NO WHISTLING ALLOWED
IN 'POSH' LONDON SHOPS
G'day folks,
One of London’s poshest shopping streets opened in 1819 – in a move to clamp down on litter louts and “undesirables”.
At the time Lord George Cavendish lived in Burlington House and was fed
up with “ruffians” throwing rubbish – in particular, oyster shells –
onto his property. He could, Trump-like, have built a wall, but decided
on something far more ambitious.
He told his architect, Samuel Ware, to design a covered promenade of
shops. This would not only solve the rubbish problem but enable
Cavendish to enjoy the kudos of having created a development “for the
gratification of the public and to give employment to industrious
females”.
And so London’s famous Burlington Arcade was born. Linking Piccadilly
with Bond Street in London’s exclusive Mayfair district, it was the
world’s first shopping arcade and is now regarded as an architectural
treasure.
The walkway was originally lined with 72 small two-storey units but
mergers and changes of ownership mean that the opulent arcade now has
only 46 shops. None of them are cheap.
Fancy a David Duggan Rolex watch or Manolo Blahnik shoes? They’re here.
Or perhaps an exquisite Victorian gold-coiled snake bracelet, studded
with rose diamonds and a pear-shaped sapphire from Hancocks the
150-year-old jewellery business? Yours for the asking.
Prices? As the old saying goes, if you need to ask, you can’t afford them.
But if you feel you would not be brave enough to enter a treasure house
such as Hancocks, they would understand, knowing as they do, all about
courage. During the Crimean War (1853 - 1856) Hancocks were asked to
create designs for a new medal – the Victoria Cross. It would be the
highest award in the British armed forces for gallantry “in the face of
the enemy”. The final design was approved by Queen Victoria and Hancocks have produced every one of the 1,350 VCs that have been awarded.
There being no police force when the arcade opened, Lord Cavendish
created his own – the Burlington Arcade Beadles. Recruited from his old
regiment, the Royal Hussars, the earliest members included veterans from
the Battle of Waterloo.
Charged with upholding a strict code of conduct dating from Regency
times and dressed today as they were in 1819, the Beadles still patrol
the arcade in traditional top hats and frock coats designed in nearby
Savile Row.
Pickpockets posed one of the problems that the early Beadles had to deal
with and were sometimes thwarted when the thieves would whistle a
warning to accomplices that a Beadle was close. Ever since, whistling
has been banned in the arcade.
Today’s Beadles like to tell the story of an encounter in the 1980s when
a Beadle was about to politely reprimand a shopper who started to
whistle as he was gazing in one of the windows. The shopper turned
around and was instantly recognised by the Beadle.
“Oh, Mr McCartney, I'm very sorry,” said the Beadle to the Beatle. “I
didn't realise it was you. You are hereby given a lifetime exemption
from the rule. You can whistle here any time you like.”
And so, the story goes, Paul McCartney is the only person allowed to whistle in Burlington Arcade.
Lord Cavendish’s former home, Burlington House, was sold to the British
Government in 1854 for £140,000. The Royal Academy took over the main
block in 1867 on a 999-year lease with rent of £1 per year.
And Burlington Arcade? In 2010 it was purchased for £104 million (130
million US dollars) by American property tycoon Joseph Sitt and European
private equity firm Meyer Bergman. In January 2017, they put it back on
the market with a price tag of £400 million (502 million US dollars).
Not bad for a development originally built mainly to deter litter louts.
Clancy's comment: Been there. Bought some woollen gloves for my girlfriend. No, I didn't whistle, but I was tempted.
I'm ...
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