Liberty London: A Shopper’s Treasure Chest

London is one of my favourite cities, second only in my heart to Paris. I love it’s colourful history, varied architectural styles, grand streets and hidden nooks. But most of all, I love its posh shops. Harrod’s, Fortnum & Mason, the Burlington Arcade to name but a few. Among of all of them though, one stands out. So read on and see why I consider Liberty London a shopper’s treasure chest.

Carnaby Street

I first discovered the Liberty shop about 20 years ago. A friend of a friend, who was living in London at the time, introduced me to it while I was visiting on a business trip. On my latest visit, my rowing friends and I approached it a few days before our tour down the Thames via a stroll through SOHO. As we made our way to the end of Carnaby Street, we were charmed by its bedazzling for Queen Elizabeth II‘s Platinum Jubilee. And the bust of William Shakespeare looking out over the street from the second storey window of the Shakespeare’s Head Pub also caught our attention. And we couldn’t pass by the John Lennon ‘Imagine’ statue without snapping some photos with the rock’n roll icon.

Tudor Revival

As we rounded the corner onto Great Marlborough Street, and Liberty’s Tudor-style facade came into view, I was as enthralled as I had been when I first saw it all those years ago. Initially I had assumed that it was a Tudor-era building. But my guide back then informed me that it had been built much more recently, in 1924, when the Tudor-revival style was all the rage. And, from the timbers of two ancient ships! I’ve since learned that the Liberty building was designed to measure the length and height of one of these massive vessels, the HMS Hindustan.

Ships’ Treasure

This was not by accident. Arthur Lasenby Liberty, its adventurous founder, dreamt of making Liberty London a shopper’s treasure chest by filling it with luxury items from far off lands. And he would do this metaphorically by docking a ship on the streets of London. In the end, more than 24,000 cubic feet of ships timbers were used to realize his vision. The impact of this well-worn woodwork is felt inside as well. For as you enter the flower-festooned main doorway, the six-storey atrium glows with its beauty.

Liberty Cotton

I was a girl when I first learned of the Liberty name. At that time, a family friend introduced me to the fine, brightly-coloured, floral-printed Liberty Cottons. And now, being a quilter, I love strolling through the shelves of cheerful prints each time I visit Liberty. It’s hard to resist purchasing one of each! Oh, and those golden, hardwood shop floors? They are the repurposed ship decks.

Arts and Crafts

It wasn’t until that aforementioned London visit that I discovered there was more to the Liberty brand than fabric. Much more! For Arthur Liberty was a purveyor of craftsmanship as well as luxury. To that end, he opened a furniture workshop on the outskirts of the city to produce Liberty Arts and Crafts furniture. And original pieces can still be purchased in the vintage section of Liberty London. Other examples of the handiwork of the Liberty craftsmen can be found within the structure of the store itself. Their intricately carved pillars and panels lend such an air of fantasy and discovery to the shop, that at times they momentarily transported me to exotic lands.

Ever “determined not to follow existing fashions but to create new ones”, Arthur Liberty’s vision lives on today. For Liberty, in addition to continuing to create beautiful, hand-painted prints in their design studio, also features smaller, trendsetting brands. And their wares are curated in inspiring displays in small galleries throughout the store. For me, wandering through these intimate spaces is a joy. For a glance around each corner brings a new discovery in this treasure trove of must-have gems. But back to the ships for a moment. If you happen to peak out one of Liberty’s wood-panelled windows, you are likely to come across some of the miniature glass paintings that were taken straight from the captain’s quarters.

Time Piece

Our visit to Liberty had come to an end. However, as we made our way down Great Marlborough Street, we passed one more notable architectural feature of this treasure chest of a shop. The grand Liberty Clock, depicting St. George & The Dragon, arched over Kingly Street. And its inscription are wise words indeed:  “No minute gone comes ever back again, take heed and see ye nothing do in vain”.

Learn more about another famous Liberty icon in my post: Sisters of Liberty.

Liberty London  Regent St., Carnaby, London W1B 5AH, United Kingdom