Liberty London

Forget modern shopping centres that all look the same. Liberty has timber staircases and minstrels’ galleries that look down onto a central Tudor hallway - you’ll feel like you’re in a film set rather than a department store!

Top Tip
Add a personal touch to your Liberty gifts by getting them monogrammed. Available while you wait on Tuesdays 12 – 4pm and Thursdays 3 – 7pm, you can choose from gold or silver foil initials at about £5 per letter.

Important info
The full address of the Liberty department store is Regent Street, London W1B 5AH. There are entrances and exits all around the store, but, the main entrance is on Great Marlborough Street. The store is open seven days a week, from 10am to 8pm on Monday to Saturday and on Sundays from 12pm until 6pm. If you have any queries, you can contact the store on 020 7734 1234.

Look out for
Before you go in, look up towards the roof - the weathervane is an exact model of the Mayflower, which took English pilgrims to America in 1620. Dotted around the store are the shields of Shakespeare and Henry VIII’s six wives. And look out on the staircases for the wooden carved war memorials, dedicated to Liberty staff who lost their lives in wars.

Accessibility
The main entrance on Great Marlborough Street and the entrance to the beauty hall are step free, but don’t have automatic doors. Once inside, there are accessible toilet on both the first and fourth floor. There are plenty of lifts, but many of them are original, so quite small, with space for only one wheelchair plus a walking companion.

Things to see
Luxury shopping, staff that treat you like royalty, and Liberty prints galore - a trip to this department store is an experience like no other. Here are some of our highlights.

Shopping
When it comes to clothes, Liberty stock all things designer, from big brands to the hippest, up-and-coming names. For true one-offs, the Designer Vintage department has everything from retro Chanel bags to one-off wedding dresses and each piece is hand-sourced and professionally restored. There’s also a florist, a giant selection of hats and scarves, and a department where you can buy pretty much anything you think of in Liberty print. But for a real taste of what Liberty must have been like in Arthur Liberty’s day, a trip to the rug room is a must. Draped in handmade Oriental and Persian carpets that look like they might fly off the wall on a quest for a magic lamp, you’ll think you’re in a souk, rather than the fourth floor of a department store.

Beauty
Apart from looking and feeling luxurious, the beauty hall at Liberty is well-known for being at the cutting edge of the products and treatments. There are counters that you won’t find anywhere else, with brands such as Biologique Recherche, Byredo Heliotropia, Votary and ODeJo. Or tuck yourself away in a spa room for the very latest in skincare treatments, with Dermalogica facials tailormade to your skin type to laser and light therapy at Skin Laundry. Men aren’t left out either - you can find Murdock London in our menswear department on the lower ground floor. Murdock offers a range of indulgent shaving treatments, haircuts, facials and male manicures, which will leave you feeling relaxed, refreshed and looking your best.

Christmas
While it’s great to visit Liberty at any time of the year, the store really comes into its own at Christmas. A trip to see its Yuletide window displays has become as much of a tradition as ice skating at Somerset House. The Christmas department on the top floor is so beautifully traditional, it could make even the most hardened Scrooge feel festive. With everything you need to deck the halls in designer style, look out for the signature Liberty baubles and crackers, and gorgeous old-fashioned wreaths. The Christmas shop sits on the fourth floor in the East Gallery and East Atrium.

Eating and Drinking
In need of a pitstop after all that luxury shopping? Liberty has just one cafe - called Cafe Liberty - but if nothing on the menu there takes your fancy, you’re just a stone’s throw from Soho, with its wealth of eating and drinking options to satisfy any culinary craving.

A haven from the hectic shopping experience that is Oxford Street, a trip to Arthur’s Restaurant on 2 should be an essential part of your visit to the iconic department store. Fabulously art deco, you can come from brunch, lunch or an early dinner, but there’s a decidedly tea shop ambience about the place that will make you crave some little finger sandwiches and cakes. Luckily, the afternoon tea here doesn’t disappoint and you may be tempted to upgrade your brew to a glass of fizz. Talking of which, if all that shopping has left you in need of a drink, there’s a great range of cocktails available. Try the Liberty Royale made from the finest Champagne and hibiscus flower syrup - reassuringly expensive at a mere £16.95 a glass!

If your trip to Liberty has made you feel like you’ve stepped back in time, head round the corner to The Clachan on Kingly Street. Gaelic for ‘meeting place’, there’s been a pub here since the late 1700s, but this ornate Victorian pub dates from 1898. Traditional-looking on the outside, little inside has changed since the pub was owned by Liberty’s - with a lovely wooden decor, carvings, ornate mirrors, a Victorian tiled floor and an impressive circular bar. This hidden gem is full of character, and the food and drink doesn’t disappoint either. Expect real ales, great wines and a menu filled with British comfort food. If you’re still hungry after your venison and Malbec wine pie, you can always order the rhubarb crumble.

Getting to Liberty of London
Sandwiched between the shopping destinations of Oxford Circus, Regent Street and Carnaby Street, Liberty is right in the middle of the city. Our Premier Inn hotel near Liberty is just a walk away, but here are your options if you’re visiting from further afield.

By bus
Liberty is just off both Oxford and Regent Street so it’s served by buses aplenty. You can hop on the 3, 6, 12, 13, 15, 23, 53, X53, 88, 94, 139, 159 and the C2. Try to get off as near as you can to Oxford Circus Tube station.

By tube
The nearest Tube station at a two-minute walk away is Oxford Circus, where you have a choice of the Central, Bakerloo and Victoria lines. Piccadilly Circus and Bond Street are both an eight-minute walk away.

By train
For mainline stations, Charing Cross is the nearest, but it’s about a 20-minute walk away, or you could hop on the Bakerloo Line. Or there’s Euston Station where you could get on the Victoria Line to Oxford Circus.