Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Drawing-room at the Cavendish
It is sad to think of the Cavendish disappearing, no doubt to be replaced by some Grand
Babylon Hotel, but at least it retained its special quality to the last. An up-to-date propriet-
or would have introduced a King Edward VII bar (a nasty affair carried out by a fashion-
able decorator) or a Lily Langtry room long ago to catch the tourist trade.
The Cavendish is only one of the many pleasures of London which are vanishing at
an accelerating speed. Most of the things in this topic are destined to go the same way
in a London that has become the prey of bureaucrats, developers, and destroyers; today
the whip, tomorrow the scorpion. Off-beat London is hopelessly out of date, and it simply
does not pay. I hope, therefore, this topic will be a stimulus to explore the under-valued
parts of London before it is too late, before it vanishes as if it had never been. The old Lon-
