Introduction to The Department Store

After 16 years in King’s Cross, London based architects Squire and Partners moved their 220 staff to a new home in Brixton in summer 2017. Having purchased a dilapidated
Edwardian department store two years previously, the practice entirely reimagined the space allowing the existing fabric and layers of history to inform the new design.

Collaborating with craftspeople and furniture makers, the restored and extended building provides an exciting array of work and event spaces for the various design disciplines within the practice. A series of retail units at ground level include a roastery for Volcano Coffee, a restaurant for Sushi Revolution, a record shop for independent, Brixton-based Pure Vinyl, a community Post Office and Canova Hall, an independent restaurant and bar.

History of the Building

The Bon Marché department store was built in 1876 by James Smith, a local businessman from Tooting who won £80,000 in prize money when his racehorse Roseberry won an inconceivable double at Newmarket. Inspired by the opulence of the original Bon Marché in Paris, James Smith embarked on creating an unrivalled shopping destination in Brixton, which would also be the first steel framed building in the UK.

Following the success of the main store on Brixton Road, a Ferndale Road annex named Toplin House was added in 1906 to provide two additional floors of retail, with staff
accommodation on the upper levels. Underground tunnels linked Toplin House to the main store – one for men, another for women.

After almost 50 years as a retail destination, and a brief stint as a bomb shelter during World War II, Toplin House was sold in 1955 and converted into offices. Along with a collection of adjacent buildings, it was used by a variety of occupiers including the British Refugee Council until 2012 when the site fell vacant and was inhabited by squatters who left their own legacy of street-inspired artwork.

Squire and Partners purchased the largely derelict Toplin House in 2015, as well as a family of buildings along Ferndale Road including a former horse and cart Fire Station.

Design Concept

Approaching the design of The Department Store, Squire and Partners allowed the narrative and history of the existing Edwardian building to guide the process. Stripping the building back to its raw state revealed a decayed grandeur and an extraordinary commitment to craft and detail by the original artisans of the day. The practice sought to reveal and highlight these elements – in their found state – as well as exposing remnants left by more recent inhabitants, whilst adding a series of sensitive contemporary interventions in order to repurpose the building as an inspiring modern workspace.

On the exterior, designs focussed on reversing years of neglect and reactivating the street level through animation and display. Incrementally added shopfronts and layers of paint were removed to reveal original brickwork, stone, marble and terracotta. Metal framed Crittall windows were restored wherever possible, or replaced to match the original. A new rooftop level was added comprising a series of oak framed pavilions with copper shingle roofs, and a crafted glass dome to replace a dilapidated existing cupola.

At ground level a striking reception area and active modelshop animate the street, while a triple height void and central landscaped courtyard provide breathing spaces within the development. Generous social and event spaces are established at lower ground and the new top floor, with workspaces on first to third floors supported by a series of meeting and breakout areas.

The existing fabric of the interior was assessed in the early stages of the project, ensuring that elements such as original 111 year old mahogany and teak parquet flooring, a grand tiled central staircase, a series of cast iron radiators and a remarkable patina of colours which document the building’s history could be preserved. A series of voids were cut through the building to create dramatic volumes, and provide vistas between levels.

The office floors offered the opportunity to reveal the many facets of design undertaken by the practice and expose the process of craft and making. Project areas are designed to act as evolving ‘concessions’ – showcases to the process of design and development. Models, prototypes and explorations document and celebrate a projects journey from concept to realisation. Multiple areas for presentation can be found throughout the office with display cases, shelving, libraries for materials and books, models and explorative studies.

Building Exterior

On the exterior of the building, designs focussed on reversing years of neglect and reactivating the street level through animation and display. Incrementally added shopfronts and layers of paint were removed to reveal original brickwork, stone, marble and terracotta. Metal framed Crittall windows were restored wherever possible, or replaced to match the original. A new rooftop level was added comprising a series of oak framed pavilions with copper shingle roofs, and a crafted glass dome to replace a dilapidated existing cupola.

A continuous run of monochrome herringbone tiles define the perimeter of the development, animating the street and providing a hint of the crafted interior within. A high level
illuminated sign at second floor announces The Department Store from Brixton Road.

The Department Store Studios

Squire & Partners has launched The Department Store Studios, a new local workspace next door to The Department Store as the next phase of the practice’s investment in Brixton.

The development creates a platform for growing businesses with flexible workspaces - from individual desks to private studios - and a host of serviced social and meeting areas. The Studios is also home to a screening room and Bellefields - a neighbourhood cafe.

Created as a natural addition to The Department Store, The Studios is a highly sustainable development that will support local businesses by offering a programme of events curated to share skills, inspire creativity and expand local networks.