Founded in 1875 by Arthur Lasenby Liberty as a means to sell ornaments, fabrics and other costly bits and bobs from Japan and the Far East, Liberty is today one of the country's best-loved and most famous department stores.

Not as ostentatious as Harrods, as obsessively trendy as Harvey Nicks nor as enormous as Selfridges, Liberty is the destination store for the discerning shopper.

The Grade II listed Arts and Crafts mock-Tudor building is crammed with beautiful clothes, furniture, food and other assorted trinkets. The interiors are of stunning Art Nouveau wood panelling and the place still produces its own fabrics. It's expensive but there are few more pleasant places to blow your salary.