page_title: Simpsons of Piccadilly
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Simpsons of Piccadilly / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Image of the Grade Listed light fitting suspended in the stairwell of the Simpsons Piccadilly store
context_page_description: Simpsons of Piccadilly was a large retail store situated at 203-206 Piccadilly in central London. It was created by Alexander Simpson and architect Joseph Emberton. When it opened in April 1936 it was the largest menswear store in Britain, and is now a Grade I listed building due to its innovative construction. Its original purpose was to house the entire range of clothing provided by the tailoring company S. Simpsons and DAKS. It was later purchased by the Waterstones chain of bookshops, and currently serves as their flagship store.
context_section_description: After the launch of the successful DAKS trousers in 1934 Alexander Simpson wanted a store in which to stock the entire S Simpson range in central London.  Wanting a location near Savile Row so that the foreign visitors to that street could go to examine Simpson clothes nearby for its high quality ready-to-wear tailoring, in 1935 the site of the old Geological Museum in Piccadilly was to be sold on a 99-year building lease, which Simpson won at auction for £11,000. The site had a 71-foot (21.64 m) frontage on both Piccadilly and on Jermyn Street (rear entrance) with a footprint of about 11,000 sq ft (1,022 m²)  and an easy walking distance from Savile Row.
  Simpson’s aim was to build a large, modern menswear store to serve as a flagship for the S Simpson brand, with a steel structure, faced in Portland stone and to be built as high as permitted, and to compete with the store built for the rival Austin Reed ten years prior. Simpson contracted Joseph Emberton as the architect for this project, known for his modernity in architecture and for designing the interior of the Austin Reed store.
  The building’s main elements were large bands of Portland stone alternating with strips of windows spanning the whole building width, a glass wall that stretched the height of the building at 90 feet (27.43 m) that lit each open-plan floor with natural light (from a side lightwell due to the densely built up area), against which the enormous Travertine marble staircase spiralled up the centre of the building, and the distinctive non-reflecting concave windows along the street level at front and back – the first in the country at the time. The design is distinctly modern in comparison to the regular architectural style of the time. Simpson wanted the building elements to visually show their function rather than be disguised by unnecessary decoration. It is considered innovative in its use of materials with large windows, chromium-plated fittings and a steel structure devised by Felix Samuely. The London County Council first had the steel framing removed before agreeing to allow its use. It cost such a price that Alexander Simpson warned that the company wasn’t expecting to earn a profit for several years after due to his determination for creating something of such high quality (for which it later won awards).
  László Moholy-Nagy, a director of the Bauhaus school, designed much of the visual merchandising and displays for the shop, including the in-store signage, the window displays, and three aircraft to be exhibited on the fifth floor at the store opening merely to draw in curious customers, attract headlines and increase footfall  (the door framing had to be removed to allow the aeroplanes into the building and suspected to have been winched up the centre of the staircase). Ashley Havinden, influenced by cubism, futurism and Bauhaus typography, designed the store’s logos, advertising, and some rugs and carpeting. The store housed many other services such as a gift shop, a dog shop, a barber’s shop, and restaurant (the wine vault can still be found in the basement), along with the departments for Simpson clothing – bespoke tailoring (Simpson wanted customers to be able to see the tailors in action), ready-to-wear DAKS suits, and a sport shop. Shop fittings and lighting were designed by Emberton which are still in place such as the stairwell’s 90-foot chromium light fitting suspended from the ceiling, and the steel and glass handrails. On the fifth floor was a balcony that allowed views across London at Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral. 
  
   
  The building is recognised as Joseph Emberton’s masterpiece – the front glass and stone strips aren’t quite horizontal as perceived on first glance, but at a slight angle to help appear more horizontal, keep clean for longer and reflect the coloured neon lighting that was in place at the opening; ducts are hidden around the walls so that the lights in them reflect better off the ceiling, the water supply was by an artesian well in the basement; the vast open floors which weren’t common of the tim
caption: Simpsons of Piccadilly Light Fitting
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