Harrods

This is a grand department store originally built with mansion flats on the four upper floors, constructed 1901–05 on the Brompton Road frontage. The architect was C. W. Stephens and the contractor John Allen and Sons of Kilburn. The elevation to Basil Street was rebuilt 1929–30 by architect Louis D. Blanc, and the elevation to Hans Crescent was partially rebuilt in 1939 by architect John L. Harvey.

Construction and Materials

The building is faced with pinky-buff terracotta supplied by Doultons. The roofs are flat with mansard attics covered in fish-scale pattern copper sheeting. The plan consists of a series of cellular spaces divided by cross walls, with arched openings creating circulation routes throughout. Originally, light wells ran through the centre of each unit and up through the upper-floor flats, providing natural light to the sales floors below. The flats were converted to additional sales space between 1912 and the early 1930s.

The architectural style is exuberant Baroque with French Second Empire features. The building has two lower storeys with large display windows, four storeys above, and attics at the corners.

Brompton Road Elevation

The Brompton Road frontage has a rhythm of 2:4:3:3:3:4:2 bays. The ground floor windows have large plate-glass panes, while the first floor windows are subdivided with hardwood mullions and transoms, featuring Art Nouveau style tracery within shallow segmental arched heads. Cornice bands run above the ground and first floors.

The upper floors have triple-light sash windows, some canted or curved outwards. A three-storey order of giant Ionic pilasters rises through these floors, with a fluted frieze and cornice. The central nine bays break forward. On the fourth floor, windows are set in arched recesses separated by composite pilasters, with an entablature and balustraded parapet above.

The central three bays feature a grand arcade, above which rises a pediment filled with figured relief depicting Britannia being presented with produce, accompanied by putti, cornucopiae and swags. A plaque bears Harrods' motto 'Omnia Omnibus Ubique' (Everything for everybody, everywhere). An octagonal dome crowns this section, with terracotta ribs and facings, pedimented dormers and lunettes, and a cupola above. The corners also have octagonal cupolas and elaborate pedimented dormers in the mansard attics, with balustraded parapets at both eaves and crown levels.

Hans Road and Hans Crescent

Adjoining entrance No. 1 in Hans Road is the former entrance to the flats (Hans Mansions) above Brompton Road, built in 1895 by C. W. Stephens. This features a pedimented triple window within a broken pediment above a two-storey arch with faceted voussoirs flanked by paired Ionic columns. The two-bay facade above has rusticated quoins, paired consoles and swags, and an open pediment with a serliana at attic level.

The succeeding range from 1910–12 drops to four storeys above basement level, with a rusticated ground floor, arched windows on the first floor, and on the second and third floors (above a cornice band) bow windows flanked by single lights, separated by rusticated pilasters. A four-bay entrance features a rusticated ground floor and a rusticated arcade on the first and second floors, with three-light windows separated by pilasters. A curved three-bay range leads to an elaborate entrance, originally serving the service yard, at the base of the intended 'Coronation Tower', built in 1911 to Stephens's design.

The Coronation Tower entrance was originally a carriageway to the delivery yard, two storeys high (now infilled), with Ionic pilasters and columns on plinths, a fluted frieze with a central date plaque reading '1911', and a modillion cornice. The three-bay upper storeys feature elaborate coupled windows, the upper ones arched, with pilasters having console capitals supporting a balcony above. The corners are rusticated with small swan-neck pediments below. The top two storeys have a central three-bay arcade with projecting voussoirs that run as rustication over the dividing columns. The top of the tower remains incomplete and supports a large exposed water tank. A range to the right of the tower links to the Basil Street corner, five storeys high and four bays wide, terminating in a polygonal turret.

Basil Street and Hans Crescent Elevations

Stephens's original elevation along Basil Street was rebuilt 1929–30 by Louis D. Blanc, Harrods' in-house architect from 1920 to 1935. He used Doulton's brown terracotta and Hathernware faience facings chosen to harmonise with the original building, above a black granite-faced ground floor. The fifteen-bay elevation is articulated in groups of three over five storeys. The ground floor has bronze-framed display windows supplied by Frederick Sage Ltd.

