Earlier this month a 'Silence Room' opened in Selfridges as part of No Noise. This isn't a new idea, as the department store had a legendary Silence Room when it was opened in 1909 by the store's visionary founder, Harry Gordon Selfridge.The new Silence Room presents a fresh take on the original model but with the same purpose: providing an oasis of quiet for those eager to take a moment to pause and switch off. Designed by architect Alex Cochrane, this very quiet space has been created to encourage a mental detox and visitors will be asked to leave shoes, mobile phones and 21st century distractions at the door. The Silence Room stays until the end of February 2013.
Inner Space in Covent Garden also has a Quiet Room and is available all year round. Photo by Stuart Wilson/Getty Images for Selfridges | London Travel Blog
Now that is fantastic, please take note all other shopping venues. My wife could walk around for ages while I sit there with a good book. Oh heaven.
I remember some out-of-town shopping place used to have a ‘men’s creche’ with armchairs, TVs, a games station and magazines like GQ. It was always a popular space.