Regent Street
Encyclopedia
Regent Street is one of the major shopping streets
in London
's West End
, well known to tourists and Londoners alike, and famous for its Christmas illuminations. It is named after the Prince Regent
(later George IV), and is commonly associated with the architect John Nash
, whose street layout survives, although all his original buildings except All Souls Church
have since been replaced.
The street was completed in 1825 and was an early example of town planning in England, cutting through the 17th and 18th century street pattern through which it passes. It runs from the Regent's residence at Carlton House
in St James's at the southern end, through Piccadilly Circus
and Oxford Circus
, to All Souls Church. From there Langham Place
and Portland Place
continue the route to Regent's Park
.
Every building in Regent Street is protected as a Listed Building, at least Grade II status, and together they form the Regent Street Conservation Area.
The street is one of the locations on the standard UK version of the Monopoly board game
, and it is referred to in the 1966 song Dedicated Follower of Fashion
by The Kinks
.
(1666) when Sir Christopher Wren
drew up plans for rebuilding the city on the classical formal model, but that initiative was lost. It was not until 1811 that John Nash
drew up plans for broad, architecturally distinguished thoroughfares and public spaces: Carlton House Terrace
on The Mall, Piccadilly Circus
, Regent Street and Regent's Park
with its grand terraces. The plans were prepared under the authority of the Office of Woods, Forests and Land Revenues
, who since 1793 invited designs for Regent's Park, and came to the conclusion that the Park must have a proper road connecting it with the fashionable area around Charing Cross
. Nash's plans were submitted to Parliament
for approval.
While the park terraces are residential, Regent Street was intended for commercial purposes and consequently did not need gardens or public spaces. The scale of the development was unprecedented in London. The street followed the line of existing roads, and detoured to make efficient use of land belonging to the government. Nonetheless, much demolition was necessary, and many freehold and leasehold interests had to be bought out at current property values. It is thought that the Treasure supported the proposal because, in the aftermath of the lengthy Napoleonic Wars
, there was an urgent need for the government to create jobs. Government expenditure was low because the design relied heavily upon private developers, including Nash himself. The buildings were to be let on 99-year leases, and income could be recouped in the form of ground rent.
The design was adopted by Act of Parliament in 1813, and built between 1814 and 1825. The individual buildings were designed by Charles Robert Cockerell
, Sir John Soane and Nash himself, among others. At first called New Street, it became a dividing line between Soho
, which had become less than respectable, and the fashionable squares and streets of Mayfair
to the west.
Further, Nash’s buildings were not of the highest quality, using stucco render and composition to imitate stonework; and many of the buildings had been considerably extended and were now structurally suspect. As the 99-year leases came to an end, Regent Street was redeveloped between 1895 and 1927 under the control of the Office of Woods, Forests and Land Revenues (now the Crown Estate
).
Regent Street as we see it today is the result of this redevelopment. South of Oxford Circus, none of the original buildings survive.
Regent Street is an example of the Beaux Arts approach to urban design: an assembly of separate buildings on a grand scale, designed to harmonise and produce an impressive overall effect. Strict rules were put in place to govern the reconstruction. Each block was required to be designed with a continuous unifying façade to the street, had to be finished in Portland stone, and with a uniform cornice level 66 feet above pavement level, excluding dormers, turrets and mansard roofs. The first redevelopment was Regent House, just south of Oxford Circus. However, the stylistic tone for the rebuilding was set by Reginald Blomfield
's Quadrant.
The Quadrant was the subject of considerable debate. The unity of Piccadilly Circus had been upset by the construction of Shaftesbury Avenue
, and the first proposals were unsatisfactory. At the age of 73, the eminent architect Norman Shaw was brought in to resolve the design, and drew up proposals for the Circus and the Quadrant which were approved in principle, but still subject to indecision and dispute, both on property acquisition matters, and the retailers' demand for bigger display windows. Shaw's design for the Piccadilly Hotel was completed in 1908 with severe modifications. Reconstruction of the Quadrant was finally carried out by Sir Reginald Blomfield, who adapted and arguably watered-down Shaw's designs. Building works started in 1923 and completed in 1928.
