History of Boodles

The club was founded in 1762 by William Petty Fitzmaurice, then-Earl of Shelburne, who would later become Marquess of Lansdowne and then Prime Minister from 1782-1783. The club’s initial location was on Pall Mall, a street in the Westminster area of central London, before moving to its current location on St. James’s Street in 1782, a street adjoining Pall Mall.

The club’s name derives from its head waiter, Edward Boodle.

Boodles quickly built up a prestigious reputation among London’s powerful and wealthy classes, and its membership reflected this, numbering numerous politicians and members of the British aristocracy. Members have included former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, John Profumo (a politician who resigned after the notorious Profumo affair scandal, whereby he was revealed as having an affair with 19-year-old model Christine Keeler), philosopher David Hume, economist and philosopher Adam Smith, and author Ian Fleming, creator of the world’s most famous fictional spy, James Bond.

Fleming used to visit the club for lunch, though it’s not known whether he enjoyed the club’s famous Orange Fool, an indulgent traditional British dessert made with fruit and cream that became synonymous with Boodles. It’s said that Fleming based Blades, a fictional private members’ club in the James Bond series (mentioned in two Bond novels, 1955’s Moonraker and You Only Live Twice in 1964) largely on Boodles. Certainly, the architectural features and opulent décor of Blades described by Fleming in his novels both bear similarities to Boodles.

Boodles today

Boodles continues to operate today and membership is still only possible through an election process.

Getting to Boodles

Boodles is set on St James’s Street, an upscale street in central London near to landmarks including St James’s Palace, Buckingham Palace and the Royal Academy of Arts.

Green Park Tube is minutes away on foot and other tube stations, such as Piccadilly Circus, are also nearby, as are numerous bus stops.

History of Café De Flore

Named after a sculpture of Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers, which stands on the Boulevard Saint-Germain, Café De Flore opened in 1885, two years after the equally iconic Café Les Deux Magots. For over 130 years, the two cafés have existed as rivals just 44 metres apart with their eminent clientele overlapping.

Originally linked to far-right politics, Flore’s regulars were more closely aligned with the left, and new forms of expression, following the First World War. Poet and art critic Guillaume Apollinaire coined the term ‘surrealism’ on Flore’s terrace in discussion with contemporaries André Breton, Louis Aragon, and Paul Reverdy. Later, Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir spent whole days in their first floor ‘office’, describing it as “home”.

As crowds gathered at Café Les Deux Magots to glimpse celebrities, in turn the celebrities – including Raymond Aron, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Truman Capote, Albert Camus, and Ernest Hemingway – retired to the comparatively quieter Café De Flore.

Flore also has a strong affiliation with fashion, particularly Karl Lagerfeld who would read Vogue alone for hours at a downstairs table. The café has held shows for Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel, and Paco Rabanne, and launched campaigns for Louis Vuitton and Longchamp.

Café De Flore today

Flore has barely changed since the 1930s with red banquettes, mahogany furniture, and brass railings still on display. Drinks are still served in signature white and green china that matches the distinctive signage out front.

Prices have risen as crowds have flocked, but it’s well worth the price of a coffee to sit in the seats of the greats and remember how the conversations that took place at Flore shaped not only Paris, but the world.

Getting to Café De Flore

Café De Flore is located on Boulevard Saint-Germain with Mabillon and Saint-Sulpice stations a 10-minute walk away. If you’re travelling to the café especially, Saint-Germain-des-Prés station is within a two-minute walk.

A short distance from Café Les Deux Magots. Why not make time for both iconic pillars of Parisian society?

History of Café de la Paix

Originally intended to serve the Grand-Hôtel de la Paix – later renamed Le Grand-Hôtel – in 1862, Café de la Paix was constructed as part of Georges-Eugène Haussmann’s renovation of Paris (1853-1870). It first garnered attention as the host of the 1867 International Exposition, the second world’s fair.

Its prominent location beside the Palais Garnier opera made Café de la Paix one of Paris’ most popular, sought-after spots, attracting many famous faces from the arts and politics including Victor Hugo, Émile Zola, Guy de Maupassant, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Oscar Wilde, and even Edward VI.

