Liberty: The History: Treasures from the archives of the luxury department store

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Discover Liberty's carved wooden animals hidden around the store but especially on the third floor central atrium; From 2 December 2013, Liberty was the focus of a three-part hour-long episode TV documentary series titled Liberty of London, airing on Channel 4. [12] [13] The documentary follows Ed Burstell (Managing Director) and the department's retail team in the busy lead up to Christmas 2013. [12]

a b Jones, Nina (20 December 2013). " 'Liberty of London' a Hit in the U.K." WWD . Retrieved 20 December 2013. The architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner was very critical of the building's architecture, saying: "The scale is wrong, the symmetry is wrong. The proximity to a classical façade put up by the same firm at the same time is wrong, and the goings-on of a store behind such a façade (and below those twisted Tudor chimneys) are wrongest of all". [8] Bridget Cherry and Nikolaus Pevsner (1973). The Buildings of England – London 1: The Cities of London and Westminster (thirded.). London: Penguin Books. p.579. ISBN 0-14-0710-12-4. Althea McNish - a textile designer commissioned by Liberty's to design fashion and furnishing textiles and scarves from 1957 In 1996, Liberty announced the closure of its twenty shops outside London, and instead focused on smaller outlets at airports. [9]a b Blanchard, Tamsin (13 June 1996). "Has Liberty finally lost the thread?". The Independent. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022 . Retrieved 30 May 2013. In November 1885, Liberty brought forty-two villagers from India to stage a living village of Indian artisans. Liberty's specialised in Oriental goods, in particular imported Indian silks, and the aim of the display was to generate both publicity and sales for the store. [5] In 1889, Oscar Wilde, a regular client of the store, wrote "Liberty's is the chosen resort of the artistic shopper". [6] In 1955, Liberty began opening several regional stores in other UK cities; the first of these was in Manchester. [9] Subsequent shops opened in Bath, Brighton, Chester, York, Kingston upon Thames, Exeter and Norwich.

Liberty, during the 1950s, continued its tradition for fashionable and eclectic design. All departments in the shop had a collection of both contemporary and traditional designs. New designers were promoted and often included those still representing the Liberty tradition for handcrafted work. Take a moment to contemplate the carved memorials on the old staircase remembering the Liberty staff who lost their lives in the Second World War Merton Abbey Mills - a textile factory in Merton, London, which was used extensively for printing Liberty fabrics. The shop opened during 1875 selling ornaments, fabric and objets d'art from Japan and the East. Within eighteen months, he had repaid the loan and acquired the second half of 218 Regent Street. As the business grew, neighbouring properties were bought and added. [4] In 1884, he introduced the costume department, directed by Edward William Godwin (1833–1886), a distinguished architect and a founding member of The Costume Society. He and Arthur Liberty created in-house apparel to challenge the fashions of Paris. Kollewe, Julia (28 June 2010). "Liberty's new owner sets out plans for growth". The Guardian . Retrieved 30 May 2013.Seek out a series of miniature glass paintings in the windows amongst the wood-panelling taken straight from the captain's quarters; The store is known to spot and champion young designers at the start of their careers, and many now-prominent brands were first available at Liberty. The store played essential role in spreading and popularizing the Modern Style. This continues Liberty's long reputation for working with British artists and designers. In 1885, 142–144 Regent Street was acquired and housed the ever-increasing demand for carpets and furniture. The basement was named the Eastern Bazaar, and it was the vending place for what was described as "decorative furnishing objects". He named the property Chesham House, after the place in which he grew up. The store became the most fashionable place to shop in London, and Liberty fabrics were used for both clothing and furnishings. The emporium was designed by Edwin Thomas Hall and his son, Edwin Stanley Hall. They designed the building at the height of the 1920s fashion for Tudor revival. The shop was engineered around three light wells that formed the main focus of the building. Each of these wells was surrounded by smaller rooms to create a homey feel. Many of the rooms had fireplaces and some still exist. Channel 4 further commissioned a second series of the documentary on 28 October 2014. This series featured four, one hour-long episodes based on six months worth of unprecedented footage. Series two commenced on 12 November 2014. [14] Collaborations [ edit ]

During the 1890s, Liberty built strong relationships with many English designers. Many of these designers, including Archibald Knox, practised the artistic styles known as Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau, and Liberty helped develop Art Nouveau through his encouragement of such designers. The company became associated with this new style, to the extent that in Italy, Art Nouveau became known as the Stile Liberty, after the London shop. Find sources: "Liberty"department store– news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR ( November 2012) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) The Tudor revival building was built so that trading could continue while renovations were being completed on the other premises, and in 1924, this store was constructed from the timbers of two ships: HMS Impregnable (formerly HMS Howe) and HMS Hindustan. The frontage on Great Marlborough Street is the same length as the Hindustan. It became a Grade II* listed building in 1972. [7] Premises of Messrs Liberty and Company Limited (Tudor building) | Grade II* listed building 1357064This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.