Claridge's Hotel (London)

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The Origins of Claridge’s
Claridge’s first seed was sown in 1812, when James Mivart opened a hotel in the house at 51 Brook Street. The hotel was designed for guests who wished to stay in London for periods of time, rather than simply passing through, and apartments were let by the month, rather than by the night.

This was a successful venture and by 1817 he had acquired a second house to use as an annexe, at 57 Brook Street. This was the house that stood on the corner of Brook Street and Davies Street.

Five Consecutive Houses
By 1838, Mivart owned a row of five consecutive houses, knocking through to create one large hotel. The Great Exhibition of 1851 brought a great influx of visitors to London, and foreign royalty including the Grand Duke Alexander of Russia and King William III of the Netherlands made Mivart’s their home from home.

The Claridge’s
No. 49 Brook Street had always been a separate hotel, run by husband and wife William and Marianne Claridge. In 1854 they purchased Mivart’s; Mivart, now in his 70s, was able to retire, and the Claridges owned the entire row of houses from no. 49 to the corner of the block. The goodwill associated with the Mivart name was such that the hotel initially traded as “Claridge’s, late Mivart’s” until Mivart’s death in 1856.

Claridge’s, as the hotel would now be known, continued to attract the best of British and foreign aristocracy. Perhaps its greatest seal of approval came when Queen Victoria arrived with Prince Albert to visit the Empress Eugènie of France, who had made Claridge’s her winter quarters in 1860.

A Difficult Decade
By 1881 William Claridge was in poor health and reluctantly he and his wife sold the hotel to a consortium who lacked the personal touch.

More attractive hotels were being built in London at this time, offering such luxuries as electricity, lifts to all floors and en suite bathrooms. It was difficult to upgrade and Claridge’s suffered by comparison.

A New Beginning
The company which owned Claridge’s proposed the building of a new hotel on the site but by the early 1890s there was simply not enough money to make such an idea viable. In 1893 Richard D’Oyly Carte stepped into the picture.

D’Oyly Carte had already built The Savoy and realised the potential of Claridge’s immediately, and negotiated successfully to purchase the hotel from the consortium. Claridge’s became his second hotel in 1894, and was promptly closed down and completely demolished.

The New Claridge’s
A brand-new purpose-built hotel designed by C.W. Stephens was then erected on the site over the next four years, and Claridge’s reopened in November 1898.

The idea of offering apartments for long-term residents was retained but this was combined with the same modern technology and comforts – electricity, lifts and en-suite bathrooms – that had been such a success at The Savoy. The result was that Claridge’s retained its exclusive clientele, and remained popular particularly with visiting European royalty.

The First World War
Claridge’s was now a very successful hotel. It came into its own after the First World War, when many aristocrats were forced to sell their London houses. Keeping a house in London which one might only use for six months of the year had been very expensive. Renting a suite at the London Season was a great deal cheaper as the hiring and keeping of staff was no longer an issue.

A Favourite Society Venue
Claridge’s became a favourite society venue, and parts were redecorated by Basil Ionides in the mid-1920s to reflect the fashion for art deco that was starting to become popular.

At about the same time, the Duke of Westminster offered to sell the freehold of the site. The two houses were demolished and a new block was erected next to Stephen’s “original” Claridge’s.

During The Second World War
Claridge’s was fortunate to escape war-time bombing, and remained a popular social centre. The Grill Room with its separate entrance on Davies Street became Claridge’s Causerie in the early 1940s.

The Causerie, designed by Sir Howard Robertson, served smörgåsbord, and the twist was that clients could eat as much of this as they liked, while only paying for their drinks. This would have been a novelty at any time but was a brave and successful attempt to make rationing seem a little less depressing.

Royal Exile
Many royal families who found themselves exiled from their own countries as war raged across Europe made their way to the familiar haven that was Claridge’s. Notable among them was King Peter of Yugoslavia, exiled from his country in 1941 and his son, Crown Prince Alexander of Yugoslavia was born in Suite 212 in July 1945.

Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill declared the suite Yugoslav territory, and legend has it that a spadeful of Yugoslav earth was placed under the bed so that the heir to the throne could literally be born on Yugoslav soil.

Visiting Statesmen
After the War State delegations from all over the world stayed at Claridge’s, and many of these would be invited to attend a banquet in their honour at Buckingham Palace. Eventually it became traditional for visiting statesmen to return hospitality by hosting a banquet for H.M the Queen at Claridge’s, and the hotel staff were more than equal to the occasion.

As a result of this, the Royal Family became familiar with Claridge’s standards of hospitality and service, and chose to host many of their own private family parties at the hotel.

The Art Deco Jewel
In 1996 Claridge’s embarked on the first major designer restoration since the 1930s, when David Collins was invited to create a new cocktail bar. New York-based designer Thierry Despont was brought in to revitalise the Foyer area. Using archive photographs of the Ballroom Extension that dated from the early 1930s as inspiration, the space was completely made over in a modern art deco style, with a stunning, and completely up-to-the minute Dale Chihuly chandelier as its centrepiece.

A dramatic and notable way for Claridge’s to enter the 21st Century, Thierry Despont went on to create Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s which has one Michelin star now.

www.claridges.co.uk/