Catlips - WOW!

WelshD

WelshD

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I drove the 120 mile round trip to visit Catlips tack shop today and am so glad I did it's like a little Aladdins cave!

I took one look at the famous 'rug room' and went pale but found what I wanted within two minutes of scaling the rug heap :)

I bought second hand summer sheet, stable rug and tail guard and new English leather bridle with reins, a bit, headcollar, lead chain with leather lead and a lead rope all for £90

Quite incredible prices and the owner and her assistant couldn't do enough to help with all of my enquiries

I will certainly be returning and would recommend a visit to this truly unique and quirky 'shop'
 
I love it there too!! it is a bit of a jumble sale but such a great place, havent been there for years, used to be closed on monday
:cool:
 
I'm in Northamptonshire and Catlips is near Chorleywood

I have NEVER seen an 8 foot tall mound of second hand rugs, it was the most fun I've had in a long time!
 
WelshD said:
I'm in Northamptonshire and Catlips is near Chorleywood

I have NEVER seen an 8 foot tall mound of second hand rugs, it was the most fun I've had in a long time!
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:( Wish it wasn't so far away, would love to go there, mabye next time we're in the area :) (would be a 232 mile road trip for us!)
 
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years and years ago, the lady that runs it used to take your old stuff and calculate how much you have to spend, it was brill, dont think its like that anymore
 
Onlygone - it still seems to work like that however there is a notice that says they won't guarantee to take what you bring (as some things they have a ton of) apparently turnout rugs are much in demand though if you have any hanging around!
 
The infamous rug room..... Always say if I'm not out in ten minutes come look for me as I'll be stuck under the fall out.
First port of call fab place. Known the queue to be out of the door.
 
I like the sound of this mythical place! The rug room sounds marvellous! We have sandon saddlery which is just an emporium of hundreds of saddles and things with shoe boxes of spare bridle parts and wall to wall stuff! I want to do a UK tour of wacky tack shops :-)
 
I'm 10 minutes away so always go mid week rather than weekends as I have waited two hours to be served on a Saturday haha! But no a fab place otherwise, I love chopping in all my stuff for more stuff I don't really need!
 
Archiesmummy said:
Sheila is a legend! I spent many a day up there rummaging when I was a young girl. Am 44 now so Sheila must be 120 ... well, in her 80's I should think.
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Hey, me too! I was going there when I was 12 and I'm 45 now! It changed a lot from those very early days. 30+ years ago you really did have to root about in the back room; literally climbing over stuff to find things. Then 'upstairs' started being used for new/newer stuff and the set up became a lot more organised. I moved to Devon 16 years ago so haven't been there in a long, long time but it's incredible to think Sheila Freeman (as we knew her back 30 years ago) is still going strong selling tack from Catlips Farm :) Amazing in fact.
 
Love this place!
For anyone who goes there regularly, have you noticed the left side as you walk in has been cleared! I saw this the last time i went (so its probably stacked up again now :p) and was very surprised, first bit of cleaning I've ever seen there! Haha :)
 
I so badly wanted to take a pic while I was there but thought they might not approve!

Picture in your mind a 15x15 room with massive box of hats, massive overflowing boxes of boots, pile of jods, pile of numnahs (well over 200) girths (ditto) saddles then the jewel in the crown covering about half the room a huge ski slope of rugs, you seriously have to climb it to get to the ones at the top - goodness knows what's inside the mound - there must be several hundred rugs there
 
I used to love going to catlips, but its definitely not as good as it used to be. Left empty handed last month for the first time ever!
 
The house is huge as well, 3 storeys and covered in ivy. I wouldn't want to go down there on my own on a dark night.
Apart from the rug room you don't get past the staircase.
What I would give to have a look round :)
 
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