The Tower of Babel – Shop of the Day 142
Mainstream today but an iconic building on Oxford St. On July 20th 1921, presided over by composer Sir Edward Elgar, the very first hmv store was opened by The Gramophone Company, later to become EMI.
Nearly a century old, at the beginning, hmv not only sold records but also the gramophones to play them on. At one point they had their own recording studio on the second floor.
The original store was destroyed by fire on Boxing Day in 1937 and had to be completely rebuilt by architect Joseph Emberton, meaning a temporary move to Bond Street until the store reopened in 1939. During WWII, 363’s basement was even designated as an official air-raid shelter, with Londoners huddling beneath the racks of vinyl to escape the bombs.
363 Oxford Street Mayfair W1C 2LA
©Barnaby Barford 2014