A limited number of architects were responsible for the design of the reconstructed Regent Street. Other architects involved were Sir John James Burnet, Arthur Joseph Davis
and Henry Tanner.
The work was delayed by the Great War and it was not until 1927 that the completion was celebrated, with King George V
and Queen Mary
driving in state along its length.
. Since the turn of the millennium, the Crown Estate has embarked on a major redevelopment programme in Regent Street and some of its side streets. Early 20th century offices, which typically have many corridors and small individual offices, are being replaced with modern, flexible open plan accommodation. Some of the smaller shops are being replaced with larger units. This is being done by completely stripping out the interiors and rebuilding behind retained façades.
The largest element of the plan is the reconstruction of the Quadrant at the southern end of the street close to Piccadilly Circus. In addition to shops and offices, a five star hotel and a small number of flats will be created here.
The Crown Estate moved its own headquarters from Carlton House Terrace
to Regent Street in 2006.
, at the top of Regent Street next to Broadcasting House, is a church with a distinctive circular portico surmounted by a stone spire. Completed in 1823 and consecrated in 1824, All Souls is the only surviving building in Regent Street that was designed by John Nash.
, the others being in the United States and Japan. As of August 2010, the Covent Garden store has beaten the Regent Street store as the largest Apple retail store worldwide.
Barber Shop, offering a full range of hair, face and body treatments for both men and women.
's headquarters are in Broadcasting House
, whose front entrance is in Langham Place, marking the top end of Regent Street. Several national radio stations broadcast from this 1930s Art Deco building. The exterior, built of Portland stone
, features a sculpture by Eric Gill
over the front entrance. The new BBC Egton Wing, designed by MacCormac Jamieson Prichard, is the most visible face of a large-scale rebuilding project to modernise the site and replace earlier extensions to Broadcasting House.
, located at 68 Regent Street in the Quadrant, opened in 1865 and became an institution of London high society. The present building, by Sir Reginald Blomfield, dates from 1928 and is grade 2 listed. The Café Royal closed in December 2008, as part of Crown Estate plans to redevelop this part of Regent Street.
announced that the department store
Dickins & Jones, which traces its origins to 1803 and had been located in Regent Street since 1835, would close in January 2006. The store was making losses for several years and failed to keep up with more fashion-conscious rivals such as its neighbour Liberty
. The building has been redeveloped with small shop units on the lower floors and flats and offices above. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1657791,00.html
toy shop is 100 metres south of Oxford Circus
on the east side of the road. Originally located in Holborn
and named Noah's Ark, the store has been at the present address since 1906. It claims to be the largest toy shop in the world.
department store was originally known for its role at the retail end of the Art Nouveau
and Arts and Crafts Movement
styles. Set up by the entrepreneur Arthur Lasenby Liberty
, who took out a loan for £2000 in 1874 and purchased 218a Regent Street. The shop opened in 1875 with only three staff. Lasenby’s shop sold ornaments, fabric and objects of art from Japan and the East. In the 1920s the now iconic Tudor-style building was designed and built by architects Edwin T. Hall
and his son Edwin S. Hall, constructed from the timbers of two ships, the HMS Impregnable
, and the HMS Hindustan
. The original building is on Great Marlborough Street, not on Regent Street. There are bridges across Kingly Street, connecting to the adjacent stone-faced building which once gave Liberty a frontage on Regent Street, but the store no longer occupies this annexe. Liberty's shop windows are famous for their inventive window-dressing
, especially the annual Christmas displays.
is the junction where Regent Street crosses Oxford Street, and the site of one of the busiest of London's underground stations
. The Central
, Bakerloo
and Victoria
lines all meet here.
was located in Lower Regent Street, near other BBC
buildings and was a place of performance of the well-known rock groups.
The Christmas light displays are a London tradition dating since 1948, when the Regent Street Association decorated the street with Christmas trees. Lighting was not allowed until 1949, following lifting of wartime restrictions, and the first full lighting display was in 1953. There is a different display every year, switched on at an opening ceremony in the first week of November.
