London Shopping Niches - these are areas around London where the shops sell the same kinds of goods aka. specialist districts

London Shopping Niches

Shopping Niches

It's often remarked that London is a series of connected villages, which I won't argue with. It also explains why there are so many districts which have a different name to the borough. The borough (pronounced 'burrer') is an administration term introduced in 1965, to manage local services across London.

London is full of other legacy names however, such as Bloomsbury, which is a boundaryless district (and listed in the Domesday Book, 1086) or Bishopsgate from the first century AD. It was one of the gates in the old fortified town of Londinium, and was a popular place to decorate with heads on spikes, during the middle-ages.

On top of these are the wards and parishes, which just complicate matters further. This section is about parts of London which possess similar kinds of shops or produce for sale (functional linkage was the term I remember from school). On the Inside Guide to London site we're calling them 'Shopping Niches'. You generally learn about these over time, so it's likely to be useful for visitors to have them listed in one place. Each area will also include a map and a note of any nearby pubs or restaurants that you could combine with a visit.

Lamb's Conduit Street - Bloomsbury

Lamb's Conduit Street in Bloomsbury, is a street you're unlikely to drift through by accident and belongs to no established tourist trail. Understanding what a conduit is and what it's for, is a useful starting point - before tackling the specifics of who Lamb might be.

History of London Conduits

London's unabated growth throughout the middle-ages created a practical problem, which required one of London's mightiest engineering projects to solve. The water supply failed to meet the daily needs of the population. To address this a 'Great Conduit' was built. Conduits are still used today, though mainly as small plastic coverings for cables and wires. You might imagine that a 'Great Conduit' was the kind of pipe you could manoeuvre three Minis through, but conduits actually referred to the 'cisterns' or tanks holding the water. These conduits were served by lead or wooden piping and connected the springs for the River Tyburne, Walbrook and many other [now subterranean] rivers in London. The spring filled the conduit, creating a 'head' of water, that could course for up to a mile down a gentle slope. It was dispensed using cocks or taps.

Since the use of water by some trades was regarded as excessive (bakery, brewing & tanning were especially demanding), the conduit houses surrounding the cisterns were managed and access to the supply was strictly controlled. Conduit houses also served as 'moral billboards' since everyone in the city would need to visit them regularly. Nothing was likely to raise Londoners' scorn quite like having their viewpoint steered or massaged. Then, or now. The conduit houses were consequently covered with graffiti & slogans. The accession parade of James I passed a conduit house where the following verse was daubed for His Majesty's consideration.

Life is a dross, a sparkle, a span

A bubble: yet how proud is man!

Jermyn Street - Menswear

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(3 votes, average 4.67 out of 5)

Jermyn Street runs parallel to Piccadilly and is famous for stocking products aimed at the sophisticated

Jermyn Street, SW1 - The last word in men's clothing, colognes, shoes and boots. Established 350 years ago at the edge of London

gentleman. Although the shops have roots in the distant past, like most vintage businesses, they're very much applicable to the modern market. Mens' 'grooming' has never had such a high profile as the one it currently enjoys today. It's also fair to say that Jermyn Street purveyors, aim high. They produce the very best available in both London and globally, so if you're gift buying for someone back home, or over here and need something special for a grand occasion, Jermyn Street should be the first stop on your shopping trip around town.

The area was developed in 1664, when St. James's represented the edge of London. The west end of Piccadilly was the entry toll-booth to the city, so there was land available in this convenient location and no shortage of potential residents, when its grand streets and houses were constructed. Among them, the Duke of Marlborough, Sir Isaac Newton, William Thackeray, Sir Walter Scott and Prime Minister: William Pitt. More recent residents include the highly unusual Aleister Crowley and singer Al Bowlly who was tragically killed in the street by a parachute mine during WW2. If you've seen the film 'The Shining', Al Bowlly (with the Ray Noble Orchestra) sings the classic 1920s tune used throughout - "Midnight, the Stars and You".

Denmark Street - Music

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(2 votes, average 4.50 out of 5)

I have fond memories of Denmark Street, from my student years. I bought my first proper guitar here after visiting a few dozen times to hone my choice and lap up the atmosphere - yep, I think I was wearing fingerless gloves too (sigh). It's a tiny street about 100 metres in length, off the Charing Cross Road between Cambridge Circus and Tottenham Court Road Tube station.

Denmark Street is the place to visit for musical instruments - and also sound production equipment, effects, DJ gear and similar. The 12 Bar Club is a small venue that hosts live bands (you can read more about it, by following the link) and the alley nearby still hosts a message board covered in flyers with tear-off phone numbers, if you have an inkling to join a band.

The street has played host to many recording artists. The Rolling Stones recorded demos for their first album in a tiny studio here, with egg-box cartons lining the walls, and The Beatles & Jimi Hendrix also recorded tracks in the street. The Radio station 'Total Rock' broadcasts from Denmark Street - set up by Alan 'Fluff' Freeman in 2000, the 'Godfather of Rock' in the UK.

Savile Row - Tailors

Savile Row was built in the 1730s as part of the development of the Burlington Estate. Initially, the street was occupied by military officers and their wives and William Pitt the Younger was a notable early resident. During the 1800s, fashion and elegant tailoring came to the fore amongst the privileged classes; with Beau Brummell being the model of a well-dressed gentleman. He patronised the tailors on the Burlington Estate and by 1803 some were occupying premises in Savile Row, though none of those original tailors survive today.

Gieves & Hawkes is located at №1 Savile Row and represent the traditional face of British bespoke tailoring. The business was formed by the merger of Gieves (founded in 1885) and Hawkes (founded in 1771). Its early commissions were for the British Army and the Royal Navy, and it was also the first Savile Row tailor to provide ready-to-wear clothes. Gieves & Hawkes hold all three Royal Warrants (the Queen, Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales).
In 1969, Nutters of Savile Row overhauled the traditional reserve of Savile Row tailors and in the 1990s designers like Richard James and Ozwald Boateng relocated to the street.