7 Burlington Gardens

7 Burlington Gardens

Company type	Building
Industry	Architecture, Retail, Banking (historical)
Founded	1720s
Headquarters	London , United Kingdom
Products	Banking services (historical), Retail space

File:7 Burlington Gardens, Mayfair, May 2022.jpg

7 Burlington Gardens as seen in May 2022

7 Burlington Gardens is a Grade II* structure situated in Mayfair, London. Originally named Queensberry House, it was subsequently referred to as Uxbridge House. Throughout much of the 19th and 20th centuries, the building functioned as a bank, and later served briefly as the London flagship store for the American fashion brand Abercrombie & Fitch.

Location

Situated within London's Mayfair area, the building's official address is "7 Burlington Gardens". However, it also fronts onto Savile Row, with Google Maps identifying the site as "42 Savile Row, Westminster". A plaque on the Savile Row-facing side displays "Savile Row W1", while the facade facing Burlington Gardens bears the inscription "Burlington Gardens W1".

History

File:Uxbridge House Thomas Malton Jr pub 1801 edited.jpg

Artwork by Thomas Malton, dated 1801

Private residence

Constructed initially as a private dwelling in the early 1720s, this house was designed by Giacomo Leoni. Commissioned by John Bligh M.P., the property was sold during its outfitting phase in 1722 to the 3rd Duke of Queensbury. Known then as Queensbury House, it remained the Duke's London home until his death in 1778.

Following a period of vacancy, in 1785 the property was leased to the 1st Earl of Uxbridge, who later acquired full ownership and renamed it Uxbridge House. He tasked architect John Vardy with expanding the residence eastward to reach Savile Row and extending it along Old Burlington Street. The house passed to his son, the 2nd Earl (later created Marquess of Anglesey in 1815), and upon his death was sold in 1854 to the Bank of England.

Bank premises

The Bank of England acquired the property to establish its Western Branch, aiming to provide private and commercial banking services for residents and retailers within London's expanding West End. Their architect, Philip C. Hardwick, was engaged to adapt the building for banking operations. This involved constructing underground vaults, converting the former dining room into a banking hall, and creating a new primary entrance on the Burlington Gardens frontage. In the 1870s, additional extensions were added at the rear over what had been Uxbridge House’s stable yard.

The Bank maintained its Western Branch at Burlington Gardens until 1930. At that time, having decided to withdraw from commercial banking activities to concentrate on central banking functions, it sold both the building and much of its related business to the Royal Bank of Scotland. Under Royal Bank of Scotland ownership, it continued operating as a bank branch well into the early 21st century.

Abercrombie & Fitch

In 2005, Abercrombie & Fitch secured a lease for this location. During a single night in May, a two-level construction barrier was installed around the property, featuring images of scantily clad men alongside the "Abercrombie & Fitch" branding. The retail area spans two floors within the building.

The arrival of Abercrombie & Fitch on Savile Row initially met with disapproval from the street’s bespoke tailors. To safeguard the reputation of Savile Row, the Savile Row Bespoke group was established with authorization from the City of Westminster to unite local tailors. Mark Henderson, CEO of Gieves & Hawkes, took on the role of Chairman and expressed concerns that "Leveraging the Savile Row name to attract upscale retailers and businesses, at the expense of this globally renowned tailoring tradition, is short-sighted." Similarly, Thomas Mahon, another tailor from the Row, remarked to The Times that "If bespoke businesses were displaced by inferior retail outlets selling low-quality garments ... it would cause irreversible harm to Savile Row’s reputation."

In response to the global pandemic in 2020, Abercrombie & Fitch announced the closure of its Savile Row store along with six other flagship stores worldwide.

Restaurant proposal

By 2022, an American developer had submitted proposals to transform the former residence into a dining establishment featuring multiple bars.

Gallery

• The building in its early days.
  The building in its early days.
• The property as it appeared in 1790.
  The property as it appeared in 1790.
• Architectural plans prior to 18th-century expansion.
  Architectural plans prior to 18th-century expansion.
• Plans dating from 1825.
  Plans dating from 1825.