Burlington Arcade
Running north of Piccadilly, parallel with Bond St, Burlington Arcade opened in 1819 and subsequently became the model for shopping centres across Europe. It was posh from the outset and has always specialised in jewellery, antiques and bespoke clothing.
Still, you don’t have to buy to enjoy a stroll through the narrow walkway, naturally lit from above and smartly tiled underfoot. It’s a charming slice of old-world London glamour and is still patrolled by the Burlington Arcade Beadles in their top hats and tails.
In the 1950s, the Arcade was reputedly haunted by a poltergeist called Percy and, famously, back in 1964, thieves sped down the arcade in a Jaguar and robbed the Goldsmiths and Silversmiths shop of goods worth £35,000. They were never caught.
GREAT FOR: The finer things.
» Burlington Arcade, W1J
Tube: Green Park
burlington-arcade.co.uk
