History of Savile Row

Savile Row is a street in the Mayfair area of London famous for its tradition for men’s bespoke suites. Many believe that the term bespoke came from the tailors based in Savile Row. It apparently came from suits that were said to “be spoken” for by a customer. In other words the suit is being made specifically for that customer. Many well known men are known to have had a bespoke suit designed by a Savile Row tailors, including Winston Churchill, Muhammad Ali, and Nelson and Napoleon. As well as being known for its tailors, Savile Row is also famous due to The Beatles. Their own record label, Apple, has their Headquarters in Savile Row, and the roof of that building is where the Fab Four played together for the final time in 1969.

Savile Row was created in 1695 as part of the development of the Burlington Estate, which was owned by the Earl of Burlington. Prior to this it had been the gardens of Burlington House. Originally the street was called Savile Street, and was named after the Earl’s wife, Dorothy Savile. The building work is thought to have begun around 1731 and to have been completed in 1735. Numbers 1 and 2 were the first to be developed. Once these has been completed identical terraced houses were built on the east side of Savile Street, with the west side left undeveloped. This side was kept for gardens, and this is where the term Savile Row came from, as it was a row of houses on one side of the street. Savile Row became its official name in 1810. The west side was later built on. The area was originally used to house military officers and their families.

The first tailors appeared on Savile Row, or Savile Street as it was known at the time, in 1785. The tailoring industry took off in the early 1800’s and by 1803 there were a number of tailors in Savile Row. Henry Poole was credited for being the founder of Savile Row as a tailoring area in 1846, after he opened a second entrance to his Father’s tailors on Savile Row, but in reality this was after many tailors had opened for business there. The number of bespoke tailors continued to rise throughout the 1800’s and the early part of the twentieth century.

The buildings in Savile Row have been much developed since the original buildings were constructed. Only eight of the original houses survive to this day. The area is still known worldwide for its tailors, although the number of tailors have decreased over recent times. Big chains of clothing stores being able to sell suits and other clothing products for much less has contributed to their being less independent tailors in general, but rising rent in the area has been blamed for much of the demise. Mayfair is one of the most expensive areas for real estate in London, and due to its fame, Savile Row has become particularly susceptible to high rent. Some of the tailors previously in Savile Row have gone out of business and disappeared, while others have moved elsewhere. The number of tailors in Savile Row is now below twenty, but it is still considered the place to buy a bespoke suite.

Andrew Marshall ©

Saville Row