LONDON CLUBS
grew and grew , culminating in the mass resignation from the club of 13 Lancers . The unrepentant officer in question went on to serve with distinction in the Afghan War of 1878 , no doubt still chomping on his cigar .
Exiting from a suit fitting in Savile Row , the nearest traditional club is Buck ’ s , a mere two-minute walk away on the corner of Clifford Street and Old Burlington Street . Located inside an impressive Georgian townhouse , it really does have the character of a home from home . Opened in 1919 by army officers looking for a less formal establishment , it soon gained a reputation for attracting a younger , racier crowd . Buck ’ s Fizz , the champagne and orange juice cocktail , was invented there in 1921 and writer PG Wodehouse , who was a keen visitor , used it as the model for his own fictional Drones Club . Actor Robert Hardy and former Prime Minister Sir John Major are recent members , as was Sir Denis Thatcher , whose wife Margaret became the club ’ s first honorary female member . On the first floor is its celebrated American Bar , above which hangs a fine portrait of Captain Buckmaster , the jovial founder of the club .
Strolling further into the heart of Mayfair , across New Bond Street , you come to the Savile Club in Brook Street . Embracing more arty types , its dress code is a little more relaxed , preferring smart casual and not insisting on a tie – but I always wear a tie anyway , as what is the fun of entering a beautiful interior if you are not equally well presented ? And what an interior it is , having two distinct personalities . Originally two townhouses linked together , its extravagant rooms were the work of Walter Burns , the brother-in-law of the New York multi-millionaire JP Morgan . Sitting in the bar , it is all late Victorian dark wood panelling , very masculine and traditionally club-like , underlined by a leering image of Bacchus reminding us of our purpose there . But then follow your host up the stupendous staircase to the dining room and you are in a wonderfully playful rococo space of mirrors and gilded decoration directly from Paris . What a surprise !
Drawing its membership mainly from the arts , past literary greats at the Savile have included Thomas Hardy , HG Wells , Rudyard Kipling , Max Beerbohm , AA
Time for reflection in the library of the Travellers Club
Milne and WB Yeats , while Robert Louis Stevenson wrote in his diary when he was far away in Samoa , “ It ’ s Friday today . I wish I were in the Savile .” That was the day they served roast beef and beer . Incidentally , the club gets its name from the fact it was once located in Savile Row in the late 19th century .
Traditional club land is mainly located immediately south of Savile Row across Piccadilly in St James ’ s . Palatial club houses line Pall Mall and St James ’ s Street , but two of my favourite clubs sit in St James ’ s Square . The balcony of the East India Club , on the west side of the square , was where news of Wellington ’ s victory at Waterloo was first announced to an excited crowd . A plaque on the outside of the building recording this event was placed there in 2015 as part of the square ’ s celebrations of the bicentennial of the great battle . Inside the club , I love sitting in its dining room surrounded by portraits of nabobs – merchants rich from trade in the Far East – eating a curry and drinking the excellent club claret .
Directly opposite the East India is the Naval and Military Club , relocated there from its long-time home in Piccadilly in 1999 . It was the original gate posts marked boldly “ In ” and “ Out ” for horse drawn coaches that gave the club its informal name and these have been reproduced on the columns of the entrance . Previously the home of Lady Astor , the club has beautifully restored its breath-taking interiors , most notably the Grand Stair leading to the Coffee Room – its dining room , replete with epic military paintings , gilded carving , mirrors and cherubs , plus , of course , a magnificent view across St James ’ s Square . There is no grander place to eat a breakfast of bacon and eggs in the whole of London .
The dining room at the Savile Club exudes an air of elegance
42 SAVILE ROW STYLE MAGAZINE