First used for film screenings in 1896, Café de la Paix has been referenced extensively in cinema. Marlene Dietrich, Yves Montand, and Roman Polanski regularly used the premises to shoot films, and Paix is also the setting for Disney’s The Aristocats, reportedly because Walt Disney visited the café during his stint as a Red Cross ambulance driver during the First World War.

Paix is also referenced in numerous musical works such as those by Sidney Bechet and Thomas Fersen, and is the subject of impressionist paintings by artists Antoine Blanchard and Éduoard Cortès. The Absinthe Drinkers, a famous work by Canadian poet Robert Service, is also set at Café de la Paix.

Café de la Paix today

The café has undergone several renovations, most recently in 2003 by state-run architectural firm, Bâtiments de France, following the government declaring the café a monument historique in recognition of its sociohistorical significance. In 2020, a further renovation took place which aimed to update the premises without losing any of its soul.

The café reopened in 2021 with its lauded belle époque style retained – fluted columns, coffered ceiling with painted skies, dark wood furnishings, green velvet seating, and Louis XVI-style armchairs.

Getting to Café de la Paix

Located on the corner of the Boulevard des Capucines and the Place de l’Opera, Café de la Paix is a two-minute walk from Opéra métro station, a five-minute walk from Chaussée D’Antin, and a six minute walk from Auber RER station. Come for the history, stay for the food!

History of Café de la Rotonde

Proprietor Victor Libion had a very open approach to the artists and creative types who frequented La Rotonde in the early years. Purchase a ten-centime cup of coffee and they could occupy a table all day. If too poor to afford food, he’d allow them to break the ends off baguettes. And if an artist simply had no money whatsoever, Libion would often accept a drawing, holding it until the artist could pay.

These weren’t just any artists either. This was Pablo Picasso, Diego Rivera, Tsuguharu Foujita, Federeico Cantú, Alexandre Jacovleff, and Ilya Ehrenburg to name just a few. As a result, it is said that the walls of La Rotonde were regularly adorned with the sort of artwork that would be the envy of even the most well-endowed museum or gallery.

As a central spot for the Lost Generation crowd of European intellectuals and American expatriates, La Rotonde was the epicentre of new ideas such as a Dadaism, surrealism, and cubism. More recently, President Macron celebrated his first-round victory in the 2017 French presidential election at La Rotonde, a move criticised by many as premature.

Café de la Rotonde today

While artists and intellectuals still frequent La Rotonde, high prices and international fame have geared the café towards tourism rather than creativity. Nevertheless, the café retains its charm, and wears its history on its sleeve with dishes named after famous former regulars such as Amedeo Modigliani and Ernest Hemingway.

The red and gold interior, which matches the iconic sign out front, still imbues La Rotonde with unique charm, transporting you to another world, to another century, when radical ideas were first introduced over the very same tables.

Getting to Café de la Rotonde

Located on the Carrefour Vavin, at the corner of Boulevard du Montparnasse and Boulevard Raspail, Rotondei is a 10-minute walk from the Jardin du Luxembourg, and a five-minute walk from the Tour Montparnasse. The nearest métro station is Vavin and the nearest RER station is Port-Royal.

History of Les Deux Magots

Café Les Deux Magots’ history dates back to 1812, to a novelty and fabric shop – named after contemporary play Les Deux Magots de la Chine. In 1873, the owners moved to the current Saint-Germain-des-Prés premises, and in 1884, transformed the business into a café, retaining the name and two titular Mandarin figurines – or magots – prominently perched on the café’s central pillar.

Les Deux Magots gained popularity due to its influential literary and artistic clientele. Symbolist poets Paul Verlaine and Arthur Rimbaud were among the first notable visitors, but the post-World War One period was the café’s heyday.

Existentialists like Jean-Paul Sartre, surrealists like André Breton, and novelists such as James Joyce would meet regularly at the café. Les Deux Magots was also a hit with American expats like James Baldwin and Ernest Hemingway who wrote The Sun Also Rises at a first-floor table. Pablo Picasso also met long-time companion Dora Maar there.

