To spot London Court, just glance ahead for a fairytale-like building with brown wooden beams, white-washed walls, and a large, ornate clock at the entrance, framed by striking wrought-iron gates and stripes of color from the shop awnings below.
Now, let’s transport you back to 1937, when Perth was buzzing with excitement for the grand opening of London Court. Imagine walking under a canopy of timbered gables, feeling like you’ve accidentally wandered into a slice of old London, right in the heart of Western Australia. The air would have been filled with the sounds of laughter, music, and-if you time it just right-the cheerful clanging of a grand clock, as four tiny knights burst forth for a jousting display above your head. Every hour, shoppers and passersby look up, drawn by the magical duel. Meanwhile, Saint George bravely takes on a dragon in a tiny stained-glass window at the opposite end, making you wonder if you’ve stumbled into a storybook.
London Court was the dream of Claude de Bernales, a man with a golden touch and a vision as grand as his fortune from Western Australia’s goldfields. He wanted more than just a place to shop-he wanted a destination, a bridge between Perth’s busy railway station and the buzzing heart of town. So he gathered brilliant architects and clever engineers, who built this arcade faster than you could say “Elizabethan splendor.” Inside once lived lucky residents in fancy flats, alongside shopkeepers and a surprising number of postmen-yes, there was even a dedicated postal service to ferry parcels up and down those flats and offices.
Outside, you’ll notice all sorts of quirky details: grimacing gargoyles, playful masks, shields, and banners that hint at London’s great medieval past, plus leadlight windows and gabled roofs that would make even Shakespeare feel right at home. Statues of Dick Whittington and Sir Walter Raleigh peer down from the towers, keeping a close eye for wayward cats or lost explorers.
On opening day, Sir James Mitchell declared London Court “an ornament to the city” and thousands flocked here, some donning ruffled Elizabethan hats, for three joyous days of laughter, drama, and song. Today, as you pass through, imagine the echo of those celebrations in every footstep and the legacy of nearly a century’s worth of stories, laughter, and yes, the occasional chime of a clock that never wants you to squander a single minute. If only all shopping trips came with gallant knights and a dragon or two!
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