Liberty of London

Ah, Liberty. Lovely Liberty. The eccentric aunt of the London department store scene. What she looks like on the outside pretty much reflects what she's like on the inside, all wooden beams and cosy corners — and a memorial on the stairs to staff who died during the second world war. While that's great for posterity (it really feels like visiting an old relative), it's not great for navigation — there's no central staircase or escalator, and a floor plan of the whole store wouldn't go amiss.

Staff are happy to let you browse, but are knowledgable about their sections when help is needed. Products range from a 25p button to upwards of £2,000 for a rug, but the main focus is on Liberty print items. The famous design has been applied to everything from notebooks (£19.95) to hair scrunchies (£16!). The Tudor-style Liberty building also features heavily, and is splashed across everything from china moneyboxes to advent calendars.

A combination of unobtrusive music, reasonable temperatures and a generally relaxed atmosphere make for a rather lovely browsing environment, which is quite a happy coincidence, as finding an exit — let alone the same one you entered by — is no mean feat.