Café Les Deux Magots today

Staying true to its 1930s golden age, the café retains its Art Deco interior with red seating, mahogany tables, wall-length mirrors, and chandeliers. Portraits of eminent former clients now hang on the walls with the two Mandarin figurines still taking pride of place.

Since 1933, the Prix des Deux Magots has been annually awarded to a French novel, usually an unconventional work. A free literary magazine, produced by the café, is still published and distributed to customers. Café Les Deux Magots is so world renowned that there are queues around the block every lunch time. It can take over 30 minutes to get a seat.

Getting to Café Les Deux Magots

Situated on Boulevard Saint Germain, Café Les Deux Magots offers an unrestricted view of the Abbaye de Saint-Germain, one of the city’s oldest religious buildings.

Just a two-minute walk from Saint-Germain-des-Prés station – which can be reached via Métro line 4 – the café is easily accessible. There’s no excuse for overlooking this gem next time you’re in Paris.

History of Dukes London

The site that Dukes London now occupies – on St James’s Place – has held a wide variety of venues over the centuries. In 1532 Henry VIII built St James’s Palace on the site, which was formerly occupied by a hospital for treating leprosy. The palace was part-hunting lodge, part-escape from court life for Henry, while apparently also acting as a secret meeting place for the king and Anne Boleyn before she became his second wife.

Before Dukes London opened in 1908, nearby townhouses in St James’s Place hosted the likes of Oscar Wilde, Lord Byron, composer Frédéric Chopin (who lived in one of the houses shortly before his final London performance) and composer Edward Elgar, who was also a regular guest at Dukes in its early years.

Famous faces have been a regular occurrence at Dukes ever since, whether in the hotel, restaurant, bar or all three. Princess Diana and the Queen Mother are both rumoured to have visited Dukes London, for example. Outside of royal figures, one of the most well-known visitors was British author Ian Fleming, creator of the world’s most famous fictional spy, James Bond. Fleming was a regular at Dukes Bar, and after seeing its elegant, lavish interior, it seems like the ideal place for 007 (and his similarly stylish creator) to enjoy a drink.

There are various tales attached to Fleming’s time at Dukes Bar, some stating that it was the venue in which he created the iconic Vesper Martini (composed of several measures of gin, one of vodka and half a measure of French liqueur Lillet) that Bond orders in both the novel and film version of Casino Royale. Other stories claim the bar inspired him to coin Bond’s ‘shaken, not stirred’ catchphrase, in reference to how he prefers his martinis.

Dukes London today

Dukes Bar is still known for its martinis, and the bar, hotel and restaurant are still a favourite haunt of those wanting a truly luxurious break. And if martinis aren’t your thing, there’s always the champagne afternoon tea for those after a different take on quintessentially British indulgence.

Getting to Dukes London

Dukes London is a five-minute walk from Buckingham Palace, the Queen of England’s London residence. Many more of London’s most famous sights and attractions are also within easy reach of Dukes, including Westminster Abbey and the National Gallery.

Green Park Tube station is a short walk from Dukes, and other tube stations (and numerous bus stops) are also nearby.

History of El Vino, Fleet Street

The El Vino company was founded in 1879, when it was known as Bower and Co, named after its founder, Alfred Louis Bower. The first bar was opened on Mark Lane in what is now London’s financial district, known as the City of London or the Square Mile. Alfred Bower had been working as a wine merchant on Mark Lane, where he set up a tasting room that evolved into a wine bar, the first El Vino.

A further four El Vinos were opened across London’s centrally located West End and the adjoining Square Mile, including the Fleet Street branch, which was formerly occupied by a hall of mirrors.

Bower’s operations were made easier by his status as a Free Vintner, a title granted by the Worshipful Company of Vintners (an ancient trade association in the City of London), meaning that no licence was needed to sell wine. However, he was forced to make changes to the business when he attempted to run for Lord Mayor of London – a title which means Mayor of the City of London, notably separate to the Mayor of London.

To run for Lord Mayor, Bower needed to stop trading under his own name in the City of London, so in 1923 the business was renamed El Vino, which was already the registered name of the company’s sherry brand. Bower succeeded in his quest and became Lord Mayor of London between 1924-1925.

