The Bite Magazine

hen it first opened in 1911 to commemorate the

coronation of King George V, The Georgian was

deemed the largest and grandest restaurant of its

time. Since Edwardian times, it has been one of the

most refined places in London to take afternoon tea and

was intended to be ‘a rendezvous of fashion and luxury’. The

aristocracy would dine under the splendour of the original

1929 Art Nouveau skylight and elegant carved plaster ceilings,

while Victor Silvester and his orchestra played. Today, having

afternoon tea or high tea at The Georgian should be seen

as a well-deserved treat after your shopping experience at

Harrods. As one of the last remaining historic sections of

Harrods, luxury interior designer Christopher Guy Harrison

was commissioned to give the inherently iconic and elegant

restaurant a fresh new look. To pay his tribute, Christopher

Guy designed over 500 original furnishings including wall art

and mirrors to achieve a stunning, yet functional interior that

would last for many years to come. Christopher himself has his

own memories of The Georgian,“I remember first visiting The

Georgian restaurant as a 15-year-old and when rushing into the

lift, two Americans stopped me to say, ‘age before beauty son’.

Thereafter, there have been many occasions when I dreamt of

refurnishing the space while having lunch there.”

In keeping with the elegance of the 1920s and 1930s, you’ll

find highlight pieces such as the hand-beaten copper ‘Georgian

Lady’, mosaic features that houses over 130,000 individual

pieces, carved wood silver leafed panels reproducing the

Harrods façade, the Chris-Cross back legs for chairs and silk

cut back rests. Many of the furnishings are reminiscent of the

work of French furniture designer Jacques Ruhlmann and glass

artist René Lalique whom Christopher Guy takes inspiration

from. He said, “Elegance transcends beauty, and so I look at

what they achieved as the perfect balance between modernism

and classicism, which today remains central to my own design

philosophy.” As London’s finest destination for afternoon tea,

guests can now experience the epitome of elegant dining and

classic English flair with The Champagne Afternoon Tea. This

wonderful afternoon pastime offers guests a refreshing glass of

Harrods Rosé Champagne and a selection of dainty sandwiches

and savouries, with a colourful array of freshly prepared tea

pastries. There are also traditional baked scones served with

clotted cream, strawberry jam and homemade lemon curd

with the added luxury of fresh strawberries served with a

Pimm’s syrup. Or, if you prefer the High Tea menu, this consists

of a variety of dishes such as a smoked haddock and Somerset

brie tart, a lobster club sandwich, scrambled eggs with spinach

and caviar in puff pastry and a Rosper roasted steak sandwich.

To accompany your dining experience, there is a live piano

performance every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The Georgian is located on the Fourth Floor of Harrods and

opened Monday to Saturday from 12pm to 8pm and Sunday

from 12pm to 6pm. Diners are required to wear smart casual

attire; sports shoes and trainers, high-cut, Bermuda or beach

shorts, swimwear, athletic singlets, cycling shorts, flip flops or

thong sandals, with a bare midriff or bare feet, or wearing dirty

or unkempt clothing are strictly not permitted.

www.harrods.com

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Images courtesy of

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