The Savoy
A London hotel and theatre that made history firsts
Introduction
When you think of the Savoy Hotel, what word comes to mind? Probably luxury! It is, after all, a 5-star, deluxe hotel in London. Indeed, it was the first of its kind in London.
When it opened in 1889, it set new standards for luxury, comfort and service that no one had ever heard of before.
But wait, did the Savoy Hotel comes first or the Savoy Theatre?
The Savoy Theatre
It was, in fact, the theatre, which opened in 1881. Above, you can see the entrance to the Savoy Theatre, which is perpendicular to the Savoy Hotel entrance.
From a distance, the theatre itself isn’t obvious. At present there is an advertisement in red, black and white high up on the left-hand corner building with lights around it, besides a small one on the right-hand side (see top picture). Further along, on the right-hand side there is a vertical sign that you barely notice in daylight.
Below is the stage door entrance showing the placard more clearly at eye level of Nicole Scherzinger as lead star of Sunset Blvd., the musical currently showing.
A major claim to fame for the Savoy Theatre was that it was the first public building in the world to be lit by incandescent electric lights.
Apparently the first audiences were so scared of the new technology — presumably having been used to gas lamps — that the theatre manager himself had to climb up on stage to reassure the people.
The theatre is claimed to be:
I haven’t been inside and tastes vary, so I can’t comment.
I did see a stage hand put rubbish (US: trash) outside a side entrance and asked if I could take a peek inside.
Yes, I know, it was cheeky of me! He politely pointed to the camera trained on the door, saying he wasn’t allowed to let me in. Oh well, it was worth a try! You’ll have to Google it instead to see inside.
Introducing D’Oyly Carte
The theatre itself was initiated by a gentleman called Richard D’Oyly Carte.
He was what’s known as an impressario — someone, who is the promoter, manager, or conductor of an opera or concert company.
D’Oyly Carte wanted his own theatre, where he could showcase the comic operettas of his friends Gilbert and Sullivan.
He had already promoted Gilbert and Sullivan’s operettas across the Atlantic with huge success, in the 1870s and 1880s. In America, he was able to stay in a fair few fancy hotels — some of the newest and best hotels available that had adopted new technologies.
Savoy Hotel firsts
What D’Oyly Carte saw impressed him to such a degree that he decided to build his own hotel back home in London. He’d gathered a fair few fancy ideas from the amazing technologies he’d encountered.
After a five-year building project, he had his Savoy Hotel built, which opened on August 6, 1889. It was the first genuine, luxury hotel in London and caused quite a sensation.
Like his theatre, the Savoy Hotel was the first hotel to be lit by electricity. It was a novelty for guests to be able to turn the lights on and off whenever they wanted to!
Another first was its ascending rooms, which we call electric lifts (US: elevators) today.
Guest rooms were connected to the valet, maid and floor waiter by speaking tubes. Room service, sir?
Even more groundbreaking, the guests no longer needed to walk down the corridor to the loo or toilet (US: bathroom). No, the Savoy was the first hotel here to have en suite bathrooms.
How we take these luxuries for granted today!
Naming the Savoy
Above the iconic stainless steel sign of the Savoy Hotel stands a gilded, bronze statue. As a mediaeval figure, it looks rather out of place against the modern frontage.
Yet it’s vital to how the Savoy got its name. To discover how, we must go back to mediaeval times 600 years before D’Oyly Carte.
In 1246, King Henry III presented a piece of land to Peter of Savoy, the Earl of Richmond (and later Count of Savoy).
Why? Because Peter was uncle and consort to Henry’s wife, Eleanor of Provence. So the king was rather well-disposed towards Uncle Peter.
Later in 1263, Uncle Peter built a palace on that land and called it the Savoy Palace.
The palace no longer exists thanks to the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381. The peasants were very angry at the new poll tax and demonstrated their strong feelings by completely trashing the palace.
However, that area has been associated with Savoy ever since.
The land Uncle Peter was given is more or less where the Savoy Hotel and Theatre are today. So when D’Oyly Carte came along, he named his theatre, and then his hotel, Savoy.
The statue of Peter Count of Savoy was erected in 1904, a few years after the Savoy Hotel opened.
Now for something unique
The street leading up to both the theatre and the hotel is called Savoy Court. It’s a private road. Nothing unique about that.
The fact that in the UK we drive on the left-hand side of the road is also not unique in the world. For example, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the Republic of Ireland, Malta, Cyprus, Malaysia, and Japan all drive on the left.
What is unique about Savoy Court is that it’s the only road for which a special Act of Parliament allows traffic to drive on the right-hand side. Why? Rory Macfarlane of the Savoy Hotel’s Press Office explains:
When being chauffeured in a horse-drawn carriage, the lady or dignitary would traditionally sit behind the driver. By approaching the hotel on the right-hand side of the road, either the chauffeur or the hotel’s doorman was able to open the door without walking around the car. This would allow the lady to alight from the carriage and walk straight into the hotel.
In front of the entrances, there’s a roundabout with a pretty fountain and flowers in the centre. It’s been designed specifically to allow London taxicabs to be able to drive round it and avoid having to do a three-point turn. Instead they can complete a U-turn in one movement.
Legend has it that:
London cabs were designed to turn at tight angles in order to navigate the roundabout at the entrance to the Savoy Hotel.
One cab driver told me she remembered that the turning circle was necessary in the days when old cabs didn’t have reverse gear. Of course, horse-drawn carriages definitely didn’t reverse!
Today this design is just plain practical for steering in the small spaces and narrow streets of London — including in front of the Savoy Hotel.
Finally
I’ve never been inside the Savoy Hotel. So I dared to go in. Here are some pictures of what a 5-star hotel looks like inside. It’s high-class grandeur!
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