El Vino continued to trade successfully under Alfred Bower’s nephew, Francis, who introduced a house rule: never sell a wine that isn’t ready to drink. Two branches of El Vino, at Gutter Lane (near St Paul’s Cathedral) and Swallow Street (in Piccadilly) were hit by bombs and destroyed during the Blitz in World War Two.

In its heyday, the Fleet Street branch of El Vino was a hub for journalists and editors – due to its location near numerous newspaper offices – as well as other writers and lawyers working in the area.

One famous regular was British author Ian Fleming, creator of the James Bond series, who visited the bar while working as a stockbroker, first for Cull & Co, then for Rowe & Pitman, both in the Square Mile. Later, from 1964-1975, Fleming also had a writing office nearby in Mitre Court, a small road running just off Fleet Street. It’s thought that Fleming would usually visit the bar during lunchtimes, before its notoriously rowdy evening atmosphere took hold.

For many years, El Vino was also notorious for banning women from the serving bar, thereby forcing them to sit in the venue’s back room and rely on table service. The bar’s bizarre justification was that this rule helped to uphold “old-fashioned ideas of chivalry”. Astoundingly, the ban stayed in-place until 1982, when journalist Anna Coote and lawyer Tess Gill won a case against El Vino in the Court of Appeal.

The ban was subsequently lifted, on grounds of it being potentially harmful to female journalists’ careers if they risked not “picking up the gossip of the day” at the bar.

El Vino, Fleet Street today

One of Frank Bower’s nephews, Christopher Mitchell, became the sole managing director in 1979, running El Vino until it was purchased in 2015 by Davy’s Wine Merchants, another family-run London wine business operating since 1870. Today, there are five branches of El Vino operating in London, including the Fleet Street branch.

Getting to El Vino, Fleet Street

The bar is in a busy area of London, a few minutes from rail stations (including City Thameslink and Blackfriars), tube stations (including Blackfriars and Temple) and bus stops. It is also well-located for London sightseeing, as many famous attractions like St Paul’s Cathedral and Somerset House are nearby.

History of Café Procope

Founded by Sicilian chef Procopio Cutò in 1686, Procope was France’s first establishment to call itself a café, serving coffee and Italian gelatos to the public. Cutò installed features now standard in European cafés such as chandeliers, mirrors, and marble tables.

When the Comédie-Française theatre group moved to its second theatre across from the café, Procope attracted Europe’s intelligentsia, and soon became Paris’ first literary coffeehouse.

The café was the birthplace of the Encyclopédie, a hugely influential text edited by Denis Diderot that represented Enlightenment thought. The Phrygian cap which became the symbol of Liberty, was first displayed at Le Procope, as the café earned a reputation for fomenting revolutionary ideas.

The café’s influential historical patrons include Voltaire, Frédéric Chopin, Maximilien Robespierre, Napoleon Bonaparte, Victor Hugo, Benjamin Franklin, Honoré de Balzac, and Jean-Jacques Rosseau.

While Procope is often called ‘the world’s oldest café in continuous operation’, a brief stint between 1872 when the original café closed and was replaced by a private artists club, then restaurant, undermines this claim. In the 1920s, it was once again opened as a café – Au Grand Soleil – and then later renamed Café Procope.

Café Procope Today

After changing hands, and its appearance, several times throughout the centuries, Procope underwent a major refurbishment in 1988. The café was decorated in an 18th-century style with Pompeian red walls, crystal chandeliers, a piano, and waiters dressed in revolutionary uniforms.

Oval portraits and plaques commemorating famous former patrons now adorn the walls, with each room named after historical figures who once graced the café, including Chopin and Voltaire. Buy a coffee and then walk around the impressive building, literally following in the footsteps of the great and the good of Parisian society throughout the centuries.

Getting to Café Procope

Le Procope is a two-minute walk from Odéon métro station, which can be accessed via lines 4 and 10, and a 11-minute walk from the Luxembourg RER station.

Other nearby tourist attractions include the Fontaine Saint-Michel, the Palais de Luxembourg, the Musée Eugène Delcroix, and the Odéon-Théâtre de l’Europe meaning you can really make a day of it when venturing to Paris’ sixth district.

