Harrods department store will surprise you with its dress code, fabulously beautiful illumination and a special relationship with the fashion world.

The prehistory of the creation of the department store, which was destined to become the largest in Europe, began almost two centuries ago - in 1824, when 25-year-old Charles Henry Harrod opened his first fabric and haberdashery store in London.

Over the next 25 years, the man tried himself in various spheres of trade: he managed to run a grocery store, engage in wholesale trade and sale of tea.



The official date of the founding of Harrods, which is now one of the top three main attractions of the British capital, is considered to be 1849 - it was then that Charles Harrod bought premises on Bromptone Road, where he moved his store.

The decision to move was based on the desire to be closer to Hyde Park, where in 1851 the "Great Exhibition of Industrial Works of All Nations" was to take place.



The strategy paid off, and the change of store location led to success and rapid development. By 1880, Harrods had become a large department store, only then it was not Charles Henry Harrod who was already managing it, but his son, Charles Digby.

Unfortunately, the progress achieved was not sustained for long. Three years later, on Christmas Eve, a fire broke out, which destroyed all the trading stock for the holidays. To save the family business, Charles Harrod Jr. had to borrow new shipments. This helped him rebuild the department store - in 1903 he completely rebuilt it on the same site.



Harrods went down in history not only as the largest department store in Europe, but also as the place where the first escalator in England appeared in 1898. This event became so exciting for people that some of them even needed brandy, which was politely offered to everyone by Harrods employees.

A century later, Egyptian billionaire Mohammed Al-Fayed, who owned a department store at the time, rebuilt a new escalator decorated with gilded hieroglyphs and figures. This "pleasure" cost the owner £ 20 million.

Another "highlight" of this historic department store has long been considered a store of exotic animals, whose clients in different years were the most popular politicians, artists and not only. By the way, it was here that Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, bought himself an elephant over the phone. If, reading these lines, you also thought about buying an elephant, then we must disappoint you - in 2014 the zoo department was closed.

It is worth adding that Harrods has never suffered from a lack of attention from famous and popular people. Oscar Wilde, Laurence Olivier, Sigmund Freud, Charlie Chaplin and Ellen Terry visited the department store at various times.

Also for many years, until 2001, Harrods was the official supplier of goods that were delivered to the royal court. Not only this, but also tragic circumstances, connected this historic place with the royal family. Mohammed Al-Fayed ordered a memorial room in the basement of the department store dedicated to his son Dodi and Princess Diana, who died in a car accident in 1997.



The fact that surprises everyone, especially in our time, is that Harrods has a fairly strict dress code since 1989 to the present day, which prohibits people in unkempt, dirty or too open clothes, as well as in uniform, from entering.

One of the main "chips" of the department store is called the unique illumination, consisting of 12 thousand bulbs, which daily illuminates the facade of the building, creating a spectacle of exceptional beauty.



Harrods also has its own fleet of aircraft, which is impressive.Everyone can use the service and rent a personal air transport. The only condition: for this you must have impressive financial capabilities.

Now the area of ​​Harrods is 100+ thousand square meters. There are 330 departments, more than 30 restaurants, beauty salons, pharmacies, and even its own bank. Every day about five thousand people come to work in the department store.

Of course, the famous Christmas department, which has become famous all over the world, deserves special attention. On the eve of Christmas, store shelves are filled with fantasy goods of exceptional beauty, and the decor, more reminiscent of works of art, makes all visitors of the department store plunge into the atmosphere of the holiday, believe in magic and fairy tale.



But the entertainment sector is far from the only thing that this historical place can boast of. Harrods has its own special relationship with the fashion world, in particular with the luxury segment. On the territory of the department store, there are dozens of boutiques of brands with a worldwide reputation and recognition. In addition to fashion giants such as Christian Dior, Gucci, Prada, YSL, Stella McCartney, Escada, Dunhill, Acne, Lanvin, Prada, Ralph Lauren, Etro, Kenzo, Maison Margiela, British premium clothing brands are also represented in Harrords.



By the way, in 2014 the department store organized a fashion show aboard a British Airways aircraft. About 200 passengers witnessed a spectacular fashion show between the aisles in the aircraft cabin during the flight from London to Johannesburg. At this show, clothes from the spring-summer collections of famous British brands were demonstrated, in particular, Stella McCartney, Temperley London, Jenny Packham and Victoria Beckham, as well as shoes from Jimmy Choo.

According to the managing director of the department store, Michael Ward, the purpose of this event was the desire to surprise the public with an original and non-standard presentation of clothing advertisements.



Despite its long history, the department store keeps up with the times and keeps up with technological progress, which is why Harrods also works as an online store. Unfortunately, there is no delivery to Russia yet.