Derry & Toms
Derry & Toms was a historic London department store in Kensington, best known for its Art Deco building and extensive Roof Gardens.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Derry & Toms was a London department store established on Kensington High Street in the nineteenth century. Its origins lay in a small drapery shop opened by Joseph Toms in 1853. In 1862, Toms entered into partnership with his brother-in-law, Charles Derry, creating the Derry & Toms business. The store expanded rapidly during the Victorian period, absorbing surrounding premises and developing a reputation for serving Kensington’s affluent customers. By 1870, the enterprise incorporated seven neighboring stores, including space used for a mourning department, reflecting the broad and specialized merchandise structure typical of major department stores of the period. The business became part of a larger local retail network in 1920, when neighboring department-store operator John Barker & Co. acquired Derry & Toms. John Barker & Co. already controlled Pontings, another nearby retailer, allowing the three stores to operate within a concentrated Kensington shopping district. Derry & Toms also invested in promotional design. In 1919 it commissioned poster artist F. Gregory Brown, whose advertising work included The Daintiest of Legwear at Derry & Toms, an example of the store’s use of stylish visual presentation to market fashion goods. A major transformation began in 1930, when construction started on a new seven-storey building. Designed by Bernard George in an Art Deco style, the building combined retail space with architectural and decorative features by notable artists and craftsmen. Walter Gilbert produced metalwork, while Charles Henry Mabey Jr. created panel reliefs titled Labour & Technology. The building opened in 1933 and became one of Kensington’s most recognizable commercial landmarks. The store’s most celebrated feature was its Roof Gardens, opened in 1938. Landscape architect Ralph Hancock designed the gardens after Trevor Bowen, the managing director of Barkers, had seen the gardens at Rockefeller Center in New York. The rooftop complex included themed planting areas and became a distinctive leisure destination as well as a retail amenity. The fifth-floor Rainbow Room served as the principal restaurant and hosted thousands of dinner dances, banquets, and events for private companies and government departments. This combination of shopping, dining, entertainment, and spectacle helped distinguish Derry & Toms from a conventional department store. In 1957, John Barker & Co. was acquired by House of Fraser, bringing Derry & Toms into that group. The store was sold to Biba in 1971, but Derry & Toms continued trading for approximately two more years. It closed in 1973. The building subsequently became the home of Big Biba, the expanded version of the Biba fashion operation, which closed in 1975. The former department-store site was later redeveloped into a mixture of smaller retail units and offices. The location has subsequently accommodated retailers and cultural or commercial occupiers including Marks & Spencer, H&M, Japan House London, Gap, Sony Music UK, Warner Music Group, and Equinox. Although the Derry & Toms retail business no longer operates, its architectural legacy remains visible. The Roof Garden has continued to exist after the store’s closure, and the building received Grade II listing in 1981; the Roof Garden had been listed at Grade II from 1978. The adjacent Derry Street also preserves the name of one of the store’s founders. Derry & Toms therefore survives primarily as a heritage retail name, an important Kensington building, and a landmark in the history of London department stores.
History
Derry & Toms developed from Joseph Toms’s drapery shop on Kensington High Street, opened in 1853. Toms joined with his brother-in-law Charles Derry in 1862, forming the partnership that gave the store its name. The business expanded through the acquisition or incorporation of adjoining shops and by 1870 had absorbed seven surrounding premises. Its departments included specialist retail space such as a mourning department, while its broader reputation was that of a supplier to Kensington’s upper-class residents. The store became part of a local department-store group in 1920 when John Barker & Co. acquired it. Barker’s also owned Pontings, situated on the other side of Derry & Toms, creating a cluster of related stores around Kensington High Street. Derry & Toms promoted itself through striking commercial art, including a 1919 commission from poster artist F. Gregory Brown. One of the resulting posters, The Daintiest of Legwear at Derry & Toms, later attracted attention in the antiques market. In 1930, redevelopment began on a new seven-storey store. Bernard George designed the building in an Art Deco idiom. Its decorative program included metalwork by Walter Gilbert and architectural relief panels by Charles Henry Mabey Jr. The completed building opened in 1933. Its best-known feature, the Roof Gardens, opened in 1938. Ralph Hancock designed the gardens after Barker’s managing director Trevor Bowen had drawn inspiration from Rockefeller Center in New York. The rooftop was conceived as an attraction in its own right, extending the store’s role beyond shopping. The fifth-floor Rainbow Room became the building’s principal restaurant and event space. It hosted dinner dances, banquets, and functions for businesses and government departments, helping Derry & Toms operate as a destination combining retail, dining, social events, and visual spectacle. This model reflected the interwar department store’s growing emphasis on experience and prestige as well as merchandise. House of Fraser acquired John Barker & Co. in 1957, placing Derry & Toms under its ownership. In 1971 the store was sold to Biba. Derry & Toms continued trading until 1973, after which the premises were adapted for Big Biba, which opened in 1974 and closed in 1975. The property was then redeveloped into smaller shops and office accommodation. Later occupiers included a variety of retail, cultural, entertainment, and corporate tenants. The original commercial identity disappeared, but the building and Roof Garden remained important elements of London’s architectural heritage. The Roof Garden received Grade II listing in 1978, and the main building was listed Grade II* in 1981. The name Derry is also retained in nearby Derry Street, preserving a link to the store’s founding partnership. Today, Derry & Toms is best understood as a defunct department-store brand whose significance rests on its role in Kensington retail history, its Art Deco architecture, its pioneering rooftop attraction, and its connection with the later Biba development.
