On the King’s Road to ruin

The decline of commerce on Chelsea’s celebrated street is a worrying sign for London

NED

THIS IS A STORY ABOUT THE death of a once proud high street. It’s a demise which epitomises what’s broken in modern Britain. I speak, of course, of London’s own Royal Mile, running from Sloane Square to the World’s End Estate. It is the King’s Road, rather than the West End or that monstrosity in Shepherd’s Bush, which has always been the true soul of the city’s retail life. But, behind the stuccoed doorways and perky shop windows, all is not well. A recent fact-finding mission began at Peter Jones’s department store. Following a violent stomach bug which unexpectedly shrunk my waist measurement, I needed an emergency belt to secure my suit trousers. At the entrance, I expected to meet the usual crowd of French and Italian bankers’ wives, pushing…

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The Critic (Digital) - 1 Issue, November 2024

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