Bluebird Garage Cafe, King’s Road Building, Chelsea Restaurant, Bar, Cafe
Bluebird Garage Cafe London : King’s Road Restaurant
Bluebird Garage west London – Chelsea Café Bar design by Sir Terence Conran
18 Sep 2011
Bluebird Garage
Location: 330-350 King’s Road, Chelsea, SW3 5UU
Date built: 1923
Design: Robert Sharp
photograph © Adrian Welch
Bluebird Gastrodrome – Restaurant, Bar & Cafe / Sainsbury’s Supermarket
Date of renewal: 1997
Design: Conran Roche (now Conran & Partners)
Former garage for the Bluebird Motor Company, reputedly the largest in Europe at the time.
Location: 330-340 King’s Road, Chelsea, southwest London
photo © Nick Weall
The Bluebird Garage closed in 1927 and later became an ambulance station.
Sir Terence Conran’s architects designed a conversion into the Bluebird Gastrodrome with a Sainsbury’s below. The retail space was later converted The Shop at Bluebird.
photograph© Nick Weall
Bluebird Restaurant & Bar, Bluebird Café & Forecourt, Bluebird Food Store, Bakery and Wine Cellar
The garage was built for the Bluebird Motor Company in 1923, designed to the very latest style by the architect Robert Sharp. At the time of its completion the garages were claimed to be the largest in Europe. At 50,000 sq ft (4,600 m2), there was room for 300 cars in the main garage, a further 7,000 sq ft (650 m2) was given over to workshops. On either side of the garage two further buildings contained lounges and writing rooms. The lounges were segregated for ladies, owners and chauffeurs.
photo © Adrian Welch
The land speed record breaker Malcolm Campbell was connected with the Bluebird garage, initially holding the franchise for Itala and Ballot cars. He raced both of these marques, using this hobby as a form of advertising. In 1925 he also became the agent for the newly founded Chrysler company.
photo © Adrian Welch
In later years the building was used as an ambulance station. In the late 1990s the main building housed a fashion market.
In 1997 the building was converted by Sir Terence Conran’s Conran Group into the ‘Bluebird Gastrodrome’, including a restaurant, bar, café and private dining rooms.
photo © Nick Weall
The garage area was occupied by the Sainsbury’s supermarket chain as an experimental ‘concept’ shop. Sainsbury’s withdrew from the space which made way for ‘the shop at bluebird’, a high-end clothes, furniture and book shop.
Source: wikipedia
photos © Nick Weall
Bluebird Garage redevelopment architects : Conran & Partners
Location: 330-350 King’s Road, West London, England, UK
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A related building in west London by Conran:
Michelin House redevelopment, Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, southwest London
Date of renewal: 1987
Design: Conran Roche
photo © Nick Weall
Michelin House
Lanesborough Hotel & Spa, Hyde Park Corner, Belgravia, Southwest London
Architecture: Filer & Cox ; Interiors: 1508
image from architects
Lanesborough Hotel & Spa
Central St Giles
Design: Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW)
Comments / photos for the Bluebird Garage Cafe London – King’s Road Restaurant page welcome
Website: www.bluebird-restaurant.co.uk/
