Shopping

 
Napoleon called us a nation of shopkeepers – it’s a tradition we’re proud to uphold.
 
London’s most prestigious department stores and shopping streets – Bond Street, Sloane Street, Savile Row, Harrods, Liberty, Selfridges and Fortnum & Mason, to name a few – are as familiar landmarks as Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London. But stick solely to the shops in the capital and you’ll miss some of the most interesting shopping experiences in the world.
It’s not just about global and heritage brands – England also boasts some of the best individual craftsmen, jewellers and designers working today. Says Guy Salter, Chairman of Walpole British Luxury’s Crafted programme and partner of Nyetimber, “That’s partly due to the sheer variety of places to shop but also the number of brands which combine creativity and quality; some famous, some old but many that are new and can only be found in England. England is the centre of true bespoke.”
Janie Schaffer, former Chief Creative Officer at Victoria’s Secret, agrees. “When it comes to beautiful craftsmanship, a sense of true history and a touch of eccentricity, no one does it like the Brits.” Take Stoke-on-Trent for example. It has an unrivalled heritage in ceramics. Wedgwood and Moorcroft – the latter appointed potter to The Queen in 1928 and host of eye-opening factory tours, as well as a truly tempting shop – are just two of the covetable art potteries here.
Cumbria, meanwhile, is the home of exquisite tweed: Coco Chanel used the sumptuous fabrics produced by Linton Mill to create some of her design classics. The mill still produces tweed for some of Europe’s biggest fashion houses and you can indulge in your own piece of fabric history in the mill’s shop.
A sure sign of excellence is a Royal Warrant, a unique and prestigious award given by our royal households to the crème de la crème of shops and services. On a tour organised by Luxury London Quarter, a panel of luxury brand specialists and historians will take you behind the scenes at some of the warrant holders in Mayfair, with special viewings and an opportunity to meet craftsmen and company archivists.