Bond Street

Coordinates: 51°30′45″N 0°08′41″W / 51.5126°N 0.1448°W / 51.5126; -0.1448
This is a good article. Click here for more information.
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, see Bond Street (disambiguation).

Old Bond Street looking south
New Bond Street

Bond Street in the West End of London links Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north. Since the 18th century the street has housed many prestigious and upmarket fashion retailers. The southern section is Old Bond Street and the longer northern section New Bond Street, a distinction not generally made in everyday usage.

The street was built on fields surrounding

Tiffany's
. It is one of the most expensive and sought after strips of real estate in Europe.

Geography

Bond Street links Oxford Street and Piccadilly.[1] Old Bond Street is at the southern end between Piccadilly and Burlington Gardens. The northern section, New Bond Street, extends to Oxford Street.[1] The entire street is around 0.5 miles (0.8 km) long.[2] Many shop frontages are less than 20 feet (6 m) wide.[3]

The nearest tube stations are

rat run.[6]

History

In High-Change in Bond Street (1796), James Gillray caricatured the lack of courtesy on Bond Street (young men taking up the whole footpath), which was a grand fashionable milieu at the time.

There is evidence of Roman settlement around what is now Bond Street. In 1894, a culvert made from brick and stone was discovered in the area.[7] The street was named after Sir Thomas Bond, the head of a syndicate of developers who purchased a Piccadilly mansion called Clarendon House from Christopher Monck, 2nd Duke of Albemarle in 1686, and proceeded to demolish the house and develop the area.[8] At that time, the house backed onto open fields, known as Albemarle Ground, and the development of estates in Mayfair had just begun.[1]

New Bond Street was laid out during the second phase of construction 14 years after Bond's syndicate began developing the area.

John Rocque's map of London, published in 1746, shows properties along the entire length of Bond Street, including the fully constructed side streets. The two parts of the street have always had separate names, and a plan by the council to merge the two into a singular "Bond Street" in the 1920s was rejected by locals.[9]

During the 18th century, the street began to be popular with the

Fox–North Coalition. She insisted people should look for nearer shopping streets, and encouraged people to go to Bond Street. Consequently, the street became a retail area for people living in Mayfair. By the end of the century, an upper-class social group known as the Bond Street Loungers had appeared, wearing expensive wigs and parading up and down the street in a pretentious manner.[8]

Bond Street has always been divided into two sections: Old Bond Street to the south and New Bond Street to the north. The London branch of the jeweller Tiffany & Co. is next to the divide, on the Old Bond Street side.

Lord Nelson stayed at temporary lodgings in New Bond Street between 1797 and 1798, as did his mistress Emma, Lady Hamilton between 1811 and 1813.[10] Thomas Pitt, 2nd Baron Camelford lived in Bond Street and was unhappy about the presence of the Bond Street Loungers.[8] Already notorious for a violent and abusive temper, on 7 October 1801 he refused invitations to join in celebrations of peace between Britain and France (which led to the Treaty of Amiens), resulting in an altercation with several Loungers at his doorstep. Camelford retreated upstairs and fired upon the crowd with a pistol.[11]

During the 19th century, Bond Street became less known for its social atmosphere but increased its reputation as a street for luxury shopping. The auctioneer

stringed instruments and sheet music.[12] The jewellers Asprey originally opened in 1830 at Nos. 165–169 New Bond Street.[1][13] Opposite Asprey was the luxury luggage and trunk maker Finnigans, originally established in Manchester in 1830.[14] The house of Finnigans opened their New Bond Street shop in 1879.[15] The Jewish practice of Kabbalah has been associated with the street after former East End trader Sarah Levenson opened a shop on No. 50 New Bond Street in 1856 which immediately became profitable, albeit through exaggerated and questionable product claims.[16] Levenson was twice taken to court and prosecuted for fraud; each prosecution resulted in a five-year prison sentence. She died midway through the second.[13] Nevertheless, the practice regained popularity and a Kabbalah Centre remains on the street.[16]

The Royal Arcade links Old Bond Street with Albemarle Street. It was originally proposed in 1864 as a longer link between Old Bond Street and Regent Street, but this plan was rejected because of the scale of proposed demolition and reduced access to existing properties.[17] It was subsequently redesigned in its current layout, opening in 1879[18] and replacing the Clarendon Hotel, which had been demolished in 1870.[19]

The

Patience, with the line, "greenery-yallery, Grosvenor Gallery".[21]

The street has maintained its reputation for luxury shopping into the 21st century, and has on occasion been regarded as the best retail location in Europe.

Graff Diamonds robbery in Bond Street in 2009 resulted in an estimated loss of £40 million.[24][25][26]

Properties

The Royal Arcade on Old Bond Street.

