The Chelsea Drugstore was a sleek, modern

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and even rusty varieties. It is formed by a pro ...

and brushed steel building on the corner of Royal Avenue and

King's Road King's Road or Kings Road (or sometimes the King's Road, especially when it was the king's private road until 1830, or as a colloquialism by middle/upper class London residents), is a major street stretching through Chelsea and Fulham, both ...

, Chelsea, London. It opened in 1968. Designed by architect Antony Cloughley and designer Colin Golding of GCB Associates, and inspired by Le Drugstore on Boulevard St Germain in Paris that was designed by Slavi

(Wiatscheslav Vassiliev), Chelsea Drugstore was arranged over three floors and on most days remained open for up to 16 hours. Inside customers would find bars, a chemist, newsstands, record stores and other concessions. A popular service was the 'flying squad' delivery option run by the store. Those who used this service would have their purchases delivered by hand by young ladies adorned in purple

catsuit A catsuit is a one-piece form-fitting garment that covers the torso and the legs, and frequently the arms. They are usually made from stretchable material, such as lycra, chiffon, spandex (after 1959), latex, or velour, but may use less elast ...

s arriving on flashy motorcycles. Both pub and retail shops below were open until the late 1980s. The store became a wine bar, and is now a

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food Fast food is a type of mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. It is a commercial term, limited to food sold ...

In popular culture

The store is notably mentioned in

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

song " You Can't Always Get What You Want", where Mick Jagger sings of meeting "Mr Jimmy" and in

The Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhyt ...

song "

Did Ya "Did Ya" is a song by the English rock band The Kinks, appearing on the EP of the same name, as well as some editions of ''Phobia''. Release "Did Ya" first saw release on October 24, 1991, in numerous different formats (all of which were the ...

", where Ray Davies sings "Now the Chelsea Drugstore needs a fix, it's in a state of ill repair". Chelsea Drugstore is also the title of a 2012 EP by UK band The Jetsonics as well as it being a film location in

Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his films, almost all of which are adaptations of nove ...

's '' A Clockwork Orange''.

References

Retail buildings in London Buildings and structures completed in 1968 Chelsea, London Buildings and structures in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea King's Road, Chelsea, London {{london-struct-stub