I am sitting outside a cafe opposite Liberty in London and it’s a glorious day. The department store with its Elizabethan-style facade and leaded windows is an impressive sight to anybody viewing it for the first time. It’s not bad for shopping either.
It has a character not often seen in retail buildings – Fenwicks in Newcastle had it at one time, but it has been modernised in the last few years and I’m not sure if they have killed off its individuality in the character stakes – which suits its location as it’s just around the corner from 60s mecca Carnaby Street. That style icon is still one of the most fashionable places to shop in the capital and a must visit, if only to try and understand what everybody was going mad about in the Swinging Sixties.
Sitting here sipping my coke, I can see changes since I left London that have enhanced it – more pedestrianisation for a start, which makes walking around less of a battle (though you still take your life in your hands if you try to cross Regent Street against the lights). There’s also more dining and drinking opportunities outside, so you can soak up the atmosphere of the place and people watch – something that has been the norm in continental Europe for years but was sadly missing here for the most part. A welcome change as far as I’m concerned, especially on a warm, sunny day like today. And it’s almost October!