A Brief History of Savile Row

Savile Row, the name of the street is synonymous with bespoke tailors. The street itself and the surrounding areas are warren of tailor's shops both bespoke and off the peg. Since the early 19th Century tailors have flocked to the area and established businesses; businesses that favour quality and style above all else.

To the north of Savile Row is the mad hustle and bustle of Oxford Street and to the east lays the grand sweeping vistas of Regent Street. Squeezed into this enclave in Mayfair is the delight for the style conscious that is Savile Row.

The land on which the Savile Row now stands was formerly the gardens of the Burlington House. Construction of the houses in the row started in 1733. The street was christened after the Earl of Burlington's wife, Dorothy Savile. A number of wealthy residents soon moved in, including William Pitt and The Countess of Suffolk. It wasn't until much later in the 19th century that houses where built on the west side.

In 1846 the founding father of Savile Row, Henry Poole opened for business at number 32 after relocating from Brunswick Square. The company is famous for amongst other things inventing the tuxedo. The arrival of Henry Poole and Co was the catalyst for a rapid expansion in the number of tailors in the row. Henry Poole and Co are still on the row today.

There is more to the street than history. It's not a museum piece but a thriving business centre for stylish clothes. The area still boasts a large a number of traditional bespoke tailors including Ede and Ravens, Davies and Sons, Dege and Skinner, Anderson and Sheppard and Norton and Sons. Mixed in with the classic bespoke tailors is a number of more modern firms include the bespoke designer Ozwald Boateng and the strangely named Nutters!

Nutters of Savile Row have been a fixture since 1969. The firm opened in blaze of publicity and wild window displays. The firm had two to young designers, Tommy Nutter and Edward Sexton, hence the wacky name. Nutters dressed the stars of the day from the Beatles and The Rolling Stones through to members of the political establishment.

The Beatles also have further links to Savile Row. They based the headquarters of Apple Corp's at number 3, Savile Row. It was from the rooftop that they played their last gig. On 30th January 1969 the preformed a brief set lasting about three quarters of an hour. They played nine full songs; three versions of "Get Back," two takes of "Don't Let Me Down," two versions of "I've Got A Feeling," "Dig A Pony," and "One After 909." The songs where filmed for the document Get Back.

In the basement of Apple Corp the Beatles set up a recording studio the orginal design by the mercurial Magic Alex failed on all fronts and was unusable. The Beatles recorded parts of Let it Be in the basement studio on gear borrowed from EMI. The recording studio was completely reinstalled after the Let It Be sessions. The new studio recorded a number of artists who where on the Apple Record label in the early 1970's. These included Bad Finger and Mary Hopkins. Apple Corps moved out of Savile Row in the mid 1970's and closed the studio.

The police station that stands at the northern end of the street was built in 1939-40 it is six stories high, it has a very plain frontage and seems out of place in the grandeur that surrounds it. It was to this police station that the notorious Kray Twins where taken after their arrest in 1968.

If you are heading to London then Savile Row is well worth a visit. To get Savile Row you can take the following buses to Piccadilly Circus and walk the short distance, 6,9,13, 15 and 23. Via the tube you can take the tube to either Oxford Circus, Green Park or Piccadilly Circus.

Tony Heywood