hotels
Savoy to Albemarle: The Tale of Wilde’s Demise
The Savoy On the 2nd March 1893, the Savoy Hotel’s adjoining rooms 362 and 361 were checked into by an Oscar Wilde rapidly approaching the apogee of his dramatic career. Soon to be joined by Lord Alfred Douglas – or ‘Bosie’ – to whom Wilde had been introduced some two years earlier, the pair would…
Read MoreLGBTQ+ History Month February 2021: do you have a story to share?
Hopefully, if you are reading this, you’ll know that Strandlines is a site dedicated to stories about and from the Strand area: from Trafalgar Square to where the Strand meets Fleet Street; Temple, Embankment and Charing Cross; and into the southern edge of Covent Garden. The editorial team are seeking stories, memories, art, short research…
Read MoreMonet’s Pied-à-terre
“I find London lovelier to paint each day” – Claude Monet. Monet’s link to London Monet fell in love with London in 1870-71, while in exile from France, during the Franco-Prussian war. After his return to France he vowed to revisit London, which he did in 1899, 1900 and 1901. In each of these three…
Read More‘I’d Rather Be an American Girl at the Savoy Hotel…’ — sponsored content, early-20th Century style
Sponsored content might sound like a development of the internet age, but far from it. On television and in the print media, companies have been managing their brands, shaping their public images and enticing consumers this way for years. Often called advertorials, these pieces blurred the lines between advertising or entertainment and objective journalism. They…
Read MoreMetropole Hotel Invoice
This is an invoice regarding the Metropole (or Metripole as gt Grandpa spelt it). J Garrod was Joseph Garrod, my great grandfather. The business was carried on by Edward, my grandfather and James & William my father and his brother. It is still going, trading as Garrod Brothers in North London. The owners are still family,…
Read MoreBuilding construction and demolition Strand Palace Hotel Foyer 1930 – 31
Few Art Deco buildings were more glamorous than the luxury hotel. In England, Claridges, the Savoy and the brand new Dorchester all had sumptuous Art Deco interiors. But Oliver P. Bernard’s designs for the Strand Palace made this one of the most celebrated hotel interiors in London. Bernard had worked as a set-designer in theatre…
Read MoreCount Peter and the Savoy
This week has seen the return to the Strand of a very important figure: Count Peter of Savoy. He’s the gilded figure on the pediment entrance to the Savoy Hotel who looks like a Wagnerian extra on the run. Now resplendently restored and polished, he looks alarmingly like Darth Vader. But it’s good to see…
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