Claridge's
Encyclopedia
Claridge's is a luxury hotel in Mayfair
, central London
. It is located at the corner of Brook Street
and Davies Street.
Claridge's is a traditional grand hotel. Its extensive and old connections with royalty have led to it being referred to as an "extension to Buckingham Palace
". It was founded in 1812 as Mivart's Hotel, located in a conventional London terraced house
and grew by expanding into neighbouring houses. In 1854, the founder sold the hotel to a Mr and Mrs Claridge who owned a smaller hotel next door. They combined the two operations, and after trading for a time as "Mivart's at Claridge's", they settled on the current name. The reputation of the hotel was confirmed in 1860 when Empress Eugenie made an extended visit and entertained Queen Victoria
at the hotel.
Richard D'Oyly Carte
, the theatrical impressario and founder of the rival Savoy Hotel
, purchased Claridge's in 1894, as part of The Savoy Group, and shortly afterwards demolished the old buildings and replaced them with the present ones. This was prompted by the need to install modern facilities such as lifts
and en suite bathrooms. The new Claridge's, built by George Trollope & Sons
, opened in 1898. It is a Grade II listed building. The hotel currently has 203 rooms and suites.
After the First World War, Claridge's flourished due to demand from aristocrats who no longer maintained a London house, and under the leadership of Carte's son, Rupert D'Oyly Carte
, a new extension was built in the 1920s. Peter II of Yugoslavia
and his wife spent much of the Second World War in exile at Claridge's, and suite 212 was ceded by the United Kingdom
to Yugoslavia
for a single day (17 June 1945) to allow their heir, Crown Prince Alexander
, to be born on Yugoslav soil. In December 1951 West German
chancellor Konrad Adenauer
secretly met with World Jewish Congress
president Nahum Goldmann
at Claridge's to begin negotiations on German reparations
to Jewish survivors of the Holocaust.
Well-known actors, directors and entertainers who have used Claridge's include Cary Grant
, Audrey Hepburn
, regular visitor Alfred Hitchcock
, Brad Pitt
, Mick Jagger
, U2
and Mariah Carey
. The hotel lobby and several guestrooms appear in the 2001 Stephen Poliakoff
BBC
television drama Perfect Strangers
.
The main restaurant is currently run by Gordon Ramsay
and his head chef Steve Allen who replaced Mark Sargeant. Michelin
starred Northern Irish
chef Michael Deane
also started his career at the restaurant. Claridge's offers afternoon tea and has been endorsed by the Tea Guild. Claridge's has two ground floor bars: a main bar and a cigar bar known as The Fumoir. A wide variety of drinks and cocktails are available here and a good stock of well-stored Cuban cigars is kept in each of the bar's humidors. The smoking ban in England
has caused The Fumoir to stop selling cigars but it still serves a wide variety of scotch, bourbon, tequila, and brandy.
In 2005, The Savoy Group, including Claridge's, was sold to Quinlan Private, which sold off the Savoy Hotel
and Savoy Theatre
and renamed the group Maybourne Hotel Group
. In 2007 Claridge's gained worldwide media coverage by introducing a Water Menu containing various bottled waters sourced globally and from the United Kingdom such as Malmberg and Iskilde.
As of 2009, Claridge's continues to be owned and managed by Maybourne Hotel Group, which also includes two other five-star luxury hotels in London, The Berkeley
and The Connaught
.
Mayfair
Mayfair is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster.-History:Mayfair is named after the annual fortnight-long May Fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today...
, central London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. It is located at the corner of Brook Street
Brook Street
Brook Street is one of the principal streets on the Grosvenor Estate in the exclusive central London district of Mayfair. It was developed in the first half of the 18th century and runs from Hanover Square to Grosvenor Square. The continuation from Grosvenor Square to Park Lane is called Upper...
and Davies Street.
History
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
". It was founded in 1812 as Mivart's Hotel, located in a conventional London terraced house
Terraced house
In architecture and city planning, a terrace house, terrace, row house, linked house or townhouse is a style of medium-density housing that originated in Great Britain in the late 17th century, where a row of identical or mirror-image houses share side walls...
and grew by expanding into neighbouring houses. In 1854, the founder sold the hotel to a Mr and Mrs Claridge who owned a smaller hotel next door. They combined the two operations, and after trading for a time as "Mivart's at Claridge's", they settled on the current name. The reputation of the hotel was confirmed in 1860 when Empress Eugenie made an extended visit and entertained Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
at the hotel.
Richard D'Oyly Carte
Richard D'Oyly Carte was an English talent agent, theatrical impresario, composer and hotelier during the latter half of the Victorian era...
, the theatrical impressario and founder of the rival Savoy Hotel
Savoy Hotel
The Savoy Hotel is a hotel located on the Strand, in the City of Westminster in central London. Built by impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan operas, the hotel opened on 6 August 1889. It was the first in the Savoy group of hotels and restaurants owned by...
, purchased Claridge's in 1894, as part of The Savoy Group, and shortly afterwards demolished the old buildings and replaced them with the present ones. This was prompted by the need to install modern facilities such as lifts
Elevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
and en suite bathrooms. The new Claridge's, built by George Trollope & Sons
Trollope & Colls
Trollope & Colls was once one of the United Kingdom's largest construction companies.-History:The Company was formed out of the merger of George Trollope & Sons and Colls & Sons .The merged firm started to specialise in civil engineering and during World War...
, opened in 1898. It is a Grade II listed building. The hotel currently has 203 rooms and suites.
After the First World War, Claridge's flourished due to demand from aristocrats who no longer maintained a London house, and under the leadership of Carte's son, Rupert D'Oyly Carte
Rupert D'Oyly Carte
Rupert D'Oyly Carte was an English hotelier, theatre owner and impresario, best known as proprietor of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and Savoy Hotel from 1913 to 1948....
