Type | Private/ceased trading 1971 |
---|---|
Industry | Retail |
Genre | Department Store |
Founded | 1860 |
Founder(s) | Joseph Toms, Charles Derry |
Headquarters | Kensington High Street, London, England |
Owner(s) | John Barker & Co |
Derry & Toms was a London department store.
The company dates back to the 1860s, when Joseph Toms, a store proprietor joined forces with his brother-in-law, Charles Derry. In 1920 John Barker & Co acquired Derry & Toms.
In 1932, the store moved to large seven story building on Kensington High Street, the building was designed in an Art Deco style popular at the time by Bernard George and featured metalwork by Walter Gilbert, the store's building is most famous for its Kensington Roof Gardens, which still remains today. The main restaurant was on the fifth floor and was called "The Rainbow Room". It became a venue for thousands of "Dinner & Dances" (banquets) for both private firms and government departments from the 1950s until the entire store changed hands.
The company closed in the early 1970s, when it was bought by Biba,[1] which remained there for only a few years. The location is now a Marks and Spencers.