- 1981
Building listed at Grade II*
[1]The former department-store building was listed at Grade II*, recognizing its architectural and historic importance.
- 1978
Roof Garden listed at Grade II
[1]The Roof Garden received formal heritage protection as a Grade II listed structure.
- 1975
Big Biba closes
[1]Big Biba ended its operation at the site, after which the property moved toward later retail and office uses.
- 1974
Big Biba opens in the former store
[1]The former Derry & Toms building became the home of Big Biba.
- 1973
Derry & Toms closes
[1]The original department-store business ceased trading.
- 1971
Sale to Biba
[1]The Derry & Toms site was sold to Biba while the department store continued operating temporarily.
- 1957
House of Fraser takes control
[1]House of Fraser acquired John Barker & Co., placing Derry & Toms within its retail group.
- 1938
Roof Gardens open
[1]Ralph Hancock’s rooftop gardens opened, becoming the store’s defining attraction and a London destination.
- 1933
New Kensington High Street building opens
[1]The new Art Deco building opened with decorative metalwork and relief panels by prominent designers and artists.
- 1930
Construction of the new Art Deco store begins
[1]Work began on a new seven-storey department-store building designed by Bernard George.
Products and positioning
A prestigious full-service London department store serving Kensington’s affluent clientele, combining fashion and general merchandise retail with hospitality, events, and architectural spectacle.
Department-store merchandise · 1853
Drapery and textiles
Drapery formed the foundation of Joseph Toms’s original business and remained part of the store’s broad textile-oriented retail identity. The early shop evolved from a small drapery operation into a much larger department store serving a wide range of household and personal needs.
Apparel
Fashion and hosiery
Clothing, legwear, and related fashion goods were among the store’s prominent offerings. The 1919 advertising commission for The Daintiest of Legwear at Derry & Toms illustrates the importance of fashion presentation and hosiery promotion within the retailer’s commercial identity.
General merchandise
Specialist department-store goods
Derry & Toms expanded beyond drapery into the varied departments expected of a major metropolitan store. Its documented specialist areas included a mourning department, while the broader business supplied goods to affluent Kensington customers.
Retail experience and leisure · 1938
Roof Gardens
Opened in 1938, the Roof Gardens were a landscaped rooftop attraction designed by Ralph Hancock. They extended the store’s offering beyond shopping by providing a destination for leisure, sightseeing, and social occasions, and remain the best-known feature associated with Derry & Toms.
Restaurant and events · 1933
Rainbow Room
The Rainbow Room was the principal restaurant on the building’s fifth floor. It hosted dinner dances, banquets, and functions for private companies and government departments, reinforcing the store’s positioning as a destination combining retail, hospitality, and entertainment.
Marketing campaigns
- 1919The Daintiest of Legwear at Derry & Toms
United Kingdom
Derry & Toms used poster artist F. Gregory Brown to promote its hosiery and fashion merchandise through a stylish commercial-art campaign.
Outcome. The poster became a notable surviving example of the store’s advertising and later attracted attention in the antiques market.
Brand decisions
1971
Sale of the site to BibaM&ABackground
The future of the large Kensington department-store premises was being reshaped as retail formats and ownership changed.
Action taken
The property was sold to Biba, while Derry & Toms continued trading for a limited period.
Aftermath
Derry & Toms closed in 1973 and the building was converted into Big Biba in 1974.
1957
Integration into House of FraserM&ABackground
Derry & Toms had previously operated under John Barker & Co., which was part of a wider Kensington retail structure.
Action taken
House of Fraser acquired John Barker & Co., bringing Derry & Toms into its corporate stewardship.
Aftermath
The store continued operating within the House of Fraser group until its later sale to Biba.
1938
Launch of the Roof GardensProduct launchBackground
The store sought to create a destination that offered customers experiences beyond conventional department-store shopping.
Action taken
Landscape architect Ralph Hancock designed and opened a substantial rooftop garden complex inspired in part by Rockefeller Center’s rooftop attractions.
Aftermath
The Roof Gardens became the store’s signature attraction and continued to exist after the retail business closed.
1930
Commissioning of a new flagship buildingStrategyBackground
The expanding department store required a purpose-built premises capable of presenting a modern, prestigious retail image.
Action taken
Derry & Toms began construction of a seven-storey Art Deco building designed by Bernard George, incorporating commissioned decorative work and later the Roof Gardens.
Aftermath
The building opened in 1933 and became the enduring architectural symbol of the brand.
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