London Tour: London in a Day, part 5 – Shopping
Harrods, London. Image: Wikipedia
London Tour: London in a Day, part 5 – Shopping
London is renowned worldwide for its shopping. There are all kinds of shops in all sorts of places around the city. Using our ranking system:
- A: must see if you have only one day in the area
- B: valuable to see, but might require a second day
- C: interesting, if you have more time
A: Harrods (several hours)
Harrods, London. Image: Wikipedia
Let’s start with the biggest and best: Harrods on Brompton Rd, at the Knightsbridge Underground Station, just south of The Serpentine Pond in Hyde Park, London, is one of the most fabulous shopping experiences you might encounter in London or anywhere else. It’s iconic.
Harrods is a luxury department store in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods, covering over a million square feet, featuring 330 departments over seven floors, including a Disney “Bibbidy Bobbidy Boutique” salon.
It is one of the largest and most famous department stores in the world. It even has a motto: Omnia Omnibus Ubique, “all things for all people, everywhere.”
Harrods Annual Bear, 2022. Image: Wikipedia
Here’s a sample of what’s available: clothing for women, men, children, and infants, electronics, jewelry, sporting gear, bridal trousseau, pet accessories, toys (including Christmas and signature teddy bears), food and drink, health and beauty items, packaged gifts, stationery, housewares, home appliances, furniture, and more
The Food Halls feature 23 restaurants, cafes, and bars with food from every corner of the world, ranging from pub grub to haute cuisine. If you want high tea, you can go to the 4th Floor Tea Room, where the dress is smart casual, but Harrods has a dress code: no cycling shorts, short shorts, swimwear, flip flops, bare midriff, or feet. And no Bermuda shorts! Alternatively, you can do high tea on the Roof, where you’ll feel underdressed.
When I worked in South Kensington and was on my way to a show in the West End, I’d stop at the Food Halls to pick up something to eat on my way to the theatre.
Is Harrods popular? A third of a million customers, especially international visitors, visit during peak shopping days. They have five thousand staff from over fifty countries. They have a satellite shop at Heathrow Airport.
A: Covent Garden Market (a couple of hours)
Covent Garden Market, London. Image: Wikimedia
Covent Garden is a district in London between the West End and Drury Lane. It used to be a fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square – think of Elisa Dolittle selling flowers in My Fair Lady – now a bustling shopping and tourist location. The Royal Opera House is next to it and was the location of the London premiere in 1749 of Handel’s Messiah, as I wrote about here.
The current Covent Garden Market features shops, cafés, and 60 bars. There are temporary and casual stalls filled with unique oddities. It’s a great place to shop for Christmas presents.
Covent Garden Piazza. Author’s photo
The central square, or piazza, toward the front of the market features daily street performers to entertain all tastes.
A few steps away, there’s an all-glass Apple Store.
A: Piccadilly Circus (hour or two)
Piccadilly Circus, London. Image: Wikimedia
In and around Piccadilly Circus is an always-open shopping and eating area, even on Sundays when many other shops are closed. Between it and Leicester Square to the east are high concentrations of restaurants and pubs. And there are plenty of shops. It is the hub of the Piccadilly Underground line, and the station there puts you in the West End of the City of Westminster. This is the center of the Theatre District, the finest English-language theatre in the world (sorry, Broadway.)
Author, on Regent Street at Christmastime. Author’s photo
West and north of Piccadilly Circus is Regent Street, a location with high-end and unique shops. At Christmastime, they close the street to cars, and it becomes a pedestrian walkway.
Clarks shop, Regent Street, London. Author’s photo
I got my first pair of Clarks shoes on Regent Street.
There are woolen shops, tea shops, boutiques, leather goods, Burberry (makers of the famous trench coat), Armani, Tumi luggage, Tommy Hilfiger, watch shops, sportswear, Calvin Klein, Levi’s, Lacoste, H&M, Microsoft shop, Liberty London, Nike Town… and that’s just up to the Oxford Circle Underground Station.
Within a short walking distance, it is a veritable cornucopia of terrific shops. But along the way, don’t miss:
A: Hamleys Toy Store (many hours)
Hamleys, Regent Street, London at Christmas. Image: Wikipedia
This world-famous 7-level shop has elaborate displays and demonstrations of toys and dolls as you have never seen before. Guinness Book of Records calls Hamleys the world’s oldest toy store (and 30 years ago the largest), dating back to 1760. It’s been in its current location since 1881. There are 11 outlets around the UK and others worldwide, but this is the flagship store of “The Finest Toy Shop in the World.”
