New Burlington Street runs between Savile Row and Burlington Gardens in Mayfair, one street removed from Bond Street and well within the geography of London's luxury trade in the early twentieth century. It was here, at number 4, that Cartier established its first permanent London premises in 1902, opening a branch in the city that would rapidly become one of the firm's most consequential operations.
The First London Premises
The London branch was first opened by Pierre Cartier, the middle of Alfred Cartier's three sons, before he moved on to establish the New York operation. His younger brother Jacques Cartier took over the London branch around 1906, and the London operation would remain Jacques's domain for the rest of his working life. The choice of Mayfair was deliberate: the neighbourhood was already associated with fine goods and wealthy clientele, and New Burlington Street's proximity to Bond Street placed the branch within easy reach of the aristocratic and upper-class households Cartier was seeking to cultivate.
The firm's timing proved fortunate. Edward VII, who had waited decades for his coronation, came to the throne in 1901 and was crowned in 1902, the same year Cartier opened in London. The new king was already a client of the Paris house, and his accession created immediate demand for the kind of ceremonial and court jewellery Cartier excelled at making.
The Coronation Commission
The Coronation of Edward VII generated one of the most significant single commissions in the London branch's early history: twenty-seven tiaras ordered by members of the British aristocracy and peerage for the coronation ceremony. All were fulfilled from the New Burlington Street premises. The commission helped establish the London branch's reputation as a supplier to the highest levels of British society, and the volume of work it represented was a measure of how quickly Cartier had positioned itself within London's luxury trade.
It was also during the New Burlington Street years that Cartier London received its royal warrant from Edward VII, formalising the relationship between the firm and the British crown. The warrant, granted in 1904, described Cartier as "jeweller and goldsmith to His Majesty."
The Move to New Bond Street
The firm operated from New Burlington Street from 1902 until 1909, a period of seven years. In 1909, Cartier moved to 175 New Bond Street, the address it has occupied ever since. The move reflected the branch's growth: Bond Street offered a larger, more prominent location on one of London's most established luxury retail streets.
New Burlington Street did not carry forward into Cartier's subsequent history. It is remembered principally as the starting point: the address from which Jacques Cartier built the London operation during its formative years, and from which the 1902 coronation commission was managed.
Sources
- Francesca Cartier Brickell, The Cartiers (Ballantine Books, 2019)
- Wikipedia: 4 New Burlington Street
