The Tower of Babel – Shop of the Day 142Mainstream 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.
Delivery is FREE
within the UK, £55 per artwork to Europe and £75 per artwork
for overseas orders. If you purchase any other items from the V&A
Shop website, separate delivery charges will apply and your order
will be delivered in separate shipments.
The display is now closed. However, a selection of shop fronts is still available to purchase. Each piece is being carefully de-installed and prepared for despatch. Delivery will commence on 20 November so please allow up to 7 days for your order to arrive. Pre-orders placed during the course of the display will be prioritised for despatch.
If you wish to purchase more than one artwork for delivery outside
of the UK, please contact our Customer Services team on 020 7942
2696 or email customerservice@vandashop.com
for a quote or to discuss delivery options. There may be local duty
and/or taxes payable on goods delivered outside the UK. The V&A Shop
is not responsible for paying these charges.
To return your chosen artwork, simply send it back to us within 28
days of receipt of the order in the same condition it arrived and
you will be fully refunded. The cost of returning the item will be
your responsibility.
V&A Shop terms & conditions apply. For more information visit Vandashop.com or contact our
customer service team at customerservice@vandashop.com