On 6 July 2004, half a million people crowded into Regent Street and the surrounding streets to watch a parade of Formula One
cars.
and Piccadilly Circus
.
High Street
High Street, or the High Street, is a metonym for the generic name of the primary business street of towns or cities, especially in the United Kingdom. It is usually a focal point for shops and retailers in city centres, and is most often used in reference to retailing...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's West End
West End of London
The West End of London is an area of central London, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings, and entertainment . Use of the term began in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west of Charing Cross...
, well known to tourists and Londoners alike, and famous for its Christmas illuminations. It is named after the Prince Regent
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
(later George IV), and is commonly associated with the architect John Nash
John Nash (architect)
John Nash was a British architect responsible for much of the layout of Regency London.-Biography:Born in Lambeth, London, the son of a Welsh millwright, Nash trained with the architect Sir Robert Taylor. He established his own practice in 1777, but his career was initially unsuccessful and...
, whose street layout survives, although all his original buildings except All Souls Church
All Souls Church, Langham Place
All Souls Church is an Anglican Evangelical church in central London, situated in Marylebone at the north end of Regent Street on Langham Place, just south of BBC Broadcasting House. As well as the core church membership, many hundreds of visitors come to All Souls, bringing the average number of...
have since been replaced.
The street was completed in 1825 and was an early example of town planning in England, cutting through the 17th and 18th century street pattern through which it passes. It runs from the Regent's residence at Carlton House
Carlton House
Carlton House was a mansion in London, best known as the town residence of the Prince Regent for several decades from 1783. It faced the south side of Pall Mall, and its gardens abutted St. James's Park in the St James's district of London...
in St James's at the southern end, through Piccadilly Circus
Piccadilly Circus
Piccadilly Circus is a road junction and public space of London's West End in the City of Westminster, built in 1819 to connect Regent Street with the major shopping street of Piccadilly...
and Oxford Circus
Oxford Circus
Oxford Circus is the area of London at the busy intersection of Regent Street and Oxford Street, in the West End. It is served by Oxford Circus tube station, which is directly beneath the junction itself.- History :...
, to All Souls Church. From there Langham Place
Langham Place, London
Langham Place is a street in Westminster, central London, England. It connects Portland Place to the north with Regent Street to the south in London's West End.- Buildings :...
and Portland Place
Portland Place
Portland Place is a street in the Marylebone district of central London, England.-History and topography:The street was laid out by the brothers Robert and James Adam for the Duke of Portland in the late 18th century and originally ran north from the gardens of a detached mansion called Foley House...
continue the route to Regent's Park
Regent's Park
Regent's Park is one of the Royal Parks of London. It is in the north-western part of central London, partly in the City of Westminster and partly in the London Borough of Camden...
.
Every building in Regent Street is protected as a Listed Building, at least Grade II status, and together they form the Regent Street Conservation Area.
The street is one of the locations on the standard UK version of the Monopoly board game
Monopoly (game)
Marvin Gardens, the leading yellow property on the board shown, is actually a misspelling of the original location name, Marven Gardens. The misspelling was said to be introduced by Charles Todd and passed on when his home-made Monopoly board was copied by Charles Darrow and thence to Parker...
, and it is referred to in the 1966 song Dedicated Follower of Fashion
Dedicated Follower of Fashion
"Dedicated Follower of Fashion" is a 1966 single by British band The Kinks. It lampoons the contemporary British fashion scene and mod culture in general...
by The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
.
History
This section is a summary of the main historical facts, and necessarily simplifies some of the complex issues. Much more detail can be found on the online resources referred to.Beginnings 1811 to 1825
Regent Street is one of the first planned developments of London. The desire to impose order on the medieval street pattern of London dates back to the Great Fire of LondonGreat Fire of London
The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of the English city of London, from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666. The fire gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman City Wall...
