Burlington Arcade – then and now

                      Burlington Arcade with its beautiful new floors – we are huge fans!

Hello my dearest one, you might have wondered why there have been so few new blog posts lately and I can only blame it on the bane of my misery: IT.  But things should be up and running now so that we can get back to our beloved antique jewellery!

It has been a few really fun weeks in the antique shop; we have had some beautiful pieces come through the door and we are now in the middle of putting together the Christmas Catalogue! (I know right, in August!?)!  But it is all great fun and I am learning TONS, and obviously passing on the most interesting information to you fine folks!

      A few diamond set clasps for necklaces that I was showing a client – on top of an old                                                Burlington Arcade postcard

Yesterday three photographs of the Burlington Arcade at the beginning of the 19th century popped up on my desk.  We have looked at the history of the Arcade before, in the blog post the Burlington Arcade in London, but there are a few more fun pieces of information left to learn:

               Antique photographs featuring the Burlington Arcade – at Richard Ogden

In the top photo you can see one of the Beadles (the gentlemen guarding the Arcade) addressing a man with an umbrella, as you are not allowed to carry open umbrellas in the Arcade.  Legend has it that even after the bombings in the 1940s destroyed the roof of the Arcade the Beadles would enforce the no-umbrella law – that is how seriously they take their duties!

                       The new floors of the Burlington Arcade, as modelled by Fluffy

And you might not know this, but whistling is not allowed in the Arcade either, and there is quite a shocking reason to this: during the 1800s the first floors in the Arcade were used by “working ladies”, and every time that the police approached the Arcade someone would whistle to warn these ladies – and the men who were with them – so that they could make a quick escape!  So whenever someone walks down the Arcade whistling, they get a kind reminder from the Beadles that it is not allowed.  I do in fact hear quite a few people every week trying to whistle a little tune in the arcade, and it is a shame in a way that you are not allowed to, as the acoustics are so great now that we have the beautiful new floors there!

                             Then and Now – the entrance of the Burlington Arcade

And in the bottom postcard we have a view of the entrance to the Arcade before it was redesigned in the 30s.  I had a lot of fun putting together the two photos above, as they really highlight how much has changed in these past 100 years – just look at people’s outfits!  Not to mention all the vehicles blocking the way for my perfect photo!!

I would love to hear which one of the two designs you prefer – and also whether you have visited the Arcade and maybe have some special memories from there?  For example seeing a pair of glorious earrings, or maybe shopping for an engagement ring?

The Burlington Arcade in London

We have visited Richard Ogden in The Burlington Arcade, and I thought we should learn a bit more about the arcade itself today, since I have found that it is such a dear place to so many of us:

The entrance to the Burlington Arcade

For those of you who haven’t yet visited the Burlington Arcade, it is situated between Piccadilly Circus and Green Park, and the arcade itself runs from Piccadilly all the way back to Burlington Gardens.  It was built in 1819 by Lord Cavendish and at the time consisted of 72 small two-storey units and a top lit walkway.  Many of the tenants and their families actually lived above and below their shops in rather cramped conditions!  (1)  As time went by, some of these units were combined and the arcade now consists of approximately 40 units.

Oh I do love this picture of the arcade, as so kindly lent to us by Richard Ogden

In the picture above you get an idea of what the arcade would have looked like during its first century.  You can see the time typical outfits, where the ladies are wearing bustles under their skirts to support the drapery of the back of the skirt and to stop the skirts from dragging behind.  As for the gents in the picture, we have the tall hat from the late 18th century, which was still worn and developed into the top hat.  The top hat was worn throughout the 19th century and it was popular among the gents to style their hair into a windswept look, or to wear it short and curled. (2)

Burlington Arcade

Dating so far back in time I wasn’t surprised to find out that the Burlington Arcade is in fact one of the predecessors to our modern day shopping galleries and shopping centres.  The arcade is patrolled by Burlington Arcade Beadles, wearing traditional and very handsome uniforms, including top hats and frock coats.  Do say hello when you pass them as they are always very friendly, and helpful in case you need advice.

People strolling through the arcade

There is a very fascinating and also frightening story from the arcade, in 1964, when a Jaguar Mark X suddenly raced down the arcade (the only car to ever have entered!), forcing pedestrians to throw themselves against the walls to save their lives!  It came to an abrupt stop outside the Goldsmiths and Silversmiths Association shop, where six masked men jumped out of the car, smashed the windows of the shop and grabbed jewellery valued to £35,000! (3)  They then reversed out of the arcade and drove off – and were never caught.  After this incident big black gates were installed at both ends of the arcade to prevent other vehicles from entering.

Laduree in Burlington Arcade

Today we can enjoy visiting a wide range of shops in the arcade: from fine antique jewellers to high end fashion fashion and of course Ladurée, the French luxury bakery with their delicious macaroons!

Sources:

(1) The Burlington Arcade Website

(2) V&A Introduction to 19th century fashion

(3) Wikipedia – Burlington Arcade