7 Burlington Gardens is a

Grade II* In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

building in

Mayfair Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world. ...

, London. Formerly known as Queensberry House, it was later called Uxbridge House. The building is now home to the London

flagship store A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

of the American fashion retailer

Abercrombie & Fitch Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) is an American lifestyle retailer that focuses on casual wear. Its headquarters are in New Albany, Ohio. The company operates three other offshoot brands: Abercrombie Kids, Hollister Co., and Gilly Hicks. As of Februar ...

Location

The address is in the

district of London. Although the official address is "7

Burlington Gardens Burlington Gardens is a street in central London, on land that was once part of the Burlington Estate. Location The street is immediately to the north of the Royal Academy of Arts and joins Old Bond Street and New Bond Street in the west and V ...

", it is also on

Savile Row Savile Row (pronounced ) is a street in Mayfair, central London. Known principally for its traditional bespoke tailoring for men, the street has had a varied history that has included accommodating the headquarters of the Royal Geographical ...

and

Google Maps Google Maps is a web mapping platform and consumer application offered by Google. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° interactive panoramic views of streets ( Street View), real-time traffic conditions, and rou ...

labels the location as "42 Savile Row,

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

". On the side of the building facing Savile Row, a sign reads "Savile Row W1". On the facade of the building facing Burlington Gardens, it reads "Burlington Gardens W1".

History

1725 to 21st century

The building was first erected in 1725 as a home. In the subsequent years, there were many additions and alterations to the building. At some point, it was made a branch of the

Bank of England The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the English Government's banker, and still one of the bankers for the Government of ...

and staircases and vaults were added in the interior.

Abercrombie & Fitch

Abercrombie & Fitch leased the location in 2005. Overnight in May, a two-story construction wall was erected around the building and was plastered with half-naked men and "Abercrombie & Fitch". The retail space occupies two floors within the building. Abercrombie & Fitch's presence on Savile Row was initially criticised by the bespoke clothing manufacturers of the street. The Savile Row Bespoke was formed with permission of the City of Westminster to join Row tailors in protecting the image of Savile Row. Mark Henderson, CEO of

Gieves & Hawkes Gieves & Hawkes () is a bespoke men's tailor and menswear retailer located at 1 Savile Row in London, England. The business was founded in 1771. It was acquired in 2012 by the Hong Kong conglomerate Trinity Ltd., which was in turn purchased by ...

was made Chairman and he commented that "Exploiting the Savile Row name to attract high-paying retailers and businesses, at the cost of this world-esteemed industry avile Row tailoring is shortsighted." Another Row tailor, Thomas Mahon, negatively commented on the situation to ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'': "If the Bespoke businesses were driven out by crappy retail stores selling poor-quality clothes...then Savile Row's name would be irreparably damaged." In 2020, Abercrombie & Fitch announced it was closing its Savile Row store, along with six other global flagship locations, in response to the global pandemic.

Gallery

Image:7 Burlington Gardens (UxbridgeQueensberry House) c.1721.jpg, The early years. Image:7 Burlington Gardens (UxbridgeQueensberry House) c.1790 edited.jpg, The house in 1790. Image:Queensberry House plans.jpg, Plans before expansion in the 18th century. Image:7 Burlington Gardens (UxbridgeQueensberry House) plans1825.jpg, 1825 plans.

References

{{Abercrombiefitch Abercrombie & Fitch Buildings and structures in Mayfair Burlington Estate Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey Grade II* listed buildings in the City of Westminster Grade II* listed houses in London Houses completed in 1725 Houses in the City of Westminster