The four upper floors have giant pilasters—fluted with composite capitals at major subdivisions, plain with simplified lotus leaf Corinthian capitals between, and fluted columns marking the entrance bays. A plain frieze with paired and tripled brackets supports a simplified cornice with plain parapets above, except over the entrance which has palmettes. Triple bronze windows sit between the pilasters, with modelled spandrel panels.

The right-hand side curves into Hans Crescent with a ten-bay section, rebuilt in 1939 by John L. Harvey following the detailing of Blanc's Basil Street facade. To the right, continuing towards Brompton Road, are earlier ranges including a three-bay section with giant Ionic pilasters and an attic with a broken pediment framing a pedimented dormer, part of the first phase of rebuilding to Stephens's design in 1894.

Interior: Basement Spaces

As with the exteriors, the interiors underwent virtually continuous change over the period 1894–1912. The appointment of the first in-house architect, M. Mostyn Brown, in 1913 accelerated this process, especially as the flats were converted to sales areas.

Safe Deposit (Basement)

The Safe Deposit dates from 1897 and features security doors by Ratners of London with Yale timelocks. It has a security entrance, a manager's office, and a central room with hardwood booths with obscure-glazed doors for opening individual boxes. Eight strong rooms are lined with deposit boxes (2,646 total in eight different sizes), and there are 13 individual strong rooms, all with original fittings. The flooring is tessellated mosaic with rosettes and scroll patterns. The original paint scheme is retained, with stencilled decoration.

Barber's Shop and Gentleman's Lounge (Basement)

The Barber's Shop from 1930 (now closed) has mirrored and black vitrolite-lined walls, original square light fittings, and 22 chairs (renewed), each with a basin and lockers. The adjoining former Gentleman's Lounge (now DryBar) was designed as the original waiting room. It features elaborate mixed 'Tudorbethan' style carved oak panelling with carved composite pilasters raised on plinths. The moulded ribbed plaster ceiling has rosette bosses, and a flower and animal frieze. A carved newel marks the staircase.

The fireplace has a stone Tudor arch with a carved frieze featuring gryphons, scrolls and strapwork. The carved oak surround has bulbous pilasters on plinths and a shelf carved with strapwork and masks. The triple-bay arcaded mantel features carved busts on plinths, carved colonettes and arches, inlaid marquetry floral panels, and an entablature with a strapwork frieze and modillion cornice supported on carved consoles.

Gentlemen's Lavatory (Basement)

The adjoining Gentlemen's Lavatory has trompe l'oeil cubical patterned marble veneer walls and floors in an abstract pattern, using black limestone, grey Carrara marble, Napoleon tigre marble, Lunel rubane marble, and creamy granular stone. The ceilings are finished in aluminium leaf.

The outer telephone lobby has three booths with semi-circular headed oak outer doors containing patterned obscured glass panels, with pierced oak screens above. The lavatory has arcaded cubicles with solid doors and screens repeating the pattern of the telephone cubicles. Wash basins have marble surrounds and arcaded recessed mirrors lit by concealed strip lights. Main lighting comes from white glass troughs fitted flush to the ceiling.

Interior: Entrance Halls and Circulation

Entrances 7 and 8 from Brompton Road have gilt bronze wall grilles and coved ceilings, dating from around 1928 by Frederick Sage.

Entrance 5 from Hans Crescent leads to the east escalator hall from 1939 by John Harvey, featuring anodised aluminium screens and framing, with original pendant light fittings that have been embellished. The escalators have been renewed.

Entrance 3 from Basil Street, built 1929–30 by Louis D. Blanc, contains a staircase from ground to fourth floor with travertine marble treads, risers and string, iron stick balusters with panels bearing modelled palmettes and a guilloche band, and a brass handrail. On the first floor half-landing, Harrods War Memorial and Roll of Honour are mounted on wall-mounted tablets. Escalators were added to the stairwell in 1986 and remodelled in 2014.

Entrance 10 from Hans Road features an escalator hall created 1980–81 by architect Frank Allen within the original entrance hall to Hans Mansions (the upper floor flats), remodelled in 2011.

