Burlington Arcade, Piccadilly

11 September 1940

By Brittni Morris

The Burlington Arcade (1819), a famous Regency covered promenade connecting Old Bond Street and Piccadilly and lined with fashionable designer boutiques and fine goods shops, became a casualty in the first week of the Blitz.

At 2.55am on 11 September 1940, a high explosive bomb struck the corner of Cork Street and Burlington Gardens, about 25 yards north east of the Arcade. The bomb, initially designated as unexploded by the first ARP wardens to arrive at the scene, had in fact detonated and destroyed the Arcade's northeastern end. Most of the shops and the glass walkway were completely reduced to rubble. One shopper commented on the aftermath:

“Coming down Cork Street, I see where the fire was last night. The upper end of the Burlington Arcade, that gem of the Regency where I have so often shopped, is a mess of twisted steel, and its windows broken.”

Repairs to the Arcade could only be dealt with after the war (replacement glass was in extremely short supply). The businesses that did survive, with their glass blown out, displayed “war windows” instead (cardboard or wood windows), stating that they were still "open for business".

In 1946, an application was sent to the Ministry of Works to restore the Arcade to its elegant pre-war splendour. The application was accepted and work started in December 1952. The Ministry agreed that the repairs should be finished before the Coronation of HM Queen Elizabeth II, as her carriage would be passing by the Arcade. The restoration was completed in time for the Coronation on 2 June 1953. Today, the Burlington Arcade remains world famous as one of the smartest shopping areas in London.