‘Inside Harrods’ shares rich, complicated history of famous department store

“Inside Harrods,” airs Monday, Dec. 21 at 9 p.m., chronicles the world’s most famous department store in London from its humble beginnings to a giant in British retail and as a symbol of aristocracy.

Recognized for its celebrity-endorsed sales, food hall and signature green bags, Harrods is one of the world’s largest and most famous department stores. With more than a million square feet of space, Harrods sells luxury and everyday items across seven floors and 330 departments, and features one of the world’s oldest escalators circa 1898.

A site of many historical events since it opened in 1849, Harrods was where Winnie the Pooh and all his friends were purchased and brought to life in children’s books, but has also been host to plenty of unfortunate incidents. It’s also changed ownership several times to global pursuers and been victim to IRA attacks on two occasions. Harrods was linked with further tragedy in 1997, when its owner’s son, Dodi Al-Fayed, was killed in a car crash alongside Princess Diana.