Shopping in England
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Christie’s
If you fancy an original Monet or Picasso to hang on the wall, just bring a cashier’s check for £40 million to Christie’s, Britain’s most famous auction house. There’s a second showroom in Knightsbridge.
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Cavendish Arcade
Just east of the Crescent is Cavendish Arcade, formerly a thermal bathhouse (you can still see the chair used for lowering the infirm into the restorative waters) with several craft and book shops, and a striking coloured-glass ceiling.
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Magma
This much-loved shop sells books, magazines, T-shirts and almost anything on the design cutting edge. Great for present shopping.
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Antoni & Alison
The original independent London fashion house, A&A sell quirky tees, mad floral skirts, gorgeous leather purses and funky cashmere knits among other gorgeous little things in its Rosebery Ave shop. Look out for its brilliant sales.
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BBC World Service Shop
All the wonderful episodes of Planet Earth or gross hilarity of Little Britain are available here, as well as many other British film and TV classics. Only fools and horses would skip a browse through the racks here.
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Beehive
Funky meeting ground of old vinyl (Bowie, Rolling Stones, vintage soul) and retro togs (frocks, blouses, leather jackets and overcoats).
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A Gold
Nostalgia alert – A Gold is a provisions store in the Victorian mould, full of old-fashioned sweeties, cakes, pickles and soda pop – remember dandelion and burdock anyone? The shop front has hardly changed in 100 years.
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Sarah Nelson's Gingerbread Shop
It's practically impossible to visit Grasmere without picking up something sweet and sticky from this classic cake shop, where the ladies still dress in frilly pinnies and the gingerbread has been made to the same recipe since 1854.
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Neal St
Street fashion, including Urban Outfitters and Diesels. Birkenstock, the Natural Shoe Store and even a Rough Trade record outlet (in the basement of No 16) are also here. Thomas Neal Centre is packed with urban/skate/surf fashions.
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London Review Bookshop
The bookshop of London Review of Books literary magazine doesn’t believe in piles of books, taking the clever approach of stocking wide-ranging titles in one or two copies only. It often hosts high-profile author talks; there is also a charming cafe where you can peruse your new purchases.
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Diverse
You don’t have to trek out to Mayfair for top designer clothing. This elegant boutique carries punchy gear from designers such as Paul Smith, Chloe and Stella McCartney. Head to No 286 for menswear or No 294 for womenswear.
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Taylor of Old Bond Street
This shop has been plying its trade since the mid-19th century and has much contributed to the expression ‘well-groomed gentleman’. It stocks every sort of razor, shaving brush and flavour of shaving soap imaginable.
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Blue Door
Overgentrified Putney is full of grim chains. Instead, head to Church Rd and High St in Barnes, both of which are lined with interesting shops such as Blue Door, with gorgeous Swedish and French home furnishings.
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Waterstone’s
The chain’s megastore is the largest bookshop in Europe, boasting knowledgeable staff and regular author readings. This is London’s biggest Waterstone’s, with four floors of titles, a cafe in the basement and a nice rooftop bar.
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Butler & Wilson Chelsea
There’s a sybaritic 1920s Shanghai vibe to Butler & Wilson’s central branch, where costume jewellery, handbags, T-shirts and knick-knacks are sold beneath red Chinese lanterns, watched by Chinese shop dummies.
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Konditor & Cook Holborn
This elegant cake shop and bakery produces wonderful cakes – lavender and orange, and lemon and almond – massive raspberry meringues, cookies (including gingerbread men!), and loaves of warm bread with olives, nuts and spices.
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Emporium
Each piece is individual at this lovely vintage shop (unisex), where glass cabinets are crammed with costume jewellery, old perfume bottles and straw hats, while gorgeous jackets and blazers intermingle on the clothes racks.
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Stanford’s
As a 150-year-old seller of maps, guides and literature, the grand- daddy of travel bookshops is a destination in its own right. Ernest Shackleton, David Livingstone, Michael Palin and even Brad Pitt have all popped in here.
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Shepherds Holborn
Suckers for fine stationery, leather boxes and that exquisite, specialised Florentine papier à cuve (paper that is hand-decorated with marbled designs), we get our fix at this wonderful bookbindery.
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Jess James
Special-occasion jewellery, from Jess James and other designers, is artistically arranged around an aquarium at this shop. Customers worried about the provenance of their diamonds can opt for the ethically sourced range.
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Bang Bang Exchange
Got some designer pieces you’re tired of? Bang Bang exchanges, buys and sells vintage pieces, proving the saying ‘One girl’s faded Prada dress is another girl’s top new wardrobe piece’.
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Paul Smith
Paul Smith represents the best of British classics with innovative twists. Super-stylish menswear, suits and tailored shirts are all laid out on open shelves in this walk-in closet of a shop. Smith also does womenswear with its sharp tailoring for an androgynous, almost masculine, look.
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Travel Bookshop
Hugh Grant's haunt in Notting Hill is a wealth of guidebooks and travel literature.
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Grant & Cutler
Specialises in foreign languages.
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Leather Lane
South of Clerkenwell Rd and parallel to Hatton Garden, Leather Lane attracts local office workers with its suspiciously cheap DVDs, tapes and CDs, household goods and clothing sold by archetypal cockney stallholders.
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