Paddington Bear at Hamleys. Image: Wikipedia.
The ground floor is primarily stuffed toys, stuffed animals, and teddy bears. Hamleys owns the rights to the Paddington Bear.
When I used to visit London regularly, I would not miss an opportunity to stop in to buy presents for my young children.
Years ago, I saw a unique skateboard there that I’d never seen anywhere else. When I brought my son to London, he had to go to Hamleys and buy it with his saved-up money.
Check out hamleys.com
A: Foyles Book Sellers (several hours)
Foyles, Charing Cross Road, London. Image: Wikipedia
The finest bookstore I’ve ever seen is on Charing Cross Road, over on the east side of the West End. Foyles was once listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s largest bookshop in terms of shelf length, at 30 miles. While Waterstones now owns it, it was an independent bookstore for 115 years.
Years ago, when the Harry Potter books were being released, I got a copy for my daughter there before it was available in the US.
Do you want the latest book by Stephen Fry, Odyssey, that is not even out yet but signed by the author? You go to Foyles. By the way, Fry’s other books in his series on Greek myths (Mythos, Heroes, and Troy) are very readable.
You can get lost in this bookstore. It’s not that you can’t find your way out; it’s that you don’t want to find your way out.
If you’re familiar with the British TV show Foyle’s War, starring Michael Kitchen, the name was inspired by one-time bookstore owner Christina Foyle. Her son, Christopher, made a cameo appearance in one of the episodes.
Check out foyles.co.uk
B: Marks & Spencer (an hour)
Marks & Spencer, near original Briggate, Leeds. Image: Wikipedia
Marks & Sparks, or M&S, affectionately known as “Marks & Sparks,” can be found all over London and the UK. The largest shop is near Marble Arch, Oxford Street, London. Originally started in Leeds in 1884 by Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer, it has grown into a successful merchandiser of clothing, beauty products, home goods, and food.
If you need to do some practical shopping while on vacation, M&S has it. It’s not fancy like Harrods, but they’ve expanded into Ireland, France, Greece, the Netherlands, Dubai, Mumbai, and Hong Kong, among other far-flung locations. You can even find them on the motorways at rest stops (“service station”).
B: Liberty London (hour or two)
Liberty, London. Image: Wikimedia
For a real treat, stop into Liberty London or Liberty’s. It’s on Great Marlborough Street, between Regent Street and Carnaby Street. You can’t miss the Tudor-revival building filled with high-end fashion and luxury homeware. It has its own fabric line! Built in the 1920s with oak timbers from two old naval vessels, it’s famous for spreading the “Modern Style,” and young fashion designers may get their start here. You may have seen it featured in a cameo in the film Enola Holmes.
C: Carnaby Street (under an hour)
Carnaby Street on a quiet Sunday morning. Author’s photo
Back in the Swinging Sixties, Carnaby Street was the mod fashion capital of London. Today, it’s a trendy pedestrian shopping street in the Soho area with many fashion boutiques. Initially popularized in the 1950s for men’s fashion, it attracted models and celebrities.
In the ’60s, it was popular among hippies and peacock revolution fashionistas. Rock and roll bands like The Who, the Rolling Stones, and Small Faces would perform at the nearby Marquee Club and shop for clothes. Think Austin Powers.
C: Notting Hill / Portobello Road (an hour or two)
Portobello Road Market, Notting Hill, London. Image: Wikipedia
Perhaps a bit out of the way from the shops of central London, but a fun diversion nevertheless. Notting Hill is in a tony neighborhood northwest of Kensington Gardens. You’ve seen the movie; you want to go to the bookshop, and you want some traditional fish & chips served in newspaper wrap. This is the place to do it.
There are fancy shops, fine restaurants, and pubs. The Notting Hill Carnival takes place during the August bank holiday and has a Caribbean vibe. Members of the British Caribbean community lead it and attract 2M annually. The neighborhood is gentrified.
Portabello Road sign. Image: Wikipedia
In the 1971 Disney musical Bedknobs and Broomsticks, there is a song Portobello Road,
where the riches of ages are stowed
Artifacts to glorify our regal abode
Are hidden in the flotsam in Portobello Road
Tokens and treasures, yesterday’s pleasures
Cheap imitations of heirlooms of old
Dented and tarnished, scarred and unvarnished
In old Portobello they’re bought and they’re sold
Portobello Road Market, held on Saturdays, is known for its second-hand clothes and “antiques.” And fresh fruits, vegetables, and pastries. It attracts thousands each year.
Next article: London Food and Dining
Bill Petro, your friendly neighborhood historian
billpetro.com