, a new extension was built in the 1920s. Peter II of Yugoslavia
Peter II of Yugoslavia
Peter II, also known as Peter II Karađorđević , was the third and last King of Yugoslavia...
and his wife spent much of the Second World War in exile at Claridge's, and suite 212 was ceded by the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
for a single day (17 June 1945) to allow their heir, Crown Prince Alexander
Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia
Alexander II Karadjordjevic, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia , is the former crown prince of the former Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the head of the House of Karadjordjevic. Alexander is the only child of former King Peter II of Yugoslavia and Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark...
, to be born on Yugoslav soil. In December 1951 West German
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
chancellor Konrad Adenauer
Konrad Adenauer
Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer was a German statesman. He was the chancellor of the West Germany from 1949 to 1963. He is widely recognised as a person who led his country from the ruins of World War II to a powerful and prosperous nation that had forged close relations with old enemies France,...
secretly met with World Jewish Congress
World Jewish Congress
The World Jewish Congress was founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in August 1936 as an international federation of Jewish communities and organizations...
president Nahum Goldmann
Nahum Goldmann
Nahum Goldmann was a leading Zionist and the founder and longtime president of the World Jewish Congress.-Biography:...
at Claridge's to begin negotiations on German reparations
Reparations Agreement between Israel and West Germany
The Reparations Agreement between Israel and West Germany was signed on September 10, 1952, and entered in force on March 27, 1953...
to Jewish survivors of the Holocaust.
Well-known actors, directors and entertainers who have used Claridge's include Cary Grant
Cary Grant
Archibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
, Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn was a British actress and humanitarian. Although modest about her acting ability, Hepburn remains one of the world's most famous actresses of all time, remembered as a film and fashion icon of the twentieth century...
, regular visitor Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
, Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt
William Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
, Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
, U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
and Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
. The hotel lobby and several guestrooms appear in the 2001 Stephen Poliakoff
Stephen Poliakoff
Stephen Poliakoff, CBE, FRSL is an acclaimed British playwright, director and scriptwriter, widely judged amongst Britain's foremost television dramatists.-Early life and career:...
BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television drama Perfect Strangers
Perfect Strangers (BBC TV series)
Perfect Strangers is an acclaimed television drama first aired in 2001, produced for BBC Two. It was written and directed by Stephen Poliakoff, and starred Michael Gambon, who won a British Academy Television Award for his performance, Lindsay Duncan, Matthew Macfadyen and Claire Skinner...
.
The main restaurant is currently run by Gordon Ramsay
Gordon Ramsay
Gordon James Ramsay, OBE is a Scottish chef, television personality and restaurateur. He has been awarded 13 Michelin stars....
and his head chef Steve Allen who replaced Mark Sargeant. Michelin
Michelin Guide
The Michelin Guide is a series of annual guide books published by Michelin for over a dozen countries. The term normally refers to the Michelin Red Guide, the oldest and best-known European hotel and restaurant guide, which awards the Michelin stars...
starred Northern Irish
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
chef Michael Deane
Michael Deane
Michael Deane is a chef from Lisburn, Northern Ireland.Deane started his career at Claridge's in London. In 1993 he moved back to Northern Ireland and opened Deane's on the Square with his cousin, the entrepreneur, Haydn Deane in Helen's Bay, County Down...
also started his career at the restaurant. Claridge's offers afternoon tea and has been endorsed by the Tea Guild. Claridge's has two ground floor bars: a main bar and a cigar bar known as The Fumoir. A wide variety of drinks and cocktails are available here and a good stock of well-stored Cuban cigars is kept in each of the bar's humidors. The smoking ban in England
Smoking ban in England
A smoking ban in England and Wales, making it illegal to smoke in all enclosed public places and enclosed work places in England, came into force on 1 July 2007 as a consequence of the Health Act 2006...
has caused The Fumoir to stop selling cigars but it still serves a wide variety of scotch, bourbon, tequila, and brandy.
In 2005, The Savoy Group, including Claridge's, was sold to Quinlan Private, which sold off the Savoy Hotel
Savoy Hotel
The Savoy Hotel is a hotel located on the Strand, in the City of Westminster in central London. Built by impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan operas, the hotel opened on 6 August 1889. It was the first in the Savoy group of hotels and restaurants owned by...
and Savoy Theatre
Savoy Theatre
The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre located in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre opened on 10 October 1881 and was built by Richard D'Oyly Carte on the site of the old Savoy Palace as a showcase for the popular series of comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan,...
and renamed the group Maybourne Hotel Group
Maybourne Hotel Group
Maybourne Hotel Group is a British luxury hotel operator. It was formed on January 24, 2005 by Quinlan Private, after it had sold The Savoy. Maybourne Hotel group owns and manages The Berkeley, Claridge's and The Connaught. Derek Quinlan is the firm's controlling shareholder....
. In 2007 Claridge's gained worldwide media coverage by introducing a Water Menu containing various bottled waters sourced globally and from the United Kingdom such as Malmberg and Iskilde.
As of 2009, Claridge's continues to be owned and managed by Maybourne Hotel Group, which also includes two other five-star luxury hotels in London, The Berkeley
The Berkeley
The Berkeley is a five star deluxe hotel, located in Wilton Place, Knightsbridge, London. It is managed by Maybourne Hotel Group, who also manage Claridge's and The Connaught in Mayfair, London.-Description:...
and The Connaught
The Connaught (hotel)
The Connaught in Carlos Place, Mayfair, central London, is a five star luxury hotel.The hotel first opened in 1815 as the Prince of Saxe Coburg Hotel, an offshoot of a hotel opened by Alexander Grillon in Albemarle Street, Mayfair, and was originally a pair of Georgian houses in Charles Street,...
.
