Bond Street is perhaps the most luxurious shopping street in London. The road was constructed during the 18th century, so New Bond Street isn’t that new, just a bit (14 years) newer than Old Bond Street. The road has the highest concentration of haute couture stores in the world, and all the major brands have a store there, many of which are flagship stores. Besides designer fashion brands, there are also many other types of stores, such as jewellery and antique stores. There are also art galleries and the Sotheby’s auction house.
Bond Street actually consists of two streets, the Southern section is Old Bond Street, and the Northern section is New Bond Street. It links Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north. The street is in total 800m, and quick to walk from end-to-end, but it’s easy to spend hours admiring window displays and shopping.
Some of the stores on Old Bond Street are Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino, Prada, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Salvatore Ferragamo and Tiffany & Co. There are also other stores. Charbonnel et Walker is one of Britain’s first chocolatiers and was founded by Frenchwoman Eugenie Charbonnel and Englishwoman Minnie Walker in 1875. The store is located on Old Bond Street next to the Royal Arcade. The Royal Arcade is a Victorian-era shopping arcade and the oldest purpose-built shopping arcade in London.
The name then changes to New Bond Street and there a small square that has Ralph Lauren and Cartier stores. The Cartier store is a popular spot for photographers before Christmas due to having one of the most striking Christmas ornaments. Other stores in this section of New Bond Street, Givenchy, Asprey and BVLGARI, to name a few.
There’s a short section blocked from cars that has the bronze Allies Sculpture with Winston Churchill and Theodore Roosevelt. There are more shops after the sculpture and they continue all the way to Oxford Street. In addition to shopping, some other locations to check out are the famous Sotheby’s auction house and the Halcyon gallery. Halcyon Gallery has contemporary art exhibitions.