(1666) when Sir Christopher Wren
Christopher Wren
Sir Christopher Wren FRS is one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history.He used to be accorded responsibility for rebuilding 51 churches in the City of London after the Great Fire in 1666, including his masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral, on Ludgate Hill, completed in 1710...
drew up plans for rebuilding the city on the classical formal model, but that initiative was lost. It was not until 1811 that John Nash
John Nash (architect)
John Nash was a British architect responsible for much of the layout of Regency London.-Biography:Born in Lambeth, London, the son of a Welsh millwright, Nash trained with the architect Sir Robert Taylor. He established his own practice in 1777, but his career was initially unsuccessful and...
drew up plans for broad, architecturally distinguished thoroughfares and public spaces: Carlton House Terrace
Carlton House Terrace
Carlton House Terrace refers to a street in the St. James's district of the City of Westminster in London, England, and in particular to two terraces of white stucco-faced houses on the south side of the street overlooking St. James's Park. These terraces were built in 1827–32 to overall designs by...
on The Mall, Piccadilly Circus
Piccadilly Circus
Piccadilly Circus is a road junction and public space of London's West End in the City of Westminster, built in 1819 to connect Regent Street with the major shopping street of Piccadilly...
, Regent Street and Regent's Park
Regent's Park
Regent's Park is one of the Royal Parks of London. It is in the north-western part of central London, partly in the City of Westminster and partly in the London Borough of Camden...
with its grand terraces. The plans were prepared under the authority of the Office of Woods, Forests and Land Revenues
First Commissioner of Woods and Forests
The Commissioners of Woods, Forests, and Land Revenues were established in the United Kingdom in 1810 by merging the former offices of Surveyor General of Woods, Forests, Parks, and Chases and Surveyor General of the Land Revenues of the Crown into a three-man commission...
, who since 1793 invited designs for Regent's Park, and came to the conclusion that the Park must have a proper road connecting it with the fashionable area around Charing Cross
Charing Cross
Charing Cross denotes the junction of Strand, Whitehall and Cockspur Street, just south of Trafalgar Square in central London, England. It is named after the now demolished Eleanor cross that stood there, in what was once the hamlet of Charing. The site of the cross is now occupied by an equestrian...
. Nash's plans were submitted to Parliament
Parliament of England
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system, by which he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
for approval.
While the park terraces are residential, Regent Street was intended for commercial purposes and consequently did not need gardens or public spaces. The scale of the development was unprecedented in London. The street followed the line of existing roads, and detoured to make efficient use of land belonging to the government. Nonetheless, much demolition was necessary, and many freehold and leasehold interests had to be bought out at current property values. It is thought that the Treasure supported the proposal because, in the aftermath of the lengthy Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, there was an urgent need for the government to create jobs. Government expenditure was low because the design relied heavily upon private developers, including Nash himself. The buildings were to be let on 99-year leases, and income could be recouped in the form of ground rent.
The design was adopted by Act of Parliament in 1813, and built between 1814 and 1825. The individual buildings were designed by Charles Robert Cockerell
Charles Robert Cockerell
Charles Robert Cockerell was an English architect, archaeologist, and writer.-Life:Charles Robert Cockerell was educated at Westminster School from 1802. From the age of sixteen, he trained in the architectural practice of his father, Samuel Pepys Cockerell...
, Sir John Soane and Nash himself, among others. At first called New Street, it became a dividing line between Soho
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
, which had become less than respectable, and the fashionable squares and streets of Mayfair
Mayfair
Mayfair is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster.-History:Mayfair is named after the annual fortnight-long May Fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today...
to the west.
Rebuilding 1895 to 1927
By the end of the 19th century, fashions in shopping had changed and the original buildings were unsuitable for their purpose. They were small and old fashioned, and consequently they were restricting trade. In the Edwardian era, department stores were the principal commercial aspiration. Dickins & Jones, Garrard & Co., Swan and Edgar, Hamleys and Liberty & Co. date from this period although only the last two are still there.Further, Nash’s buildings were not of the highest quality, using stucco render and composition to imitate stonework; and many of the buildings had been considerably extended and were now structurally suspect. As the 99-year leases came to an end, Regent Street was redeveloped between 1895 and 1927 under the control of the Office of Woods, Forests and Land Revenues (now the Crown Estate
Crown Estate
In the United Kingdom, the Crown Estate is a property portfolio owned by the Crown. Although still belonging to the monarch and inherent with the accession of the throne, it is no longer the private property of the reigning monarch and cannot be sold by him/her, nor do the revenues from it belong...
