Liberty, Soho, London

Amazing!I can’t believe there is someone who gave it 1 star for homeware! honestly, if it wasn’t good enought why do so many people shop there?it’s an amazing place!you can have tea and coffee at the same price you pay at starbucks, I see many exclusive items at Liberty have that, usually when I go back, have sold out!I love this store as I think its very English!compared to all the other department stores who seem to cater only to certain people!they can be expensive but they also have amazing sales!anyway its beautiful and there if you don’t have the money, go get some friends and have a wonderful time in there cafe bar!

ciao!

Liberty is small department store in London on Great Marlborough Street just off Regent Street. It first opened in 1875 and specialised in oriental silk fabrics. It then went on to sell Liberty prints and designs and was part of the Arts and Crafts movement in the 19th and 20th centuries.

The shop is housed in an impressive country-house style building which I thought was really old but was then disappointed to read in a guidebook that it was mock-tudor and actually dates to 1925 and was built for purpose. Looks can be deceiving! Despite it not being as old as it seems it is still really impressive and the shop is worth a visit more for the building than for its actual goods.

Inside the building has been well preserved, instead of modern shop fittings and bright lighting the shop has retained all the period features. The old wooden staircases and wooden pillars remain in place. This gives the shop a lovely old charm feel and a certain quirkiness and makes it very different from all the other department stores. You wont find your modern escalators here instead it’s the wooden stairs or a lift.

The shop is split into smaller rooms housing its various collections of goods. There is a lovely flower shop in the outer hallway. Inside there is a beauty department, bags (very nice designer one’s with very large prices too) and accessories including patterned scarves, clothing, gifts and furniture amongst other things. Here the emphasis is on quality rather than the wide range which you would find in the other London department stores. When I visited a couple of weeks ago they seemed to be undergoing a refurbishment and some of the floors were closed off. Once the refurbishment is complete there may be a better selection of goods.

It also has some impressive window displays which are often quite cutting edge although sometimes can be quite weird too. The most recent one featured a fake (at least I hope it was fake!) dog poo amongst other things, previously they have even contained live models.

The shop is a nice place to visit and browse but I wasn’t tempted to buy anything. I think if you were looking for a special gift for someone then this might be a nice place to visit for something different but not somewhere I would come to shop often.

If you are in London though its worth a visit just to see the building.

The store is open Monday to Saturday from 10am until 8pm and on a Sunday from 12pm to 6pm.

OOh yes, I visited here (twice) when I came to London and took my son along too. Being a design student of the seventies it was a bit of a Mecca for me.
Absolutely loved it & spent hours there. Also spent a little money - wonderful for special gifts beautifully wrapped.
The building itself is worth the visit. A must see for London tourists. You can skip Harrods.

Liberty is indeed an institution, and still provides a unique shopping experience.

Originally opened in 1875, from the start it sold innovative clothing and decorative items, as well as importing a wide range of antiques, especially from the Near and Far East. It was especially important in championing the arts and crafts movement, and the quirkiness of some its design still rings true today.

A change came with the new building, opened in 1927, and built in the best neo-Tudor style - inside and out. It is now a Grade-II listed building. The Regent Street frontage has been sold off, so it feels a lot smaller these days (and in truth it was never that large a store), but its interior is still unique. Heavy wooden pillars and beams, creaky staircases, lead-light windows, old-fashioned looking lifts, and fresh flowers everywhere provide a stark contrast to some of the avant-garde designer items inside. It’s heavily compartmentalised, so takes some navigating too. At any moment you expect to come across the wardrobe gateway into Narnia.

As for shopping, well, it’s probably one of the best places to come for gifts, especially its iconic fabric prints, but also other quirky items. If you are looking for clothing, the choice isn’t that wide, but it’s all interesting: it depends on your sense of style and, as others have said, the depth of your pockets. And it is expensive.

The same applies to furniture: you’ll either love it or hate it. Best to treat it as an experience - a bit like going to a museum - and if you happen across something, then all well and good. They have a great website, so if you are looking for something more specific, then you can do some research beforehand. One tip is that they do have great New Year sales - worth a visit.

The best part about it for me are the staff. They are so nice, and so apologetic if they can’t help. I feel sorry each time I leave without a purchase…

To escape the hustle and bustle of London head to Liberty, the mosy stylish department store in the capital. You don’t need to buy any of the beautiful stationery, cosmetics, upmarket clothing, bedlinen, kitchenware, carpets or chocolates. Nor do you need to take tea in the ground floor tea room or dine at the Oyster Bar. Just wander slowly through its four floors, soaking up the atmosphere. And if you just happen to buy something en route, make sure that its wrapped in tissue paper and placed in one of Liberty’s signature purple bags.