Interior: Ground Floor Food Halls

The outstanding pre-1914 survivor is the Ground Floor Meat Hall of 1903, created as part of C. W. Stephens's progressive rebuilding of the store. The hall is lined with Art Nouveau decorative tiling designed by W. J. Neatby and manufactured by Doultons. Wall plaques feature stylised birds and fish, hunting scenes, and stylised trees around the original central light well, which was built over in the 1930s. The ceiling tiling consists of billet bands with gilt flying peacocks. Walls and beams are subdivided by billet bands and yellow bands. The counter fronts, some modified and some reproduction, are of Brecchia Sanguini marble with Carrara marble colonettes.

The Tea, Coffee and Chocolate Hall (formerly the Bakery), also from 1903, has tiling by Doulton's featuring a floral frieze, arcaded wall treatments, and an acanthus dado. The original plaster ceiling (except in the infilled light well) has Art Nouveau Rococo mouldings and cartouches with modelled female figures, flowers, fruit and medallions. In the north-west corner, a hardwood stair from 1903 has a curved lower flight, a moulded handrail, and a balustrade of gilded scrollwork.

The Floral Hall (now Roast and Bake Hall) and Charcuterie Traiteur were built in 1925 by Louis Blanc, infilling the former service yard. These have tiled finishes with decorative column caps, lunettes and wall plaques supplied by Doulton's, some renewed. The Edwardian style decorative scheme to the Roast and Bake Hall and Charcuterie was restored around 2018.

Interior: Ground Floor Sales Rooms

The remainder of the ground floor includes some surviving ceilings from 1903–04. Room A (now Room of Luxury) has a panelled ceiling with Baroque cartouches featuring 'H' motifs and lion masks. Nearest to the Brompton Road frontage, the decoration is very elaborate and eclectic, featuring reclining draped females receiving palettes from putti, floral motifs, heads and grotesques on ceiling bosses.

Room K has an original panel with a draped reclining female and coving with an 'H' cartouche. Most other ceilings have been replaced, but in Room E/E, portions of the original survive, including cartouches, putti and masks, above a 1928 refit with shallow segmental plaster vaults. Room G has restrained Art Deco style plasterwork and box light fittings.

The Basil Street block, rebuilt 1929–30 by Louis Blanc, has restrained Art Deco plasterwork with acanthus capitals. Room B (Black Perfumery) from 1989, designed by architects Walker C N I (New York) with Copeland Novak and Israel, features black granite floor, counters and column facings, with boxed vertical strip lights and a vaulted fibrous plaster ceiling.

Room 4 (former Egyptian Hall) and the lower hall in the basement were remodelled to an Edwardian decorative scheme in 2022 and 2023 respectively.

Interior: Egyptian Escalator Hall and Stairs

Room B (Egyptian Escalator Hall and Staircase), created in 1997 by designer William Mitchell, occupies the area formerly containing a bank of six elevators installed 1927–28. This is the most significant of the modern 'concept interiors'. The columns have reliefs of Egyptian warriors and cast glass lotus capitals with concealed lighting. At fifth floor level, the columns have mask capitals. The tops of the walls are lined with a deep relief frieze of a procession of warriors and chariots. The deep coved ceiling has lotus leaf cornices and a recessed centre with reliefs of lotus leaves, stars and animals on a blank background.

The adjacent staircase, running from basement to fifth floor and dating from 1927–28, has an open-well plan with marble treads, risers and string, anodised bronze Art Deco balusters (with modern Egyptian embellishments), and a brass handrail.

The Georgian Stair, also running from basement to fifth floor and dating from around 1911, has an irregular dog-leg plan around a narrow well. It features open strings, hardwood newels capped by urns, moulded handrails, iron scrollwork balustrades, a hardwood panelled dado, and a plaster soffit with a coved moulded and modelled scrollwork cornice.

Interior: Elevators

Lifts 131–136 in Hall 0, and two lifts adjoining the Georgian stair, date from 1927–28. These are Otis pattern cars that have been refurbished and reproduced, with original ironwork probably by Frederick Sage Ltd. They feature copper bands and grilles, coved grid cornices and ceilings, and inlaid sunburst pattern flooring. The bronze-framed sliding doors have small panes in bronze cames, and the openings have star-patterned plaster architraves.

Interior: First Floor

The first floor showrooms formed the original suite of ladies' fashion departments. Elaborate French Rococo style plasterwork with hints of Art Nouveau detailing was installed throughout on ceilings, columns and walls—much of the wall decoration has disappeared, but the following ceilings survive.

