7 Burlington Gardens is a Grade II* building in Mayfair, London. Formerly known as Queensberry House, it was later called Uxbridge House. The building was a bank for much of the 19th and 20th centuries, and was later for a time home to the London flagship store of the American fashion retailer Abercrombie & Fitch.
The address is in the Mayfair district of London. Although the official address is "7 Burlington Gardens", it is also on Savile Row and Google Maps labels the location as "42 Savile Row, Westminster". [1] On the side of the building facing Savile Row, a sign reads "Savile Row W1". On the facade of the building facing Burlington Gardens, it reads "Burlington Gardens W1".
The building was first erected as a home in the early 1720s. [2] Designed by Giacomo Leoni, the house was initially commissioned by John Bligh M.P., [3] but was sold by him (while the property was still being fitted out) to the 3rd Duke of Queensbury in 1722. [4] As Queensbury House, it remained the Duke's London residence until his death in 1778.
After standing empty for some years, the property was leased in 1785 to the 1st Earl of Uxbridge, who subsequently bought the freehold and renamed it Uxbridge House. [3] He commissioned architect John Vardy to extend the property eastward as far as Savile Row and back along Old Burlington Street. His son the 2nd Earl (created Marquess of Anglesey in 1815) inherited the house; following his death the house was sold in 1854 to the Bank of England.
The Bank had purchased the house to serve as its Western Branch, providing private and commercial banking services to the residents and retail businesses of London's developing West End. The Bank's architect, Philip C. Hardwick, was commissioned to reconfigure the property to its new purpose. Vaults were created below ground, the old dining room was turned into a banking hall and a new main entrance was inserted into the frontage on Burlington Gardens. [3] The building was further extended behind (over what had been the stable yard of Uxbridge House) in the 1870s.
The Bank of England retained its Western Branch on Burlington Gardens up until 1930, when (having taken a decision to withdraw from the commercial banking sector in order to focus on its role as a central bank) the Bank sold the building (and much of the associated business) to the Royal Bank of Scotland. [5] As the Royal Bank of Scotland Western Branch, the building continued in use as a bank up until the early 21st century.
Abercrombie & Fitch leased the location in 2005. [2] Overnight in May, a two-story construction wall was erected around the building and was plastered with half-naked men and "Abercrombie & Fitch". [6] The retail space occupies two floors within the building.
Abercrombie & Fitch's presence on Savile Row was initially criticised by the bespoke clothing manufacturers of the street. [6] The Savile Row Bespoke was formed with permission of the City of Westminster to join Row tailors in protecting the image of Savile Row. [6] Mark Henderson, CEO of Gieves & Hawkes was made Chairman and he commented that "Exploiting the Savile Row name to attract high-paying retailers and businesses, at the cost of this world-esteemed industry [Savile Row tailoring], is shortsighted." [6] Another Row tailor, Thomas Mahon, negatively commented on the situation to The Times : "If the Bespoke businesses were driven out by crappy retail stores selling poor-quality clothes...then Savile Row's name would be irreparably damaged." [6]
In 2020, Abercrombie & Fitch announced it was closing its Savile Row store, along with six other global flagship locations, in response to the global pandemic. [7]
As of 2022, plans have been made by an American developer to change the former residence into a restaurant with several bars. [4]
Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world.
Savile Row is a street in Mayfair, central London. Known principally for its traditional bespoke tailoring for men, the street has had a varied history that has included accommodating the headquarters of the Royal Geographical Society at 1 Savile Row, where significant British explorations to Africa and the South Pole were planned; and more recently, the Apple office of the Beatles at 3 Savile Row, where the band's impromptu final live performance was held on the roof of the building.
Abercrombie Kids is a children's clothing brand owned by Abercrombie & Fitch, introduced in 1998. Originally targeting high school consumers aged 13–18 as "abercrombie" its focus has shifted to the 7–14 market as "abercrombie kids", the concept is designed as the children's version of its parent company A&F. There are 122 full-price abercrombie kids stores in the US, Canada, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom; including standalone retail stores and "carve-outs" in larger Abercrombie & Fitch locations.
