| Summary : Simpson's was erected in 1936 for Alexander Simpson. Simpson had joined the family tailoring business and in 1932 introduced a new type of trouser, given the tradename DAKS. The new store on Piccadilly was built as an outlet for this successful product. Simpson's was the first Modern building to be built on Piccadilly and it was designed by the architect, Joseph Emberton. The building has a steel frame and has Fletton brick cladding which is covered in white glazed tiles and Portland stone on the main facades. A cantilevered 'glascrete' canopy at the top of the facade was designed with several functions, one of which was to keep the Portland stone clean. The facade contains concealed lights which can illuminate the building in almost any colour and the non-reflective windows installed on the ground floor were another innovative feature and they are still in place today. The store has six floors and also a lower ground floor, a basement and roof-top service rooms. The sales area has always occupied seven floors. Simpson's originally catered solely for men, but today the store is a cross between a traditional men's outfitters and a department store. Much of the internal layout is unchanged since the 1930s. The store closed in 1999 and reopened in 2000 as a Waterstones bookstore. |