According to Westminster City Council, Bond Street has the highest density of haute couture stores anywhere in the world, attracting "the rich, the famous, and the simply curious".[27] The entire length of Bond Street has been part of the Mayfair Conservation Area controlled by Westminster City Council since 1969. Building alterations and constructions are tightly controlled to ensure the street's appearance and upkeep are unaltered. Many buildings are listed.[3] The council regulates the style and materials used on shop front advertising.[28]

At one time, Bond Street was best known for top-end art dealers and antique shops that were clustered around the London office of Sotheby's auction house, which has been at Nos. 34–35 Bond Street since 1917,[29] and the Fine Art Society, founded in 1876.[30] The sculpture over the entrance to Sotheby's is from Ancient Egypt and is believed to date from around 1600 BC. It is the oldest outdoor sculpture in London.[30]

Some dealers and antique shops remain, but others are fashion

Valentino announced plans to build a new flagship store on Old Bond Street.[31]

The Allies sculpture on Bond Street portrays Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The street features Allies, a statue of

Princess Margaret. In 2013, maquettes of the sculpture (which are replicas, as Holofcener did not make any as part of the original artwork or design) were sold at Bonhams.[33] Henry Moore has four sculptures engraved into the building work of no.153 (a Loro Piana branch),[34] which he subsequently attempted to buy back when he felt no one noticed them.[35]

The construction of

Hanover Square, some of which backs onto New Bond Street.[36] This affected Nos. 64–72, which required refurbishment.[37]

Cultural references

Bond Street has been mentioned in several works of literature, including

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Bond Street is described as having "the most fashionable shops in all the kingdom".[41]

Bond Street is also a square on the British Monopoly board and is the most expensive of the green-coloured set that also includes Regent and Oxford Streets. The three streets are grouped together because of their shared retail history.[42]

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d e f Hibbert & Weinreb 2010, p. 81.
  2. ^ "1, Vere Street to 46, Old Bond Street". Google Maps. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  3. ^ a b c Westminster 1992, p. 3.
  4. ^ "Central London Bus Map" (PDF). Transport for London. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  5. ^ West London (sheet 176) (Map). Ordnance Survey Landranger Map. 2015.
  6. ^ Westminster 1992, p. 8.
  7. ^ "'Inventory of Roman London: Structures outside the walls". An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in London. 3. London: Roman London: 145–151. 1928. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  8. ^ a b c d Moore 2003, p. 264.
  9. ^ Moore 2003, p. 263.
  10. ^ Hibbert & Weinreb 2010, pp. 81–82.
  11. ^ Moore 2003, p. 265.
  12. ^ Foreman & Foreman 2005, p. 153.
  13. ^ a b Moore 2003, p. 268.
  14. ^ Halstead, Ivor (1952). Bond Street. Barcliff Publishing. pp. 168–169.
  15. ^ Desebrock, Jean (1978). The Book of Bond Street Old and New. Tallis Press. pp. 146–153.
  16. ^ a b Moore 2003, p. 267.
  17. ^ Smith-Stanley, Edward (22 February 1864). "Royal Arcade Bill". Hansard (House of Lords). Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  18. ^ Dennis 2008, p. 301.
  19. ^ Walford, Edward (1878). Piccadilly: Northern tributaries. Vol. 4. London: Cassell, Petter & Galpin. pp. 291–314. Retrieved 9 July 2015 – via British History Online. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  20. ^ Wheatley 1891, p. 161.
  21. ^ Teukolsky 2009, p. 113.
  22. ^ "New Bond Street crowned the most expensive retail street in Europe". Europe Real Estate. 14 November 2018.
  23. ^ a b Callanan, Neil (28 November 2011). "Bonhams Auction House Gets Approval for New London Headquarters". Bloomberg L.P. Business. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  24. ^ "Shoestring budget for £23m gem robbery". BBC News. 20 July 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  25. ^ "Jewellery raid haul put at £40m". BBC News. 11 August 2009. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  26. ^ "London Prada store smash and grab raid". BBC News. 22 November 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  27. ^ Westminster 2008, p. 6.
  28. ^ Westminster 1992, p. 9.
  29. ^ Sotheby's-About us. Sotheby's (Report). Retrieved 19 March 2012.
  30. ^ a b c d Hibbert & Weinreb 2010, p. 82.
  31. ^ "Valentino snaps up spot on Old Bond Street for new UK flagship store". Evening Standard. London. 26 February 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  32. ^ Baker 2002, p. 62.
  33. ^ Osley, Richard (25 April 2013). "'Allies' sculptor Lawrence Holofcener reveals how he sat in front of his own famous work to create maquettes". Camden New Journal. Archived from the original on 15 July 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  34. ^ "Urban Geology". ucl.ac.uk. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  35. ISBN 978-0-099-55793-7
    .
  36. ^ Westminster 2009, p. 8.
  37. ^ "Hanover Square". Greater London Council. 22 April 2015. Archived from the original on 16 July 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  38. ^ Spacks 2013, Footnote to p.209.
  39. ^ "A Mrs. Dalloway Walk in London". The Virginia Woolf Society. Archived from the original on 16 May 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  40. ^ "BFI | Film & TV Database | BOND STREET (1948)". Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. 16 April 2009. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  41. ^ Clarke 2004, p. 321.
  42. ^ Moore 2003, p. 241.

Sources

Further reading

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bond Street.

51°30′45″N 0°08′41″W / 51.5126°N 0.1448°W / 51.5126; -0.1448

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bond_Street&oldid=1213978899"