This handsome example of 1930s Art Deco 'Moderne' architecture with its strong emphasis on horizontality and glass semi-cylindrical stair tower was purpose-built in 1936 by architects J. A. Bowden and Partners as a hostel for 'Bradleys' of Westbourne Grove; a large store selling furs who wanted somewhere where their young shop-girls could lodge not too far from their place of work. During the War it was a "Wrennery", used by the Navy to house WRENs; after the war a Civil Service Hostel, and it remains a hostel to this day. This is now a somewhat anomalous use in what has become an extremely high class and expensive area - for example Peter Gabriel lives nearby.
BRADLEYS 'YOUNG LADIES'
Located at 1 Chepstow Place, Bradleys was managed by the same family until 1953. This address was a cold store for furs from the 1860s. It was run by Samuel Bradley senior as that until about 1896, when his sons Samuel junior, Bernard, Edward, Glenholme and Comerford became involved in the business at which time it became 'Bradley and Sons' (making furs, evening dresses, suits, gowns and millinery) with 'The Arctic Fur Store' (holding £500,000 of furs at one time). The Arctic Fur Store was the first of its kind in the country; not only did they import raw skins and sell tailored fur garments, but a large basement store room was set aside as summer storage for the winter wardrobes of the rich and famous.
Samuel senior relinquished control of Bradleys in about 1906 and in 1912 it was relaunched as a limited company - Bradleys (Chepstow Place) Ltd; staff with more than ten years' tenure were awarded shares. Even the Financial Times carried a whole page editorial on this, because at this time Bradleys was the biggest fur specialists in Europe.
At the outbreak of WW1 Bradleys were assigned to produce uniforms for the troops. Samuel, who had already fought with distinction in the Boer War, enlisted at the outbreak of WW1 and was in France by late 1914; he was already a holder of the DCM from the Boar War and added a DSO and MC to his tally. Bernard, the younger of the brothers, also enlisted.
After the war Bradleys started to produce a wide range of textile items including items especially designed for the motorist such as driving coats, driving hats with goggles, capes etc. By the 1920s Bradleys had its own in-house fashion designers and tailoring departments and the workforce numbered around 600 of 'Bradleys Young Ladies'. A huge and luxurious range of fur items was offered to the well-heeled with prices going as high as 2,000 guineas for some coats, but they also designed the 'Guinea gown' for the discerning debutante on a budget. Wedding gowns and other gowns were also being made in-house and the company commissioned six Chrysler motor cars to have bodies built at Cricklewood for the sole benefit of being able to provide clients with a bespoke taxi service free of charge. By the 1930s Bradleys clients read like a list of Who's Who and clients included Mr & Mrs Winston Churchill, Hollywood film stars and members of the Royal family.
Bradleys underwent a major refit in the 1930's by architect James Albert Bowden and the entire interior of 1 Chepstow Place was remodelled in the Art Deco style with no expense spared by architect John Dean Monroe Harvey. Bradleys would have been a magnificent sight between the wars; one of London’s finest couture houses, resplendent in marble, bronze and gold leaf, with its own ghost purported to roam the first floor. J. A. Bowden also built a hostel for 'Bradley's Young Ladies' nearby in a similar style.
Bradleys maintained their specialisation in furs while becoming one of London’s leading high class dressmaking and tailoring establishments; a model house for couture, furs and clothes with workrooms and eighty-six individual fitting rooms occupying nearly six acres of Westbourne Grove and Chepstow Place. The main mannequins’ room was situated on the first floor so that the models and their clothes could be shown to maximum effect as they descended the sweep of the grand central staircase to the marbled ground floor reception.
Samuel junior died in the 1930's and the outbreak of WW2 saw Bradleys requisitioned by the local authority as a first-aid post. Bernard's two sons, Victor and Eric enlisted in the RAF, but by the time hostilities ceased and they returned in 1945 much had changed. The blitz on London and the doodle bug and V2 rocket attacks had caused casualties not just amongst the Bradleys personnel but also the buildings as well - the hat making facility being completely destroyed. Following WW2 even the wealthy were more cautious with their spending, especially on luxuries such as fur items and expensive gowns.
The building reverted to Bradleys in peacetime but business started to downturn in the early 1950's when Bernard passed away; it never recaptured the glamour of its heyday and was sold to the Co-Operative Insurance Society in 1952, becoming 'Baynards House'. It was occupied by a number of 'grey' government ministries like Her Majesty’s Factory Inspectorate and the Health and Safety Executive throughout the succeeding decades. It has recently been converted into luxury flats - but the 'B' cartouches on the facade remain.