Newman Passage history

Dating from 1746, the high walls and small windows of Newman Passage give a sense of the seedy underbelly of 18th-century London – one almost expects Bill Sykes to come strutting around the corner with Bullseye in tow.

In the 19^th century, Fitzrovia and the adjacent Bloomsbury became a melting pot and gathering place of left-wing literary types, anarchists, radicals and other pseudo-politicos, with Newman Passage itself home to a co-operative kitchen for Communist refugees. It was also a famous location for London’s ‘streetwalkers’.

Adjacent to the lane is the Newman Arms, a pub built in 1730 that was used previously as a tallow chandler, an ironmongery, a picture framers, and a brothel. A popular hangout for George Orwell, it inspired the ‘Proles’ pub in his dystopian novel 1984.

Newman Passage today

Today Newman Passage is a stereotypical ‘ye olde’ London alley, and has been used by a plethora of filmmakers for a dark Georgian or Victorian atmosphere.

The big draw for visitors is the Newman Arms however, where patrons can drink in the same spots as the likes of George Orwell and Dylan Thomas. The nautical-themed ground floor is tiny, but the upstairs Pie Room is permanently packed so make sure to book!

From outside the pub a painted picture of a woman may also be viewed in a top-floor window, a reminder of the buildings past role as a brothel.

Newman Passage is easily overlooked for the more prominent tourist spots in London, but for a genuine peek at what life may have been like in the 18th and 19th centuries, take a walk through and imagine if the walls could talk…

Getting to Newman Passage

Newman Passage is located in Fitzrovia in London, and can be reached via a number of public transport options. Tottenham Court Road Underground station is a 5-minute walk away, while a number of bus services run to Oxford Road, a 7-minute walk away. The nearest train station is also London Euston, a 20-minute walk away.

History of St James’s Club

The club was founded in 1857 by Earl Granville and Italian politician Marchese d’Azeglio, aimed primarily at travelling diplomats who needed a base in London. The pair set up the club after a dispute at another private members’ club they both belonged to, The Travellers Club. It’s claimed by St James’s Club that to help kickstart Granville and d’Azeglio’s new operation, fellow diplomat Francis Cavendish sent out a letter from the British Foreign Office to all British Embassies in an attempt to recruit members for St James’s.

The club closed in 1978, but reopened in 1980 after being financed by entrepreneur Peter De Savary (this was in a new location on Park Place, a small street adjoining St James’s Street, still in Mayfair). In 2008 the club reopened again as St James’s Hotel and Club.

Former members have included politicians such as Lord Randolph Churchill (Winston Churchill’s father), Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild (politician and renowned art collector) and former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, as well as various notable authors, including Evelyn Waugh, Henry James and Ian Fleming, creator of the James Bond spy series.

It’s believed that Fleming actually lived at the club briefly during the 1940s, leaving in 1946. Fleming spent a lot of time around Mayfair (where St James’s Club was – and still is – based) and its exclusive clubs, and was actually born in the area, on Green Street, just a short distance from St James’s Club.

More recent members of St James’s in its newer incarnations have included Liza Minelli, Dudley Moore, Michael Caine, Pete Townshend and – fittingly considering the Ian Fleming connection – Sean Connery, the first actor to portray James Bond in a film.

The club has also played host to numerous celebrities and famous faces from the entertainment world at various events and parties. Some of the many to have visited the club include Barbra Streisand, Steven Spielberg, Meryl Streep, Olivia Newton-John, Jeremy Irons, Elton John, Samuel L. Jackson, Keith Richards, Cher and Sir Roger Moore, another former James Bond in multiple films.

St James’s Club today

St James’s Hotel and Club operates today and claims that it welcomes new members. There is also a Michelin-starred restaurant at the venue, Seven Park Place.

Getting to St James’s Club

The modern-day version of St James’s Hotel and Club is on Park Place in Mayfair, London. Green Park Tube station is a short walk away and there are also other tube stations within easy reach, including Piccadilly Circus.

Trafalgar Square is around 15 minutes away on foot, and other famous London sights such as Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey are also nearby.