).
Regent Street as we see it today is the result of this redevelopment. South of Oxford Circus, none of the original buildings survive.
Regent Street is an example of the Beaux Arts approach to urban design: an assembly of separate buildings on a grand scale, designed to harmonise and produce an impressive overall effect. Strict rules were put in place to govern the reconstruction. Each block was required to be designed with a continuous unifying façade to the street, had to be finished in Portland stone, and with a uniform cornice level 66 feet above pavement level, excluding dormers, turrets and mansard roofs. The first redevelopment was Regent House, just south of Oxford Circus. However, the stylistic tone for the rebuilding was set by Reginald Blomfield
Reginald Blomfield
Sir Reginald Theodore Blomfield was a prolific British architect, garden designer and author of the Victorian and Edwardian period.- Early life and career :...
's Quadrant.
The Quadrant was the subject of considerable debate. The unity of Piccadilly Circus had been upset by the construction of Shaftesbury Avenue
Shaftesbury Avenue
Shaftesbury Avenue is a major street in central London, England, named after Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, that runs in a north-easterly direction from Piccadilly Circus to New Oxford Street, crossing Charing Cross Road at Cambridge Circus....
, and the first proposals were unsatisfactory. At the age of 73, the eminent architect Norman Shaw was brought in to resolve the design, and drew up proposals for the Circus and the Quadrant which were approved in principle, but still subject to indecision and dispute, both on property acquisition matters, and the retailers' demand for bigger display windows. Shaw's design for the Piccadilly Hotel was completed in 1908 with severe modifications. Reconstruction of the Quadrant was finally carried out by Sir Reginald Blomfield, who adapted and arguably watered-down Shaw's designs. Building works started in 1923 and completed in 1928.
A limited number of architects were responsible for the design of the reconstructed Regent Street. Other architects involved were Sir John James Burnet, Arthur Joseph Davis
Arthur Joseph Davis
Arthur Joseph Davis was a British architect. Davis studied at the Paris École des Beaux-Arts in the 1890s. He was the co-partner in the firm Mewes & Davis, with Charles Mewès. The firm designed the elevations and interior decoration of the London Ritz Hotel which introduced modern French comfort...
and Henry Tanner.
The work was delayed by the Great War and it was not until 1927 that the completion was celebrated, with King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
and Queen Mary
Mary of Teck
Mary of Teck was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, as the wife of King-Emperor George V....
driving in state along its length.
Crown Estate redevelopment
All of Regent Street, apart from two blocks at the northern end (near Langham Place) is owned by the Crown EstateCrown Estate
In the United Kingdom, the Crown Estate is a property portfolio owned by the Crown. Although still belonging to the monarch and inherent with the accession of the throne, it is no longer the private property of the reigning monarch and cannot be sold by him/her, nor do the revenues from it belong...
. Since the turn of the millennium, the Crown Estate has embarked on a major redevelopment programme in Regent Street and some of its side streets. Early 20th century offices, which typically have many corridors and small individual offices, are being replaced with modern, flexible open plan accommodation. Some of the smaller shops are being replaced with larger units. This is being done by completely stripping out the interiors and rebuilding behind retained façades.
The largest element of the plan is the reconstruction of the Quadrant at the southern end of the street close to Piccadilly Circus. In addition to shops and offices, a five star hotel and a small number of flats will be created here.
The Crown Estate moved its own headquarters from Carlton House Terrace
Carlton House Terrace
Carlton House Terrace refers to a street in the St. James's district of the City of Westminster in London, England, and in particular to two terraces of white stucco-faced houses on the south side of the street overlooking St. James's Park. These terraces were built in 1827–32 to overall designs by...
to Regent Street in 2006.
Selected shops and other places of note
All Souls Church
All Souls Church, Langham PlaceAll Souls Church, Langham Place
All Souls Church is an Anglican Evangelical church in central London, situated in Marylebone at the north end of Regent Street on Langham Place, just south of BBC Broadcasting House. As well as the core church membership, many hundreds of visitors come to All Souls, bringing the average number of...
