After Cathy’s arrival, we decided to simply hop a bus up to Piccadilly Circus and walk around as dusk fell, enjoying the lights of Piccadilly Street, Regent Street, and all the lovely little side streets that connect the two. It begins to grow dark around 4pm at that time of year, so it’s quite easy to catch all the lights without being out very late. I strapped my little one into her Snugli carrier and put on my coat. The weather was fair and dry but quite nippy, giving zest to the air as we walked from Suzi’s house to the bus stop. (Suzi had decided to stay home and “potter” rather than walk all over downtown.)
As we chatted about things to do in London, I found out Cathy had never once been inside Fortnum & Mason. I nearly squealed with excitement, because it’s my favorite shop in the whole city as far as “atmosphere” goes. It really looks like a quintessential 19th-century English store should look (at least to my American imagination). I couldn’t wait to show it to Cathy. We got off the bus in Piccadilly Circus and stopped in at the big Boots on the corner to get some water before heading on from there. While descending the escalator, Cathy pointed out a rather Famous Personage standing in front of us (I have to ask Cathy who it was, because my mind is drawing a blank at this point!). This happens quite a lot in London, it seems. I’ve nearly bumped into Colin Firth, been within waving distance of Helen Mirren, and spied Prince William from across the street on prior trips. What’s interesting is that (except in the case of the prince, who was on an official tour of a new science exhibit), there were no cameras flashing nor paparazzi following. Kind of nice to know Colin Firth can walk into Boots and buy something without anyone batting an eye….
Anyway, we made our way up Piccadilly and gawped at the simply gorgeous window displays at Fortnum & Mason before going in. These are all Cathy’s photos, as I had a wriggly baby strapped to my front and didn’t manage to get many that weren’t blurred. 😉
I had to get a detail shot of the pretend icicles decorating the tops of each window:
Annnnnd then we went inside, as the dapper doorman held the door for us!
We entered through the side staircase and went through the doors into the brilliantly-lit confectionary hall, which is stocked with teas, candies, biscuits and more. It was jam-packed with people, so I threaded my way through and looked over the bannister down into the Food Hall below:
We went down the spiral staircase and into the glorious shop that is my favorite place to find unique gifts for foodies back home.
While I browsed through unusual herbs and spices, Cathy took a shot of the “biggest gingerbread house I’ve ever seen”:
After picking up a few small tins of herbs for a chef friend back home and some small kitchen goodies for myself, we headed back up the staircase. Glancing up, I gasped at the suspended Christmas trees, decorated all in silver and lights:
Cathy was bowled over by the stunning perfumery on the next floor and had an amazing conversation with a young lady who comes from a long line of perfume makers in England. F&M had recently discovered an old stash of vintage perfumes they had sold in the early 1900s, contacted the family, then had them reproduce the scents to put back on the market today. Because Cathy is working on the Peacock Dress, she had a lot of questions about what scents women of Lady Curzon’s time would have been wearing. I’m sure she’ll have more to share about that later!
I went up to my favorite floor, which showcases all the kitchenware, tea pots, tea cups, cookbooks, etc.
F&M’s Parlour Ice Cream Shop and Tea Room is on this floor, so I stood in line to see if I could get us a place for afternoon tea. As always, it was worth the wait!
We went up to the fourth floor to browse through F&M’s enchanting Christmas Shop, which is open from September through December. So beautiful!
We walked back down the side staircase into the Perfumery, and I took this shot, looking from the balcony down the layers and into the Food Hall:
We stepped outside the doors just as the big clock set into the face of the building began to strike six. This is a real treat to watch, as the Fortnum & Mason clock has automatons who come out and “greet” each other on the hour, fully dressed in 18th-century court clothing and bearing candelabra aloft.
Here’s my close-up to show the figures. Wish I could have gotten a clearer shot:
It’s great fun to watch, and we just grinned at our timing. Cathy and I decided to walk back to Regent Street and see the lights before boarding the bus for Suzi’s. I grabbed a couple of snaps of shop windows I loved:
We got back to Suzi’s in time for an absolutely delicious fish pie and settled down to sleep. Friday we would take in the delights of The Wallace Collection and enjoy Oxford Street by night!
Historical Fashion Tours with Sense & Sensibility 