I love this building! Yeah, so it might not be really really old and the wattle and daub and black and white timber is all fake, but it looks great. I’m also a sucker for the fresh flowers outside. They looked so perfect my friend honestly thought they were fake.

The shop is fab - just for browsing and playing and annoying the shop staff. They’re uptight in here and they will glare at you if they think you can’t afford stuff - you have the choice to ignore or get upset. At least with the former you can be giggly and annoying. No one giggles in this shop. In fact, no one really talks.

Luckily, the stuff on the ground floor is more affordable than the rest, so you might find your self buying some great toiletries or gazing at the stunning jewellery.

Why three stars? Well the staff deserve a good talking to. Some smiling lessons wouldn’t go amiss either. But really, their shoe selection is shocking. This is the place I’d spent my money! It’s a bit pathetic that it’s smaller than most shoe shop chains.

Over-rated, over-priced, overwhelmingly poor. The single largest collection of tat I have ever seen in one place, it exceeds even the Conran Shop for piling rubbish to the rafters. I recommend this shop though if you a) Like furniture and other home orientated goods designed by 5 year olds b) can’t bring yourself to buy anything that isn’t in a primary colour c) buy furniture for discomfort d) like to decorate your home in a style that will cause nausea, dizziness and vomiting to 90% of people who visit you.

The tudorbethan frontage is rather odd but apparently it was all the rage when the shop was built in the twenties. Inside this shop is wonderful, a lot of the original shop fittings have been restored or recreated so it’s almost like going into a museum. A wooden staircase leads upwards around a central well so you can look up or down at the other floors.
Their signature is the floral Arts and Craft print, and you will find that in the store alongside modern designer fashion and furniture, quirky gifts and luxurious toiletries. The mixture of old fashioned emporium and contemporary design works very well.

Faffy and overpriced. Prim and twee. Have a look, but don’t spend money. The most impressive part of this store is its exterior!

The cafe is totally stuffy too. It looks like it froze in time a few decades ago.

Bought some perfumes from Liberty and find their customer service excellent. They provide good advices, and unlike most other departmental store, they are not pressing for a sale ASAP. I like to shop in a relax environment.

Liberty is known for its pricey but quality products. I love shopping in Liberty as most items that you could get are timeless pieces, classics that can survive any trends. If you fancy some flowers, there’s a florist on the ground floor, by its main entrance. All sorts of vaeity that you could get. Recommended.

Famous department store in central london.They sell good quality product’s with timeless design.Look for the rich print material’s, a cymbol of this store, and the art nouv.style product’s.A joy to visit if only to look and not buy.

High end departmental stores in London. For ladies, there’s little introduction required but gents - there’s a florist just outside the side entrance on Great Malborough Street. The are many rare flowers to choose from at an affordable price. Recommended.

This is a fantastic shop with so much history but unfortunately they have sold off the Regent Street part of the shop. As I am a needlepoint addict I am pleased that this department is still flourishing, but a lot seems to have gone downhill. They appear to want to appeal much more to younger people, at the danger of losing their old clientele. Departments include menswear, womenswear, beauty, gifts, and fabrics. The rug department is very good with many oriental examples. If money isn’t a problem it would be great to buy gifts here. They do have some cheaper gifts in their Christmas department. .

The building which houses Liberty is in itself well worth visiting the store for! Look up above and you will see some magnificent sights. On your journey through the store you will see eloquently tiled floors, grand oakk staircases and exquisite ceilings above. Of course the whole point of this is to get customers to part with their cash, and you will find plenty that will interest you. Some of the prices reflect the lavish surroundings of Liberty, and are excessive, to put it mildly; yet the fragrance department, particularly the mens’ section, has some unusual scents alongside the more familiar brands. Many fashionable items of clothing are to be found here. Enjoy!

The place to go if you want something a little more English and quirky….....carefully edited collection that makes for beautiful pressies. Individual and unusual.

