Jermyn Street is a street in the City of Westminster, central London, to the south, parallel and adjacent to Piccadilly.
It is well known as a street where the shops are almost exclusively aimed at the Gentleman's market and is famous for its resident shirtmakers (such as Turnbull & Asser and T.M. Lewin); Gentleman's outfitters (Hackett and Harvie & Hudson); Shoe & Bootmakers (John Lobb and Foster & Son); Barbers (Geo. F Trumper and Taylors of Old Bond Street); Cigar shops (Davidoff and Dunhill), Tramp nightclub and the 70-seat Jermyn Street Theatre.
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History
Jermyn Street was created by and named after Henry Jermyn, 1st Earl of St Albans, as part of his development of the St. James's area around the year 1667. The Duke of Marlborough lived there when he was Colonel Churchill, as did Sir Isaac Newton (during his time working in London as Warden of the Royal Mint), the mid-eighteenth century highwayman and apothecary William Plunkett, the Duchess of Richmond and Lennox, the Countess of Northumberland and the artist Sherwin (in whose rooms in 1782 the great actress Mrs Siddons sat for him for her portrait as the Tragic Muse).
The Gun Tavern was one of the great resorts for foreigners of revolutionary tastes during the end of the eighteenth century, whilst Grenier's Hotel was patronised by French Refugees. At the Brunswick Hotel, Louis Napoleon took up his residence under the assumed name of Count D'Arenberg on his escape from captivity in the fortress of Ham. 20th century residents include the 1930s "Big Band" singer Al Bowlly (killed in his flat on the street by a parachute mine during the the Blitz of 1941).
Though he did not live on the street, a statue of Beau Brummell stands on Jermyn Street at the junction with the Piccadilly Arcade, as embodying its elegant clothing values.
Shirtmaking
Much as Savile Row is metonymous with fine suits, Jermyn Street is where a gentleman goes to purchase his shirts. Still famous and popular with people searching for shirts, whether visitors or country gentlemen and officers, some shops now cater to women as well. It contains a good many shops selling both "off-the-peg" and bespoke shirts and other gentlemen's apparel, such as hats, shoes, shaving brushes, colognes, braces and shirt collar stiffeners.
List of resident shirtmakers
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Bespoke, made-to-measure and ready-to-wear shirts:
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Ready to Wear shirts: |
Shoe shops
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Other shops
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As well as shirtmakers, Jermyn Street is home to other famous retailers including:
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The street also contains the UK, European and de facto current global headquarters of the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company.
See also
- Savile Row - the London street famous for making bespoke suits
- Fleet Street - the London street famous for its newspapers and media
- List of eponymous roads in London
References
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
