Scotland

England’s capital city London can offer a shopping experience second to none. Not only does London have a diverse ethnic population but the diversity and range of shops and markets available are truly mindblowing and, at the very least, extremely exciting.

There have been various markets in London ever since Roman times. Covent Garden is one such market which dates back that far, but did you know that it was originally named ‘Convent Garden’?. The market moved to its present location in 1974 and was known in those days for it fresh flowers, fruit and vegetables. It was not util 1980 that Covent Garden became the market it is today, known for it unusual and quirky little shops and masses of items which unavailable elsewhere.

Amongst the top ten visitor attractions in London is Camden Market. In fact it is the fourth most popular visitor attraction attracting 100,000 visitors every weekend. Camden market opened as a temporary market in 1974, and is famous for its stalls selling everything from fashion, antiques and bric-a-brac.

One of the most famous shopping streets in London is the Kings Road. The Kings Road became famous in the 1960’s, and then again in the 1970’s when it was associated with the ‘Punk’ movement. The designer ‘Vivienne Westwood’ has owned a shop here since the 1970’s.

Sloane Street is known for catering to the more ‘upper class’ shoppers in society. In the 1990’s people who shopped here became known as ‘Sloane Rangers’, a term used generally to this day. Today you will still find the same kind of high class shops on Sloane Street, which runs all the way from Knightsbridge to Sloane Square.

One department store, known the world over is Harrods. You will find Harrods in Knightsbridge and it is the largest department store in the world. No shopping trip to London would be complete without a visit here. It would take more than one day to see all the departments in Harrods! The best time of year to visit Harrods in my opinion would be at Christmas. The way the store is decorated at this time of year is breathtaking.

Another famous department store in London is ‘Selfridges’ which, even though it is incredibly huge, is only the second largest store in London. Selfridges was founded by the American Harry Gordon Selfridge, who had previously worked for Marshall Field & Company in Chicago (and from which he adapted many of his ideas for his new store in London).

Do not despair if your finances do not stretch to the high class shops, with the large variety of shops and markets in London, there is somewhere for everyone to shop. One can find a lot of bargains in London, not just luxury goods.