The only place I know which is within driving distance is United Sports in Gants Hill. Not bad, but if you want to string at high tension (24lb+) I suggest you go elsewhere.
I've purchased a couple of racquets from United Sports and they're fine. Though I haven't tried stringing from them....
It is very important to chose a good stringer. I know that United sports stock good equipment for clothing/rackets etc, but I doubt that they re-string to a high standard. Most places wont go above 24lbs as the invalidates the Yonex warrantee on rackets. I play at 26lbs, or 25lbs if using Nanogy. Personally, I can't go lower than 25lbs. Also, something else to watch out for when going to a shop is that because of their high volume and amount that they have to do, they often only tighten every other string to save time, which causes loss of tension and makes an uneven tention accross your racket. Sports shops will also charge a high premium. ie 15 pounds for standard BG65, whereas most private places charge 11 ish... I have a friend who gets his racket done in a shop, and the tension always comes out 2 lbs less. This is because of the 'every other string tightening technique.
Well that's why I bring my own strings......... £3.50 for BG80 in mybadmintonstore, while the shop sells it at £10-£15.
Restringing at United Sports - Gants Hill I agree wholeheartedly that it is important to choose a good stringer. I had an expensive racket (maximum recommended tension: 28lbs) stringed at 24lbs by United Sports in Gants Hill - and guess what, it broke after only 3 weeks of playing. The string (Yonex BG-65 Ti) was not even straight when I picked up the racket from the shop and it moved continuously when playing. The shop assistant simply fiddled with the string in front of me when I queried and admitted that it was not a good (but adequate) job as another of his colleague had strung the racket. I am extremely disappointed with United Sports in Gant's Hill. My advice is to avoid the shop if you are looking to restring your racket, especially an expensive one.
I recommend David Hall from http://www.racketstringing.biz Not sure where in Essex he is, but he's a tutor for the UKRSA and has plenty of tournament experience. Should find his number on his site.