, at the top of Regent Street next to Broadcasting House, is a church with a distinctive circular portico surmounted by a stone spire. Completed in 1823 and consecrated in 1824, All Souls is the only surviving building in Regent Street that was designed by John Nash.
Apple retail store
The Apple retail store opened on Regent Street at 10am on 20 November 2004. At the time this was the first such store in EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, the others being in the United States and Japan. As of August 2010, the Covent Garden store has beaten the Regent Street store as the largest Apple retail store worldwide.
Austin Reed
Austin Reed's flagship store is located at 103-113 Regent Street. The store has an atrium at its centre, housing glass lifts allowing viewing across all floors. The lower ground floor sells womenswear and also houses Austin's, the refurbished 1920’s Art DecoArt Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
Barber Shop, offering a full range of hair, face and body treatments for both men and women.
Broadcasting House
The BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's headquarters are in Broadcasting House
Broadcasting House
Broadcasting House is the headquarters and registered office of the BBC in Portland Place and Langham Place, London.The building includes the BBC Radio Theatre from where music and speech programmes are recorded in front of a studio audience...
, whose front entrance is in Langham Place, marking the top end of Regent Street. Several national radio stations broadcast from this 1930s Art Deco building. The exterior, built of Portland stone
Portland stone
Portland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries consist of beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a building stone throughout the British Isles, notably in major...
, features a sculpture by Eric Gill
Eric Gill
Arthur Eric Rowton Gill was a British sculptor, typeface designer, stonecutter and printmaker, who was associated with the Arts and Crafts movement...
over the front entrance. The new BBC Egton Wing, designed by MacCormac Jamieson Prichard, is the most visible face of a large-scale rebuilding project to modernise the site and replace earlier extensions to Broadcasting House.
Café Royal
The Café RoyalCafé Royal
The Café Royal was a restaurant and meeting place on 68 Regent Street in London's Piccadilly.-History:The establishment was originally conceived and set up in 1865 by Daniel Nicholas Thévenon, who was a French wine merchant. He had to flee France due to bankruptcy, arriving in Britain in 1863 with...
, located at 68 Regent Street in the Quadrant, opened in 1865 and became an institution of London high society. The present building, by Sir Reginald Blomfield, dates from 1928 and is grade 2 listed. The Café Royal closed in December 2008, as part of Crown Estate plans to redevelop this part of Regent Street.
Dickins & Jones
In June 2005 owner House of FraserHouse of Fraser
House of Fraser is a British department store group with over 60 stores across the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established in Glasgow, Scotland in 1849 as Arthur and Fraser. By 1891 it was known as Fraser & Sons. The company grew steadily during the early 20th century, but after the Second...
announced that the department store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
Dickins & Jones, which traces its origins to 1803 and had been located in Regent Street since 1835, would close in January 2006. The store was making losses for several years and failed to keep up with more fashion-conscious rivals such as its neighbour Liberty
Liberty (department store)
Liberty is a long-established department store in Regent Street in Central London, England, in the West End shopping district.-Early years:...
. The building has been redeveloped with small shop units on the lower floors and flats and offices above. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1657791,00.html
Hamleys
HamleysHamleys
Hamleys is one of the world's largest toy shops. Its flagship store is in Regent Street, London. Major stores worldwide are in Dublin, Dubai, Amman, Glasgow, Mumbai and Chennai....
toy shop is 100 metres south of Oxford Circus
Oxford Circus
Oxford Circus is the area of London at the busy intersection of Regent Street and Oxford Street, in the West End. It is served by Oxford Circus tube station, which is directly beneath the junction itself.- History :...
on the east side of the road. Originally located in Holborn
Holborn
Holborn is an area of Central London. Holborn is also the name of the area's principal east-west street, running as High Holborn from St Giles's High Street to Gray's Inn Road and then on to Holborn Viaduct...
and named Noah's Ark, the store has been at the present address since 1906. It claims to be the largest toy shop in the world.
