Dockerills

Dockerills is one of the few ‘old fashioned’ shops that hasn’t bitten the dust as a result of The Lanes’ continuing gentrification. They seem to stock every thingamabob and whatchamacallit under the sun — and in a variety of sizes and colours too. You can tell the prices are good, by the bustling clientele of local tradesmen: if they like it here, it must be good! Dockerills are in fact *so* traditional that they don’t open on Sundays (minus one star, due to my emergency lightbulb plight last weekend!).
Oh, and they have a giant taxidermy bear in the window, which they dress up from time to time.
Dockerills, if you are reading this: my heartfelt thanks for your patience over the years. Love, that annoying female customer who always wants to buy one solitary replacement screw, but has no idea what length/​width/​head she needs.

Everything I buy from this shop lasts about 2 months then falls apart, note to self; stop shopping at doclkerills.

Wonderful Shop, but every time I seem to go in there the staff do not seem too interested. It’s a shame really, I would have ended up spending so much more in here if they actually knew what they were talking about.

Makes a bloody change to have a USEFUL shop in the centre of town, I use this regularly for household things. Though can’t really vouch for the quality of some of their wares! Picture cord that broke this smashing my mirror. window handles that last 2 years. But otherwise ok for the basics. The staff mill around like lost sheep, why are there so many? Otherwise attentive and polite.

I had to get some keys cut so I visited these guys. The service was lacklustre and poor. I ask one of the attendants how much it cost and gave me price, he then excused himself and ask his workmate to serve me. He charged me a lower price. So watch these guys when it comes to paying they may act like they are doing you a deal but really are not.

I love ironmongers, they always seem like they sell absolutely everything, and Dockerills is no exception. A slightly odd addition to all the fashion shops and cafés in the North Laine, this large ironmonger, hardware and locksmiths store can pretty much kit you out with whatever you need. As long as what you need isn’t a mixed berry smoothie or a pair of jeggings, but there are other places near by to cater to those desires. No, I mean anything you need for DIY and house maintenance. They have cleaning products, and all the nails and screws and handles and chains and bins and hinges and signs and bitsabobs that you could think of. The staff are reassuringly down to earth as well, just as you would expect them to be. They don’t just sell goods though, they do services like architectural scheduling, locksmithing and sign making too. The city centre location is great because it means if you only need to pick up a few little bits, you don’t have to trek out of town to somewhere like B&Q.

Dockerill’s is a DIY saviour being in town, I often don’t fancy the treacherous Lewes Road on my bike to get to the big DIY place. They have all the mirror plates, nuts, screws, bolts, ropes, brushes, hooks, paints, tools etc you need for all those niggling jobs. If you are after something specific give them a bell before you head down, the staff are always helpful, particularly if you get confused about things like size of screw for wall plug which always gets me. Although much smaller in size, this architectural ironmongers, locksmiths and sign makers often seems better stocked than the leading DIY superstores.

One of those places you think doesn’t really exist any more. Dockerills is a real DIY treasure trove (if such a thing exists?), full of locks and nails and paints and lengths of chain, and really, anything you could think of in the world of hardware. Knowledgable staff are on hand, not simply to answer your queries, but to discuss them with you. The pride they take in their shop and their job is obvious. Compare this to the chainstore dullness of a trip to B&Q, and it is easy to see why Dockerills has a ready stream of customers. Its location in the North Laines is also a huge bonus, especially for those of us without cars, given that out of town shopping seems to be the norm in this sector. Their prices may be slightly higher than their out of town competitors, but you certainly get what you pay for here.

Dockerills is a little bit of village life in the centre of Brighton. It’s a classic hardware store with a hand-​painted sign and all sorts of goodies brought out onto the pavement to tempt you in to buy those essential bits of home life you always leave to the last minute– door knobs, lightbulbs, recycling bins. I always see all these useful things stacked neatly outside and spilling out the door and I want to go in and discover what helpful objects I might find to sort my life out. Besides the treasure hunt aspect, I also use Dockerills as an excellent source of all cleaning products. It is so much nicer than any huge DIY store– so much friendlier and personal.

I adore Dockerills! The assistants aren’t terribly friendly or helpful, tho they can outdo themselves sometimes — sawing something in half for ease of transport, that sort of thing but I’m not really supposed to, I’m only doing it cos we’re quiet. For a shop thats so near the centre of town, it has an amazing variety of diy and everyday stuff, everything from shaped timber to door knockers to lengths of chain. Amazing really.
I’d describe it as an old fashioned chandler’s shop, with a few modern add-​ons (like the timber).

These guys know their biscuits. They employ a lot of staff, so they can provide a very high level of service. Every time I go to this place, you can see the staff spending more time giving advice than actually just selling, and I myself being a DIY amateur have also needed a point in the right direction, and always found them happy to assist.

this is a super useful shop to know about! a real hardware shop. They once got my friend and I out of a fix, we’d cycled to Brighton and the key had snapped off in the cycle lock which left us a bit stranded. They successfully cut a new key, and all was saved. Lots of useful bits and pieces, like enamel bath cleaner and marble cleaner can be bought here. Try it, you might find just what you’ve been looking for

Have only been here about four times over as many years but each time I’ve found the staff helpful and attentive.

In business for nearly 100 years, Dockerills is a very traditional, family-​run ironmongers. They specialise in architectural ironmongery, but do a huge range of other related hardware.
If they can’t provide what you want from stock, they’ll order it for you. Their staff are both knowledgeable and helpful, but avoid Saturdays if you can, as they are often very busy.
The excellent web-​site features an extensive range of their stock, although the purchasing process is a bit fussy.