The Jewel of Knightsbridge: The Origins of the Harrods Empire

by Robin Harrod

In 1836, Charles Harrod found himself in a prison hulk awaiting transportation to Tasmania for seven years’ hard labor. He had been convicted of receiving stolen goods, and this should have been the beginning of the end for his fledgling business. And yet, in miraculously escaping his fate and vowing to turn his back on crime, he would become the much-esteemed founder of the now-legendary Harrods in London’s fashionable Knightsbridge district. Some years later, Charles was succeeded by his son, who took the shop from a successful local grocer to a remarkable department store, patronized by the wealthy and famous. This book reveals the previously unknown and scandalous origins of the store, and follows its remarkable fortunes to the end of the 19th century, when its shares were floated on the stock exchange, thus completing one of the most extraordinary comeback stories in the history of commerce.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

256 pages, Hardcover

Published May 1, 2017

Reviews

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Founded in 1849 by Henry Charles Harrod who was a draper, a mercer, and a grocer, the beginnings of today's Harrod's Ltd almost didn't survive when Henry Charles was nearly transported to Australia when convicted for receiving stolen goods (grocery items that delivery people from other stores would sell to their employer's competitors) but multiple letters and petitions signed by hundreds incited the judge to give him a second chance.

And thus goes one of the tales that Robin Harrod, great-great-grandson of Henry Charles, that is included in his relaying of the history of his family. Because that is basically what this is - a reporting of the family from Henry Charles (he used two names since many of the same names are repeatedly used and confusion would easily occur) through his (at least) seven children of which the 3rd child, Charles Digby, took up the reins of the store and started the massive expansion and growth which eventually led to the famous department store of today.

Robin goes into other notable occurrences as the store grew - the first moving staircase in 1898, for example. The fire in December 1883 that destroyed a majority of the store but Charles Digby promised to fulfill his commitments to his customers - which he did and gained a tremendous amount of customer loyalty. Either due to ill health or just plain exhaustion (40 years working at Harrod's), he sold his interest in 1889, creating a limited liability company. Initially positive, it soon was going not well under the general manager of William Sweet who was removed and Charles Digby was begged to return which he did for 7 months training Richard Burbridge. And that pretty much ends the story of the Harrod's and the store their family founded. At least in this book.

Charles Digby and his wife had 8 children, mostly daughters, and Robin goes into their lives - marriages, careers, descendants. One - Henry Herbert collected fairy illustrations of which a significant part of his collection now belongs to the Victoria & Albert museum as well as having written fairy tales and being a significant collector of small arms.

What I mostly took away from this book - besides the interesting view into Victorian England - was the difficulty that Robin Harrod when through trying to trace his ancestors. The records - some which are available on the internet now - to the the various census records of where everyone lived each year (and street names changed). Someone interesting in researching their own family history - mostly in England - might be able to catch several new resources.

Otherwise, it's a bit dry. Interesting but dry.

2025-034

[Nick Sanders · Rating 1 out of 5]

However interesting this might have been, it isn't. The book drowns from the beginning in an overabundance of facts and factoids. Perhaps interesting material for a forensic accountant, but who cares for a sixteenth cousin thrice removed in god knows what godforsaken place in the world, unless he or she is relevant to the story. I reached about a third part of the book, and I had yet to find the first mention of something remotely related to the history of the Jewel Of Knightsbridge. So I have closed the book, never to reopen it again.

[Carol · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oops for some reason (perhaps the title) I thought this was going to be about the jewel in Knightsbridge as in the store. Wrong! I stumbled through it and will unfortunately never get that time back. If you want to know about the family tree and every branch, twig and leaf including those that aren't even on the tree than go for it.

[Tony Line · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very well researched history of the Harrod family, with some detail of the store. It also stops just after the second Harrod retires. Not the full history of Harrods I wanted.