Gaberdines

Following the Haymarket challenge issued at reference 1, I have now done a bit of digging about the mystery building.

Wikipedia was not much help on this occasion and London history sites were more interested in the 18th century than the end of the 19th. But I kept going and Bing turned up reference 2, from which I learn that the building did time as the headquarters of the people who brought us gaberdine, that is to say Burberry. Gaberdine which was favoured by some of the challengers for the two poles, people like Nansen, Shackleton and Amundsen. See, for example, reference 3.

While, now armed with his name, Wikipedia explains that the architect, one Walter Cave, was an old Etonian who also did gardens, furniture and cricket. Nothing about the grand first floor windows, so I can only suppose that these windows actually span two floors and that a grand external appearance had trumped a sensible interior.

While the best picture was supplied by reference 5. People who I thought were going to charge me, but then offered a download without any pack drill at all. Which came with an informative caption: 'a view of the front elevation of the store built for fashion brand Burberry at 18-22 Haymarket, Westminster, at the corner of Orange Street. The store is five bays wide and has several floors of sales space above the ground-floor display windows. In the second bay the company's royal warrant appears on the first floor. A man can be seen on the pavement outside the shop. Dating from 1912, the Burberry Store at 18-22 Haymarket was Grade II listed in 1987; listing number 1066642. The building still exists, although Burberry has departed'. Having occupied the building for a little under a century.

Departed for Horseferry Road to a building which I knew first as something to do with the police, then as something to do with what was then the DHSS and lastly with the Home Office. Burberry arrived there during my closing stint at the big new Home Office building on the other side of Horseferry Road.

It may also have, at one time, had something to do with Westminster Hospital, most if not all of which was once to be found on the other side of Dean Ryle Street.

A big building, so if Burberry have all of it, they must be a big operation. And Bing rapidly confirms that they are indeed; a proud member of FTSE 100 with a turnover of the order of £2,500m. With one of their foreign outlets snapped above.

PS: not impressed that I have no memory at all of the Burberry operation in the Haymarket, which I must have passed many times when it was up and running. Simpsons of Piccadilly, now Waterstones, yes; Burberry no.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2023/06/to-mayfair.html.

Reference 2: https://manchesterhistory.net/architecture/1920/burberry.html. A nice picture of the tradesmen's entrance is to be found at the end of this page.

Reference 3: https://polar-latitudes.com/history/a-brief-history-of-polar-clothing/.

Reference 4: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Cave.

Reference 5: https://www.londonpicturearchive.org.uk/view-item?i=134603&WINID=1687969749099.