Despite recent controversies and the departures -- both permanent and temporary -- of Anelka and Drogba, Duerden suggests the reputation and popularity of the CSL is on the rise.

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Opened in 1979 by founder Sue Jackson, it sold simple wooden toys alongside knitwear and ceramics, but went on to become an institution dedicated to mechanical automata, eventually relocating to Covent Garden in London in 1985, as its reputation and popularity grew.

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