Gieves & Hawkes is a bespoke men's tailor and menswear retailer located at 1 Savile Row in London, England. The business was founded in 1771. It was acquired in 2012 by the Hong Kong conglomerate Trinity Ltd., which was in turn purchased by Shandong Ruyi in 2017. After Trinity was subject to a winding-up petition for debt in September 2021, Gieves & Hawkes was acquired in November 2022 by Frasers Group, owner of Sports Direct.
Ozwald Boateng, OBE is an English fashion designer, best known for his trademark twist on classic tailoring and bespoke styles.
Cork Street is a street in Mayfair in the West End of London, England, with many contemporary art galleries, and was previously associated with the tailoring industry.
The Burlington Estate is an area in Mayfair to the north of Piccadilly in the West End of London, England. It was developed in the 18th century and owned by the Anglo-Irish Boyle dynasty, Earls of Burlington, in particular Richard, 3rd Earl of Burlington and 4th Earl of Cork (1694–1753).
Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) is an American lifestyle retailer that focuses on casual wear. Its headquarters are in New Albany, Ohio. The company operates three offshoot brands: Abercrombie Kids, Hollister Co., and Gilly Hicks. As of February 2020, the company operated 854 stores across all its brands.
The history of Abercrombie & Fitch began in the 19th century and extends into the 21st century. Key figures who changed and influenced the course of Abercrombie & Fitch's history include co-founders David T. Abercrombie and Ezra Fitch, Limited Brands and Michael Jeffries, the former Chairman and CEO.
Timothy Charles Peto Everest is a Welsh tailor and fashion designer. He moved to London in his early twenties to work with the Savile Row tailor Tommy Nutter. He then became one of the leaders of the New Bespoke Movement, which brought designer attitudes to the traditional skills of Savile Row tailoring.
Cad and the Dandy is an independent tailoring company based in London, England with premises on Savile Row, in the City and New York City, that sells bespoke suits.
Chester Barrie was a 'semi-bespoke' gentleman's tailor last located at No. 19 Savile Row, London.
Richard James is a bespoke Savile Row tailors and contemporary menswear company. It was founded in 1992 by designer Richard James, a graduate of Brighton College of Art and a former buyer for the London boutique Browns, and his business partner Sean Dixon. The Design and Brand Director is Toby Lamb, a graduate of Central Saint Martins. Richard James has won both the British Fashion Council's Menswear Designer of the Year and Bespoke Designer of the Year awards.
Savile Row tailoring is men and women's bespoke tailoring that takes place on Savile Row and neighbouring streets in Mayfair, Central London. In 1846, Henry Poole, credited as being the "Founder of Savile Row", opened an entrance to his tailoring premises at No. 32 Savile Row. The term "bespoke" is understood to have originated in Savile Row when cloth for a suit was said to "be spoken for" by individual customers. The short street has been termed the "golden mile of tailoring", where customers have included Charles III, Winston Churchill, Lord Nelson, Napoleon III, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Laurence Olivier and Duke Ellington.
Fortress House was a building with its main entrance at 23 Savile Row in London W1, also including 5–9 New Burlington Street. It was built in 1949–50 to a design by Anthony Lloyd, and demolished in 2009.
Burlington Gardens is a street in central London, on land that was once part of the Burlington Estate.
Old Burlington Street is a street in central London that is on land that was once part of the Burlington Estate.
Clifford Street is a street in central London, built in the early 18th century, on land that once formed part of the Burlington Estate. It is named after the Clifford family, Earls of Cumberland. The daughter and heiress of the last holder of that title was the mother of the first Lord Burlington.
New Burlington Street is a street in central London that is on land that was once part of the Burlington Estate. The current architecture of the street bears little resemblance to the original design of the street when first built in the early eighteenth century.
Dorothy Boyle, Countess of Burlington and Countess of Cork was a British noble and court official, as well as a caricaturist and portrait painter. Several of her studies and paintings were made of her daughters. Chatsworth House, which descended through her daughter Charlotte, holds a collection of 24 of her works of art.
51°30′37″N0°08′24″W / 51.5102°N 0.1401°W
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