The one word I would use to describe this store is 'sumptuous.’ I love the mix of high-end fashion and cosmetics with the tudor architecture - this store has really transformed from what it was a couple of years ago.
The only minor complaint I have about it is that the tea room they had has gone slightly downhill - the tea and cakes are still superb, but the decor has gone modern and I much preferred the 'shabby chic’ look it had not so long ago.
This shop is expensive and its target market is obviously high earners, but it is worth just having a look for the interiors.

You cant fail to miss libertys as you walk down regent street, its so eye catching. Inside it is also unique and it has an air of elegance about the place. Love the beaty department, great range of products on offer, aswell as the perfume department. Its a joy to walk around libertys, even if you dont buy anything its asethically pleasing to the eye, a great tourist trap, quintessentially english, and london at that.

a don’t miss shopping experience for visitors to London. yes, its expensive for many things, but the feeling of luxury and quality makes it worth an occasional trip. the carpet and fabrics sections are worth a look just to dream about kitting out your Chelsea town house or Venetian palazzo, and don’t miss the cafe for tea at 3 with scones complete with rosehip jam.

I love Liberty. It’s a real treat to just go there and is enchanting both inside and out. They have such beautiful accessories and stationery, and the toiletries are incredible.

My most expensive and most fabulous knickers are from Liberty!

Liberty is more than just a department store - it is an institution. If you are in London and want to experience what the classic department stores were like at the height of their popularity it is worth a visit.

I’m not the type of person who is going to do their shopping there so I am not bothered by the prices although I do understand them to be high even for central London. Anyway, as I said before it’s probably worth going along for the experience anyway and if you see something you like for the price all the better.

A beautiful and luxurious department store.My dad first took me to Liberty’s it is a very posh shop and sells designers clothing.I like the way they display the clothes.If i remember right there is a barbers downstairs and you can get a wet shave.If you make a trip to Liberty’s go in the lifts they wonderful and are stunning inside.On the walls are pictures of famous celebrities.They sell men’s and women’s clothing.Upstairs they have notebooks and photo albums for sale.You get very good service and the staff are very smartly dressed and polite.

Liberty is a department store in the heart of London, located next to the famous Carnaby Street. It can be easily recognised due to its Tudor styling. The outside is stunning, but so is the interior. It is decorated with wooden beams and dark wood throughout, it feels very authentic, even though I was told it is not a real tudor building!

Liberty is a very upmarket retailer as such the quality of the goods is undisputed. However, as you can expect the prices are quite high. That said the selection of items you can buy are fantastic, they have a great range of stationary and toilitries. As well as furniture and designer clothes.

If you are making a trip there between now and December then it is well worth visiting the 5th floor to see the Christmas decorations, they really get you into the spirit!

Although quite expensive, Liberty is definitely one of the more fun department stores in London in which to have a wander around. Set in a beautiful Tudor style building full of wooden beams, the shop is full of plenty of quirky items to keep any shopper amused. Although they used to have a more affordable range of gifts, there are still items such as stationery and coffee table books that may make good gifts. As for everything else, well it’s just fun to look! The best is the top floor which currently houses the beautifully decorated xmas shop as well as Liberty’s selection of hand-picked antique furniture and interior design items which are wonderfully interesting to browse. It’s worth it just to get out of the cold for a little while and have a look at something interesting!

One of the old traditional department stores in London. Usually forgotten to the big places like Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and Harrods but I think Liberty is the best one. It is not so busy and heavily advertised as the others but still offers the same level of service.
Centrally located just off Oxford Circus. Staff are extremely help and dont mind assisting in any way.
You can get pretty much everything here. It does get busy and peak times but if you visit first thing in the morning you are ok to have a nice browse around.

I can’t believe nobody else seems to have mentioned this (or maybe I missed it).

You must look for the clock. Outside, where the two buildings meet in Kingly Street is the Liberty Clock. On the hour, George chases the dragon.

The shop is pretty good, too, but everyone else can tell you that.

One of the most beautiful department stores in the UK! The building itself is beautiful. They also store a lot of fabulous luxury brands. Even if they are not in your price range you can find slightly more affordable items too.

This is not your average department store. The store with the structure has wood beams when you go inside its like walking back in time.
Its a place to go it you want a whole different experience from the normal.
Of course most things are more expensive so don’t go looking to buy a bargain other wise you will be disappointed.

With so many shops all looking and feeling the same this is a real pleasure and well worth a trip not sure if better then harrods but is a lot more authentic. If you have the time do both.

public vigor, an artistical wonder of mother earth, its an ideal for foreign investors reading moneyextra, its an investment worth its while.