Savoy, London
The iconic stainless steel canopy over Savoy Court
The already luxurious D’Oyly Carte hotel – from where Monet and Whistler painted the city from their rooms – was lavishly updated in the latest Art Deco style during the 1920s. Art Deco inspired interiors and furniture were installed as well as the iconic gleaming stainless steel canopy over Savoy Court, designed by Sir Howard Robertson. Kaspar The Savoy’s lucky black cat, carved by designer Basil Ionides in 1927, still joins diners as the 14th guest, when the number of diners is an unlucky 13. The Savoy was at the epicentre of the Jazz Age with the cream of American musicians playing on the Thames Foyer’s hydraulic stage and Chaplin and Astaire practising their acts on the hotel roof. Churchill – who was a great regular at The Savoy – even conducted cabinet meetings there during the War. A recent £230m restoration has stripped back to once again reveal the Art Deco and Edwardian grandeur.
