Bond Street

Bond Street in London's West End connects Piccadilly to Oxford Street to the south. The street has been home to several prominent and upmarket apparel businesses since the 18th century. The southern half is known as Old Bond Street, while the lengthier northern section is known as New Bond Street, a distinction that is not commonly used in ordinary speech.

The roadway was established on grounds around Sir Thomas Bond's Piccadilly development, Clarendon House. It was established in the 1720s and by the end of the 18th century had become a favorite meeting spot for the upper-class residents of Mayfair. Prestigious or expensive shops were established along the street, but it declined as a center of social activity in the nineteenth century, despite maintaining its reputation as a fashionable retail location, and is home to the auction houses Sotheby's and Bonhams, as well as the department store Fenwick and jeweler Tiffany's. It is one of Europe's most costly and sought-after real estate strips.

Bond Street boasts the highest number of haute couture stores in the world, according to Westminster City Council, attracting the affluent, famous, and just curious. Since 1969, Westminster City Council has regulated the whole length of Bond Street as part of the Mayfair Conservation Area. Some antique shops and dealers remain, but others have been replaced by fashion boutiques or branches of worldwide designer companies. The Street is still known as a fashionable shopping destination, with major stores such as Ralph Lauren and Cartier.

Location: the West End of London