Games Workshop was founded in 1975 and was responsible for much of the introduction of
Role-Playing into the
UK in the late 70's and early 80's.
They distributed AD&D in the UK (including printing their own softcover versions of the Player's Handbook and Monster Manual) and even created some of their own manuals and supplements (such as the Fiend Folio).
Their magazine White Dwarf was originally a very good broad magazine that covered much of the role-playing scene. Though the early issues did concentrate on D&D simply because in the mid 70's it was the only game in town.
They also had the rights to things such as Call of Cthulhu and again wrote UK specific modules such as "Green and Pleasant Land" and "Cthulhu by Gaslight".
They also created their own games such as Warlock (a kind of scissors, paper, stone style battling magic users game), and Valley of the Four Winds (a strategic fantasy war game).
They were also responsible for a great upturn in the sales of lead miniatures in the UK. A lot of this was supplied by Citadel Miniatures. Unfortunately it was in this that they suckled the viper at their breast. Some time in the mid 80's (I can't remember when exactly). Bryan Ansell of Citadel Miniatures bought the company and moved it to Nottingham (where Citadel was based). It was then turned it into a source of game rules for Citadel's miniatures.
The current Games Workshop seems to appeal mainly to adolescent boys and be a way of separating them from as much of their money as possible, as fast as possible. In fact you wouldn't believe they had ever done anything else to judge by their own publicity.
However to those of us who remember the old Games Workshop with their shop at 1 Dalling Road (just round from Ravenscourt Park tube station) in London, they were role-playing (and White Dwarf was essential reading every month).