The Old Tobacco Shop - Fribourg and Treyer, Haymarket, London

first all drawn out in pencil

then on goes the pen

the first colours are the easy ones...

Here is the finished painting

 I have had my eye on this beautiful and historic old shop front in London's Haymarket. The large bow windows were once a regular sight on London's streets but the law was changed and shops were no longer allowed such large bays. This may be the oldest shopfront in London, still in use as a shop, and it sits on a very busy Haymarket with tourists and workers rushing past on their way to Leicester square and around the west end, rushing past. I wonder how many have stopped to look at the building!
Once tobacconists to royalty, Fribourg and Treyer had traded here for centuries, only closing around 30 years ago. it is well worth a visit inside the shop which is now a Souvenir shop, to see all the original shelves, doors and fittings, even a glass dividing screen. Imagine what this shop has seen over the years!