This week’s post is written specially for all our many online clients who haven’t yet had an opportunity to visit us at Number 12 The Royal Arcade. Although the Bond Street area is well endowed with arcades, The Royal Arcade is not just my favourite but also Queen Victoria’s and she decided to ennoble it 1882 a few years after it was built. Although the smallest of the three Mayfair arcades, (The Burlington Arcade is the largest) you can see its instant charm when you first glimpse the high elegant mandarin orange columns, the intricate designs of the arches and you can peek right through from Old Bond Street to Albermarle Street.

The Royal Arcade

Light fills the arcade from the glass roof and despite the imposing height (there are four storeys to each shop connected by a spiral staircase) there is a relatively intimate atmosphere in the arcade, enhanced today by Ormonde Jayne’s Casablanca Lily , currently Elton John’s favourite scented candle, which connoisseurs can distinguish from the entrance of the arcade!

As you can see, the sign says merely ‘The Arcade’ but it is solely thanks to the original occupant of Number 12 The Arcade, that our address is The Royal Arcade. Ormonde Jayne’s predecessor was a talented shirt-maker H.W. Brettell and Queen Victoria shopped right here in this store buying his luxurious shirts 140 years ago thus upgrading its name. Queen Victoria was the original trend setting celebrity shopper of this arcade!

With the unchanged architecture and the remaining old fashioned bespoke luxury element that still remains in this arcade, it’s easy to wonder about life here at that time for a shopkeeper and frankly it sounds harsh; waiting for a open tram for a cold wet commute to work, no day spas next door and no champagne & Charbonnel & Walker chocolates on Fridays. But, & it’s a very big but, they did had Browns Hotel next door to escape to for tea time!

Pink Champagne at afternoon tea Browns Hotel