Th Worshipful Company of Upholders Summer Lunch
9th July 2015Breaking with tradition the Master Upholder, Mrs Wynne Gilham decided to hold her summer lunch outside the City at the Savile Club in Mayfair. The Savile club was founded in 1868 as a refreshingly new type of club in contrast to the more traditional clubs of Pall Mall and St James's. Once at 15 Savile Row, hence the name, they moved to Piccadily and then to their current beautiful premises in Brook St. The club has a strong link to the literary world although membership is open to anyone who the selection committee thinks will fit in to the Club's convivial spirit! Sounds like the Tobacco Pipemakers. The Master Upholder had chosen a beautiful summer's day made a little challenging by the fact that both the Tube and First Great Western went on strike, however everyone managed to arrive in time for lunch. The Mistress and I set off with a lot of time in hand and had an incredibly easy journey much to our surprise arriving in Oxford St ridiculously early! Time for coffee in Selfridges Food Hall which rivals Harrods as the best place for food in London. What wonderful displays and what enticing smells. We were a select group of no more than 30 and lunched upstairs in the ballroom, a very pretty space overlooking their garden at the top of the grand double spiral staircase. The club interiors are decorated in the Louis XVI style and manage to look grand but not over the top. I was the only Livery Master to be invited which was a great honour. The lunch was a great success for the Master Upholder and a very enjoyable occasion. Sadly the journey home didn't match the journey in but it couldn't spoil a really lovely day.