Liberty
The LibertyLiberty (department store)
Liberty is a long-established department store in Regent Street in Central London, England, in the West End shopping district.-Early years:...
department store was originally known for its role at the retail end of the Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
and Arts and Crafts Movement
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
styles. Set up by the entrepreneur Arthur Lasenby Liberty
Arthur Lasenby Liberty
Sir Arthur Lasenby Liberty was a London merchant, and the founder of Liberty & Co.Born in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England, the son of a draper, he began work at sixteen with his uncle who sold lace, and later, another uncle who sold wine...
, who took out a loan for £2000 in 1874 and purchased 218a Regent Street. The shop opened in 1875 with only three staff. Lasenby’s shop sold ornaments, fabric and objects of art from Japan and the East. In the 1920s the now iconic Tudor-style building was designed and built by architects Edwin T. Hall
Edwin T. Hall
Edwin Thomas Hall was a British architect known primarily for the design of the Liberty & Co. department store, the Old Library at Dulwich College and various hospitals...
and his son Edwin S. Hall, constructed from the timbers of two ships, the HMS Impregnable
HMS Impregnable (1810)
HMS Impregnable was a 98-gun second rate three-decker ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 1 August 1810 at Chatham. She was designed by Sir William Rule, and was the only ship built to her draught...
, and the HMS Hindustan
HMS Hindustan (1841)
HMS Hindustan was an 80-gun two-deck second rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 2 August 1841. Her design was based on an enlarged version of the lines of .She was used as a training ship from 1868, and was sold out of the navy in 1921....
. The original building is on Great Marlborough Street, not on Regent Street. There are bridges across Kingly Street, connecting to the adjacent stone-faced building which once gave Liberty a frontage on Regent Street, but the store no longer occupies this annexe. Liberty's shop windows are famous for their inventive window-dressing
Display window
A display window is a window in a shop displaying items for sale or otherwise designed to attract customers to the store. Usually, the term refers to larger windows in the front façade of the shop...
, especially the annual Christmas displays.
Oxford Circus tube station
Oxford CircusOxford Circus
Oxford Circus is the area of London at the busy intersection of Regent Street and Oxford Street, in the West End. It is served by Oxford Circus tube station, which is directly beneath the junction itself.- History :...
is the junction where Regent Street crosses Oxford Street, and the site of one of the busiest of London's underground stations
Oxford Circus tube station
-External links:* ** ** * Plans of the station after the Victoria Line works , , *...
. The Central
Central Line
The Central line is a London Underground line, coloured red on the tube map. It is a deep-level "tube" line, running east-west across London, and, at , has the greatest total length of track of any line on the Underground. Of the 49 stations served, 20 are below ground...
, Bakerloo
Bakerloo Line
The Bakerloo line is a line of the London Underground, coloured brown on the Tube map. It runs partly on the surface and partly at deep level, from Elephant and Castle in the south-east to Harrow & Wealdstone in the north-west of London. The line serves 25 stations, of which 15 are underground...
and Victoria
Victoria Line
The Victoria line is a deep-level London Underground line running from the south to the north-east of London. It is coloured light blue on the Tube map...
lines all meet here.
Paris Theatre
Paris TheatreParis Theatre
The Paris Theatre was a former cinema located in Lower Regent Street, London, which was converted into a theatre by the BBC for radio broadcasts...
was located in Lower Regent Street, near other BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
buildings and was a place of performance of the well-known rock groups.
Events
There is a yearly Regent Street Festival when the street is closed to traffic for the day.The Christmas light displays are a London tradition dating since 1948, when the Regent Street Association decorated the street with Christmas trees. Lighting was not allowed until 1949, following lifting of wartime restrictions, and the first full lighting display was in 1953. There is a different display every year, switched on at an opening ceremony in the first week of November.
On 6 July 2004, half a million people crowded into Regent Street and the surrounding streets to watch a parade of Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
cars.
Transport
The nearest London Underground stations are Oxford CircusOxford Circus tube station
-External links:* ** ** * Plans of the station after the Victoria Line works , , *...
and Piccadilly Circus
Piccadilly Circus tube station
Piccadilly Circus tube station is the London Underground station located directly beneath Piccadilly Circus itself, with entrances at every corner...
.