Destination Christmas is announced from above the main entrance by the Queen of Time 

When Harry Gordon Selfridge opened his store on Oxford Street in 1909 his innovative marketing strategies created the ultimate shopping experience combining glamour, education, fun and entertainment. Fast forwarding over one hundred years and Selfridges Christmas window displays are still charming its customers.

 Lost London - Made in gingerbread and depicts how London could have looked like 

Selfridges Christmas windows always look stunning but this year I’m particularly enchanted with their Lost London window. The scene depicts both buildings that have been demolished, such as Euston Arch and Old St Paul's Cathedral, as well as some that were never built such as Richard Roger's National Gallery Extension.

 Lost London - utterly charming!

Their version of lost and unbuilt London is designed by Bompas and Parr, biscuiteers. It consisting of 25 ingredients and uses 353kg gingerbread, over 80 litres of Lyle’s Golden Syrup, 1245kg Tate and Lyle’s Icing and Royal Icing sugars. The exterior is held together using confectioners glue and decorated with glitter. The display took 400 hours to design, bake and assemble.

The unbuilt St Paul's Cathedral with a Lyle's golden syrup River Thames 

Lost London is displayed in Window 20, Selfridges’ largest window on the corner of Oxford Street and Orchard Street until the New Year 2014.

Selfridges Snow Dome 

I will be writing more blog posts on the run up to Christmas which will feature some of the Lost London buildings in more detail.

Practical Information 

Address:  Selfridges, 400 Oxford St, London W1A 1AB

Nearest Tube Stations:  Marble Arch or Bond Street with both stations being in Travelcard Zone 1 and a few minutes walk from Selfridges

Opening Hours:  Please check website for opening times.

Website:  http://www.selfridges.com/ 

If you liked this you may like to read Part II and Part III of the Lost London Selfridges Christmas window blogs.

The author of this blog is a qualified City of London and City of Westminster Tour Guide who leads guided walks combining world famous landmarks with hidden treasures often missed by the crowds. 

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