Cubitts opens new City store in Cheapside, London

• Modern spectacle maker opens new location in the City of London
• Cheapside store holds rich history, with original features restored including a hidden basement and signage 

Modern spectacle maker Cubitts has announced the opening of its new store in the heart of the City of London. Opened on 4th April, 123 Cheapside is Cubitts 13th UK store and lands in the business hub of the Capital, surrounded by the skyscrapers of the City, and in the shadows of St Paul’s.

The store stands beneath the protective shade of London’s oldest plane tree in the heart of London’s City. Cubitts now occupies the building, formerly home to L&R Wooderson, hosiers, glovers and shirtmakers, who operated from 123 Cheapside for over half a century.

During the renovation process, Cubitts unearthed the building’s rich history – revealing the original L&R Wooderson signage which is now back on display alongside an entire basement, untouched and uncovered for decades. Now fully restored, it houses Cubitts eye examination facilities, incorporating the latest testing equipment. An original tapestry from the 1951 Festival of Britain and historic photos of the sites adore the pale pink walls.

The store’s design, curated by Alexy Kos and Che Huang of London-based Child Studio, takes on a modernist interpretation of the classic English outfitter L&R Wooderson. Cubitts Cheapside is complete with bespoke display cabinetry, conical glass wall lights, and hand painted marble texturing created by artist Ian Harper.

Utilising Modernist architectural principles from the 1910s, the parquet flooring has been repurposed from a 1930s school in Leicester, and vintage marquetry panels have been fitted around the newly restored cast iron spiral staircase.

Prior to L&R Wooderson, the site was home to a publisher of political cartoons and prints, from 1828 to 1835. Today, Cubitts has partnered with Cartoon Museum to celebrate this cartoonists’ legacy. The Cartoon Museum will curate a selection of four framed facsimile artworks to be displayed in the Cheapside store. Further artworks will be displayed throughout the store more permanently.

Cubitts Cheapside will provide frames from Cubitts’ collections as well as its Bespoke service (a unique service that allows customers to purchase a handmade frame in their exact measurements, using Cubitts styles and colours). To mark its opening, Cubitts has created two exclusive frames, inspired by the spirit of the City. Gresham and Cannon. Bold, self-assured and full of optimism for the future. For a limited time only, all Cheapside Bespoke customers will also receive a complimentary monogrammed redux case and handmade redux card holder.

Tom Broughton, founder of Cubitts said: “With each store we open, we ensure the area’s culture and history is incorporated into the selection and design process. With Cheapside, the building’s history tells its own story and we’re delighted to sit amongst a fascinating carousel of dwellers and be part of its timeline.

Offering the City’s inhabitants and workers well designed spectacles has never been so important. With eye health worsening throughout the pandemic, we aim to provide quality eye care, as well as carefully crafted frames that people are proud to wear at work and beyond.”