Fancy repositories: The arcades of London’s west end in the nineteenth century

Abstract

The building of arcades in London’s West End in the nineteenth century was a distinctive phase in the emergence of the pleasure district. This article explores the three most important arcades: the Royal Opera Arcade, the Burlington Arcade and the Lowther Arcade. It decodes the forms of consumerism, pleasure and identity that the arcades made possible. The arcades were designed for different kinds of public and different classes but were sites of emulation and display. The article draws attention to an under-studied form of retail, the fancy repository: shops that offered knick-knacks and toys and which fed the market for cheap consumerism, including that of children. The study explores the psychic charge that arcades possessed.