The Savoy Hotel

Who stayed at the glitzy Savoy Hotel? Folk known to the rumour mills This grand hotel housed Oscar Wilde and his six thousand pound drink bills Built off the Strand in London, in eighteen eighty nine It opened its doors to a fanfare, like a ship of the Royal line It had William Morris wallpaper, red carpets, hydraulic lifts, An emergency electricity plant, staff covering all day shifts The Savoy had a chocolaterie, a bakery producing bread A coffee roastery, printing press, its aim: full steam ahead The whisky heir, Tom Dewar, checked in for 40 years. Monet & Whistler painted, there, in that place of powerful peers Royalty, Frank Sinatra, Noel Coward and Miss Munroe, Enjoyed the panorama, of London spread below Where the River Thames flows regal, past the walkways and the bars And the Savoy's lit like Xmas with a plethora of stars Bob Dylan, the Beatles, Olivier, Bogart &Garland came With Chaplin, Churchill, Caruso, from the visitors' book of fame The jazzman, Louis Armstrong, needed a soundproofed room Mae West brought a fleet of dresses, a flotilla with za za zoom The millionaire George A. Kessler hosted a "Gondola Party" The central courtyard was flooded, the secenery was arty When Venice came to the Savoy, Enrico Caruso sang A five foot birthday cake arrived and from it an elephant sprang Once, a small plane entered the Savoy, and into the foyer flew Real swans died in a fountain, when poison turned water blue Here, was a famous murder, a crime of passion and fear Here a motor launch is available, to take parties to the Pier H.G.Wells, George Bernard Shaw, Errol Flynn, Maria Callas The Savoy's their choice of anchorage, for the schmooze in this A-list palace Here, is the hotel mascot, Kaspar, the fourteenth guest A two-foot high art-deco cat with a napkin tied on his chest Will you sample the Savoy's dishes, the famous Melba toast? The omelette Arnold Bennett, roast sea bream from the coast? The Savoyfilled up a bathtub, with wild goat's milk for a guest Baked Hereford snails in garlic is a much more common request There's a rose named after this grand hotel, light pinkfrom the hybrid camp And Farting Lane, at a side entrance was a gas destroyer lamp Centuries before, on this same spot, it stood as an ancient palace The Canterbury Tales were written there, in a time ofmonk and chalice If Chaucer was writing here today, what would his characters be? Thestaff, the guests from around the world from the stage of celebrity!