this company. If only I had come across them years ago when my boys were little. It's my go to for beautiful, good quality toys for my granddaughter now and any gift I need to buy. They arrived quickly, prices are reasonable and the special touch is they are beautifully packaged too. I love the heritage of this business!"
Get ready for life
Why real play matters
Real brain growth comes from real play.
Toddlers learn to take turns
Snakes and Ladders is turn-by-turn simple. Even 3-year-olds understand roll, count, move. No reading needed.
Strategies start to click
Ludo adds choice and blocking. Kids this age start to think two moves ahead and talk about why they chose their move.
Gets asked for by name
Unlike plastic toys that fade, this board gets carried to sleepovers, asked for by cousins, and remembered as the game Grandma always had out.
Why this matters right now
We really are different
Why this board outlasts the plastic one
| Jaques Classic Board Game - Snakes and Ladders & Ludo | Cheap Alternatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Material | ✅ | ❌ Cardboard and plastic coating |
| Pieces | ✅ | ❌ Hollow plastic tokens |
| Dice | ✅ | ❌ Cheap moulded plastic |
| Play lifespan | ✅ | ⚠️ Months, not years |
| Gift packaging | ✅ | ❌ Plastic bag |
| Two games included | ✅ | ❌ One game only |
| Maker's guarantee | ✅ | ❌ Standard warranty |
- ✅ Solid wood
- ✅ Wood pieces
- ✅ Wood dice
- ✅ Lasts years
- ✅ Gift wrapped
- ✅ Two games
- ✅ Guaranteed
- ❌ Cardboard
- ❌ Plastic tokens
- ❌ Plastic dice
- ⚠️ Boxing Day quiet
- ❌ Plastic bag
- ❌ One game
- ❌ No guarantee
Invented in 1873 by Jaques. Still made by us.
Was £40.99
Classic Board Game - Snakes and Ladders & Ludo: £28.99
30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
Not right? Return it within 30 days. Full refund, no questions.
Questions & answers
Questions buyers ask
What age is this for?
Snakes and Ladders works from age 3 up. Ludo suits age 5 and above. Both games live on the same board, so as the child grows, you flip it and the game grows with them. Catherine McCulloch said it was 'perfect gift for any ages' in her review, and that's the pattern we see: one board covers 3 to 80.
How long does it actually last?
Solid wood doesn't warp, doesn't split, doesn't yellow. We test our boards against 100% cardboard games and ours outlast them by years. The pieces are wood, so they don't crack or lose their colour. Families still own Jaques boards from the 1950s. This isn't a toy that ages badly; it ages well.
Is it really worth the cost compared to a plastic set?
The plastic set costs less upfront and lasts until Boxing Day. This one costs more and plays for years, then gets passed on. Manda Monium wrote, 'worth every penny full price.' Over 5 years of family play, the cost per game drops to pennies. It's also a gift that doesn't need to be replaced or hidden because the child tired of it.
When can I get it?
Order by 2pm and it arrives within 3 working days. Leigh Hemmings said it 'arrived next day, saved Christmas.' It comes gift-wrapped in our signature tissue and ribbon, so no wrapping required. If it's not right, 30-day returns.
How much does it cost?
The Classic Board Game - Snakes and Ladders & Ludo is £28.99 today (down from £40.99). Klarna is available at checkout if you prefer to spread the cost.
What's your returns policy?
30 days, full refund, no conditions. Return it for any reason and we refund in full. We've been standing behind what we make since 1795.
Invented in 1873 by Jaques. Still made by us.
Was £40.99
Classic Board Game - Snakes and Ladders & Ludo: £28.99
Our story
Making toys worth keeping since 1795.
Jaques of London was founded in 1795. We invented croquet, table tennis, and the Staunton chess set. For 230 years, we've been making things that pull children away from passive entertainment and into active, curious, hands-on play.
We invented Snakes and Ladders in 1873. Before that, we'd been making games for 78 years. We didn't design this board for it to sit unopened on a shelf or forgotten by Boxing Day. We made it from solid wood because we know families play it for decades. Every piece, every dice, every finish is built to be held, rolled, moved, and loved. That's why we still make it the same way we always have. You're buying from the people who invented the game, and we stand behind it completely.
Toys and games that leave something behind: a skill, a memory, a piece of play that gets passed on.
Joe, Jaques of London
Ready when you are
Get the board that gets played
year after year.
Was £40.99
£28.99 Save 29%
🛡️ 30-day money-back guarantee · 🚚 Delivery in 2-3 working days · 🏛️ Est. 1795
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