Connolly Shop, Clifford Street

The Connolly brand is renowned for luxury leather, having been used by distinguished car makers including Rolls Royce, Bentley and Jaguar, and has been used in various prestigious buildings, including the famous leather seats of the House of Lords and House of Commons. The Connolly England shop at 4 Clifford Street is a new home for the luxury fashion collection.

This 1719 Georgian building in Mayfair, situated in the Mayfair conservation area between New Bond Street and Savile Row, has undergone a full refurbishment as a new fashion retail premise for leather brand Connolly England, with extended accommodation above the first floor for a large four storey private apartment.

Starting life as a townhouse, the building was in use as a lodging house by the 1850s with confirmed retail use on the ground floor by 1865 and is now Grade II listed. As the building has seen a number of changes over its near-300 year life, all remaining historic fabric has been conserved and repaired; interior features including traditional panelling, fireplaces and joinery were reinstated. The original staircase was extended up to the new higher levels, a new lift shaft installed, and new interiors by Paris-based interior designers Gilles et Boissier have been integrated.

Our client, Isabel Ettedgui, appointed Donald Insall Associates as co-ordinating lead architect for the project, acting as Conservation Architect and Historic Building Consultant. We have successfully negotiated many significant alterations to the building with the local authority, such as the new two-storey mansard, to allow full use of all available space within the constraints of the conservation area and listed building status.