John Lewis Kingston

John Lewis Kingston is a John Lewis & Partners department store in Kingston upon Thames, London, England. Opened in September 1990, the store is located adjacent to Kingston Bridge and The Bentall Centre. The building is bisected by the A308 road in tunnel at ground level, part of the Kingston one-way system.

John Lewis Kingston
Clarence Street frontage
General information
StatusOpen, in use
TypeDepartment store
LocationKingston upon Thames, London
AddressWood St, KT1 1TE
Coordinates51.41140°N 0.30717°W / 51.41140; -0.30717
Current tenantsJohn Lewis & Partners and Waitrose
Construction started1986
OpenedSeptember 1990
OwnerJohn Lewis Partnership
Design and construction
Architect(s)Paul Koralek
Architecture firmAhrends, Burton and Koralek
Civil engineerARUP
Other information
Parking700
Website
https://www.johnlewis.com/our-shops/kingston

History

In the late 1960s, John Lewis began searching for a site to serve wealthy south west London and Surrey, considering locations such as Croydon, Sutton and Kingston. The site at Horsefair was considered, however due to Kingston's reputation for poor traffic congestion, the scheme was not proceeded with.[1][2]

Following negotiations with landowners, agreement was reached with the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames to build a store on the site in the late 1970s. However, the Greater London Council (GLC) would not fund the proposed Relief Road scheme that would allow for the development of the site. Following the abolition of the GLC in 1986, Kingston Council proceeded with the Relief Road scheme itself, thereby allowing development to commence.[2][3][4]

View of the store from Kingston Bridge
Interior of the store

Construction

During initial archaeological excavation work in the early 1980s, a 14th-century chalk and flint underground cellar and remains of the 12th century Kingston Bridge were uncovered.[5][6][7] Both structures were removed, and reinstated in the John Lewis basement alongside the Riverside Walk - with glass panels allowing viewing of the structures.[8][2]

Construction began in October 1986.[9] 18m deep diaphragm walls were required to dig the 3 basement levels, directly adjacent to the River Thames. Over 145,000m3 of material was excavated.[9] Although the A308 road passes through the building in tunnel, the structure was actually built as a "bridge" through the building to minimise vibration and noise for customers of the store.[9] The tunnel opened as part of the Relief Road scheme in 1989, allowing the main shopping streets in Kingston to be pedestrianised.

The store opened in September 1990, after fit out and other finishing work.[10][11] The project was commended in the 1991 Civic Trust Awards.[12]

The store was refurbished in 2013, with an expansion of the ground floor over the Waitrose basement level.[13]

Proposed redevelopment

In 2022, Kingston Council proposed that the site could be redeveloped in the longer term (10 to 20 years) for residential, commercial and business uses.[14] In response to the Council's proposal, John Lewis noted that the proposal was "purely speculative" and that "we do not have any plans to close or redevelop the branch".[15]

Design and artwork
Aspects of the Sun, 1990 by Lucienne Day

Designed by Paul Koralek of architects Ahrends, Burton and Koralek, the store comprises stepped terraces linked by escalators, with a large glazed roof allowing daylight throughout the store.[16][4] In the basement of the store is a Waitrose supermarket, as well as 700 parking spaces. The outside of the building is faced with yellow brick with intricate details and patterns.[11][17]

Koralek stated that the design of the store was inspired by the 19th century Parisian department stores of Le Bon Marché or Printemps - with the desire to create "a Peter Jones of the 1990s".[2]

Textile designer and John Lewis Partnership design consultant Lucienne Day was commissioned to create two large silk mosaic artworks for the store - Aspects of the Sun, and Islands. Originally located in the café, the artworks were re-hung in elsewhere in the building in September 2016.[18]

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the store in September 2010, a mosaic mural of local historic buildings was installed on the outside of the building along the Riverside Walk. This was designed by Yasha Shrimpton, Howard Grange and members of staff - in collaboration with the Save The World Club.[19]

References
  1. "Introduction - John Lewis & Partners Kingston". John Lewis Memory Store. 26 August 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  2. "The history of John Lewis Kingston". John Lewis Partnership. Archived from the original on 22 January 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  3. "John Lewis Kingston - Obstructions to construction". John Lewis Memory Store. 26 August 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  4. Powell, Ken (2012). Ahrends, Burton and Koralek. London: RIBA. 84-88. ISBN 978-1-85946-166-2. OCLC 798068720.
  5. "Remains of an undercroft and 12th century bridge under John Lewis". www.ianvisits.co.uk. 10 December 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  6. "John Lewis Kingston - Unearthing history at Kingston". John Lewis Memory Store. 5 September 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  7. "Kingston's Archaeology". Kingston upon Thames Archaeological Society. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  8. "UNDERCROFT AND OLD BRIDGE REMAINS IN JOHN LEWIS BASEMENT Report by the Director of Environmental Services and Borough Valuer". Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. 23 January 2007. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  9. Lyall, Sutherland (Winter 1989). "Riverside Store" (PDF). Concrete Quarterly. pp. 10–17. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  10. "John Lewis Kingston - The Grand Opening of John Lewis Kingston, 1990". John Lewis Memory Store. 26 August 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  11. "The Arup Journal 1991 Issue 1 - Arup". ARUP. 1991. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  12. "John Lewis | Civic Trust Awards". Civic Trust Awards. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  13. Roland, Denise (27 February 2013). "John Lewis puts faith in bricks and mortar with £50m investment". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  14. "Kingston Upon Thames Local Plan Site Allocations" (PDF), Kingston Upon Thames Council, retrieved 28 December 2022
  15. O'Conner, Tara; Jackson, Matt (5 December 2022). "John Lewis says Kingston store is 'very important' to chain". SurreyLive. Retrieved 29 December 2022. A John Lewis Partnership spokesperson said: "Kingston is a very important store both to us and our customers, who love shopping there. We have a very long lease, which gives us long term control over its use and we do not have any plans to close or redevelop the branch. The local plan announced by the council is purely speculative, suggesting potential development opportunities across numerous locations over the long term, and in no way implies any proposed changes on our part."
  16. "John Lewis, Kingston-on-Thames | ABK Architects Dublin". ABK Architects. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  17. Allinson, Kenneth (1993). Guide to London's contemporary architecture. Victoria Thornton. Oxford: Butterworth Architecture. ISBN 978-0-7506-0782-7. OCLC 691067169.
  18. Jackson, Lesley (2011). Robin and Lucienne Day: Pioneers of Contemporary Design (revised 2011 ed.). Mitchell Beazley: Mitchell Beazley. pp. 160–164. ISBN 9781845336349.
  19. Robertson, Louise (21 September 2010). "Staff help celebrate Kingston John Lewis' 20 years". Your Local Guardian. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
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