Room 1/A (Separates), dating from 1903 with the central light well infilled in 1935, has Rococo plaster cornices and a ceiling outlined by scrollwork surrounds framing allegorical panels, putti, monkeys, sea monsters, peacocks, musical instrument trophies, flowers and luxuriant foliage. Naturalistic palm-leaf capitals survive against the display windows at the front of the room.

Rooms 1/F and 1/G from around 1904 have less exuberant ceilings with moulded bands and cartouches featuring the 'H' initial. Room 1/K has ceiling panels with allegorical figures.

Room 1/Z (Dress Salon), facing Hans Road and dating from around 1911, has plaster-cased beams with scrollwork friezes, egg and dart cornices, recessed panels with Jacobean style ribs and pendants, and animals.

Room 1/C (SuperBrands), remodelled in 1934, has a central column with a boxed light and a recessed circular ceiling above a coved light trough.

Interior: Upper Floors

The upper floor interiors were largely created in the interwar period as and when the flats were converted to sales space.

Fourth Floor Lavatories

The Ladies Lavatories from around 1935 (behind lift hall 131–136) feature a central marble console vanitory unit with fitted basins, mirrors and an obscured glass uplighter on top. The end walls have mirror strips, one with a fitted electric clock. The side walls are divided into individual mirrored make-up booths by figured veneered semi-circular face pilasters with streamlined louvred ventilation grilles above. The inner room has 10 water closet cubicles with figured veneered screens and flush doors.

The Gentlemen's and Ladies Lavatories off 4/S2, dating from around 1911, are fitted within the base of the Coronation Tower. Much refurbished, both include elaborate French-style panelled hardwood screens with panelled oval-headed doors featuring some inlaid marquetry decorative features and carved scrollwork. These were recovered and reused from the former Ladies' Club of 1908, dismantled in 1980 when the West (No. 10) Escalator Hall was inserted.

Georgian Restaurant (Fourth Floor)

Rooms 4/Y and Z, the 'Georgian' Restaurant from 1911, were remodelled in 1928–29 and again in 2024. The walls are oak-panelled with fluted composite pilasters and a pulvinated frieze with egg and dart cornice. Free-standing columns have carved putti heads. Plaster-cased beams have pulvinated friezes and egg and dart moulding. The ceiling margins have elaborate bands, roundels and panels with modelled flowers and fruit.

In Room Y, a large Art Deco skylight was installed around 1928–29, featuring fishscale tracery and stars in metalwork with blue glass infilling, a coved plaster surround with low relief modelled fountains and foliage, and a moulded architrave.

Historical Context

In 1853, Charles Henry Harrod, who had begun trading as a grocer in Cable Street, Stepney, occupied a small house and grocery facing Brompton Road. The official foundation date of 1849 is not confirmed by documentation. His son, Charles Digby Harrod, began building up the business from 1860, diversifying by adding non-food departments and extending the premises back into Queen's Gardens, which occupied the backland behind Brompton Road.

In 1889, Harrods became a limited company and embarked on a scheme to purchase and redevelop the street block back to North Street, later Basil Street. C. W. Stephens was appointed architect in 1894 and began the rebuilding programme, which was completed in 1912. In 1921, Harrods secured the freehold of the whole site from the Goddard Estate.

In 1959, Harrods Ltd. was taken over by House of Fraser, and the group was acquired by Mohammed Al Fayed in 1985. The store was bought by the Qatar Investment Authority in 2010.

Suffragette Window-Smashing Campaign

In March 1912, Harrods was targeted in a window-smashing campaign by the suffragettes campaigning for votes for women. Emmeline Pankhurst founded the Women's Social and Political Union in 1903 in Manchester. The Union used direct action in their campaign, beginning with acts of civil disobedience and escalating to criminal damage, arson and bomb attacks on empty buildings.

Pankhurst famously stated that 'the argument of the broken pane of glass is the most valuable argument in modern politics', and private property was targeted as a way of bringing the cause to public prominence. Harrods, along with numerous other shops with large plate-glass windows in London's West End, was targeted in a synchronised series of attacks. Liverpool-based doctors Alice JSS Ker and Alice Davis were charged with the offence and sentenced to three months in Holloway Prison. The motif of shop windows broken by suffragettes' stones and toffee-hammers remains one of the most resonant images of the campaign.