LONDON
WHERE EXCLUSIVITY MEETS CURATED SHOPPING EXPERIENCE , DISCOVER THE UNRIVALLED WONDER OF
THE BURLINGTON ARCADE
DESCRIBED AS ‘ THE JEWEL IN MAYFAIR ’, THE BURLINGTON ARCADE STRETCHES ITS RESPLENDENT 196 YARDS BETWEEN PICCADILLY AND BURLINGTON GARDENS , OFFERING A TREASURE TROVE OF INDEPENDENT BOUTIQUES AND LUXURY RETAILERS . VISITORS , OF WHICH THERE ARE OVER 4 MILLION A YEAR IN USUAL CIRCUMSTANCES , FLOCK LIKE A HOARD OF WELL-INFORMED MAGPIES , FLITTING FROM ONE ARCHITECTURALLY STUNNING AND INTIMATELY BESPOKE BOUTIQUE SHOP FRONT TO THE NEXT , PIQUED BY THE ALLURE OF THE FINEST JEWELLERY , DESIGNER FASHION , BESPOKE LUGGAGE , TIMELESS TIMEPIECES , AND EVEN LIMITED EDITION KICKS , ALL FRAMED BY THE BEAUTIFUL WINDOWS AND SHOWCASED BY THE NATURAL LIGHT THAT FLOODS THE SPACE .
BY SAMANTHA READY
Commissioned by Lord George Cavendish , Earl of Burlington , to provide a safe place for his wife and other genteel folk to shop , Burlington , one of the UK ’ s longest , and perhap grandest , covered arcades , opened in 1891 ‘ for the sale of jewellery and fancy articles of fashionable demand , for the gratification of the public ’ and has been delivering on its premise for over a century .
Steeped in history and tradition , arrival to the arcade is marked by your first greeting from one of the arcade ’ s magnificent Beadles . Originally recruited from Lord Cavendish ’ s regiment , The 10th Hussars , to keep order , the frock-coated , gold-braided top hat-bedecked Beadles , the oldest and smallest private police force in the world , not only still enforce the arcade ’ s arbitrary rules ( such as no whistling , although Paul McCartney was granted rare exception ) but also provide unrivalled knowledge about the history and traditions of the arcade . Their unique anecdotes about its near 50 shops and over 30 nationalities that make up the workforce which has a family-sense of pride , is a rare and welcome addition to the wider Burlington experience .
Cross the threshold to the arcade , which has an established reputation as London ’ s premier destination for vintage watches and independent jewellers , and you are immediately transported to a chic street of celebrated fashion houses , exclusive boutiques and rare finds . Shopping here is not simply perusing the wares of unique shops ; such as the only Manolo Blahnik men ’ s shoe boutique in the world , the exclusive Somlo Omega Vintage , longstanding heritage boutiques such as the N . Peal cashmere shop which has been in the arcade for some 84 years , or new post-lockdown openings such as the acclaimed Globe-Trotter ; it is an entire experience .
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