OUR LONDON/PARIS ESCAPADE!: HARRODS!

HARRODS!!!

We'll be shopping at THE most famous

department store in the world!

While it's not technically "historical" - the famed Harrod's Department Store is a must see in London. And it's not just clothes and accessories shopping, their gourmet food floor is absolutely amazing - everything from chocolate delicacies to fresh seafood to a meat market to cheeses.

And it does have some amazing history:

The history of this famous luxury store goes back to 1849 when Charles Henry Harrod opened a grocery at Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, at the time a small village just outside London. Just two years later, the Great Exhibition of 1851, which took place at Crystal Palace in nearby Hyde Park, brought many visitors to the area. Knightsbridge and Harrod's new store boomed.

Charles Harrod's son (also named Charles) took over and quickly expanded the store, at the time known as 'Harrods Stores'. The department store became well known for its high quality products and excellent personalized service.

In 1894 Harrods was taken over by Richard Burbridge who had the store completely rebuilt. He also installed London's first escalator, in 1898. The current building was also commissioned by Burbridge. The impressive domed structure was built between 1901 and 1905 after a design by local architects C. W. Stephens and E. J. Munt.

Main Store
Monday to Saturday: 10am - 8pm
Sunday: 11:30am* - 6pm

Selected Food Halls open
Monday to Saturday: 9am - 9pm
Sunday: 11:30am* - 6pm From Wikepedia
The store occupies a 5-acre site and has over one million square feet of selling space in over 330 departments making it the biggest department store in Europe.

The Harrods motto is Omnia Omnibus Ubique—All Things for All People, Everywhere. Several of its departments, including the seasonal Christmas department and the Food Halls, are world famous. The shop's 330 departments offer a wide range of products and services. Products on offer include clothing for women, men, children and infants, electronics, jewelery, sporting gear, bridal wear, pets and pet accessories, toys, food and drink, health and beauty items, packaged gifts, stationery, housewares, home appliances, furniture, and much more.

Fruit and Vegetable Hall

Meat and Fish Hall

There are also 32 restaurants, serving everything from high tea to tapas to a French cafe to pub food to haute cuisine; a personal shopping-assistance programme known as "By Appointment"; a watch repair service; a tailor; a dispensing pharmacy; a beauty spa and salon; a barbers shop; Harrods Financial Services; Harrods Bank; Ella Jade Bathroom Planning and Design Service; private events planning and catering; food delivery; a wine steward; bespoke picnic hampers and gift boxes; bespoke cakes; bespoke fragrances; and Bespoke Arcades machines.

Other departments include the Urban Retreat at Harrods spa, a theatre ticket bureau, and The Studio, the store’s interior-design service. Qatar Holding acquired the business in 2010, and it continues to guide the store according to its philosophy: Anything is possible.

Morelli's Gelato

Up to 300,000 customers visit the shop on peak days, comprising the highest proportion of customers from non-English speaking countries of any department store in London. More than five thousand staff from over fifty different countries work at Harrods.

Since the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales, and Dodi Al-Fayed, Mohamed Al-Fayed's son, two memorials commissioned by Al-Fayed have been erected inside Harrods to the couple. The first, located at the base of the Egyptian Escalator, was unveiled on 12 April 1998, consisting of photographs of the two behind a pyramid-shaped display that holds a wine glass smudged with lipstick from Diana's last dinner as well as what is described as an engagement ring Dodi purchased the day before they died.

Egyptian Staircase top

Egyptian Staircase bottom

The second memorial, unveiled in 2005 and located by the escalator at door three is entitled "Innocent Victims", a bronze statue of the two dancing on a beach beneath the wings of an albatross, a bird said to symbolize the "Holy Spirit".The sculpture was created by William Mitchell, a close friend of Al-Fayed and artistic design advisor to Harrods for 40 years. Al-Fayed said he wanted to keep the pair's "spirit alive" through the statue.

After the death of Michael Jackson, Al-Fayed announced that they had already been discussing plans to build a memorial statue.This was unveiled in April 2011 at the rear of Craven Cottage football ground (Fulham F.C.) but removed in September 2013 on the orders of new club owner Shahid Khan.