A gentleman's tour of London Town

By William Birdthistle

updated 2:38 p.m. ET June 7, 2007

The sun may no longer rise on the British Empire, but Britannia has bequeathed the world one bright legacy that has not yet lost its shine: the English gentleman. Whether a foppish buffoon like Bertie Wooster or a suave panther like James Bond, every Old Etonian knows how to dress and where to find the marrow of the metropolis. For those who would savor a turn in such civilized footsteps — far from the madding beefeaters and tour buses — behold this prescription for a gentleman’s day out in London Town.

Arise from your cozy lair amidst goose-down pillows and Frette linens at the Dorset Square Hotel in Marylebone Village. This bastion of Englishness, which has garnered plenty of critical praise, sits on the hallowed patch of land where Sir Thomas Lord laid down the world’s first cricket pitch in 1787. While the home of cricket has since moved a mile north to Lord’s Cricket Ground, Dorset Square remains an enchanting sight with its bodyguard of genteel Regency townhouses minding the central arbor. Although every room is individually decorated with antiques, original art, and of course cricket memorabilia, be sure to ask for fourth-floor lodgings to enjoy a perfect view of the square from full-length French windows.

After attiring yourself in pinstriped splendor, stride forth with your tightly rolled brolly pointing towards Marylebone High Street, a pleasing corridor of Parisian perfumers and vintners through the heart of Marylebone, the borough that lies just north of the West End’s central boulevard, Oxford Street. As we learned in “Gosford Park,” an Englishman is never served breakfast; rather, he helps himself. The ideal venue for your morning repast, then, is the counter of Paul, the French house of pain founded 117 years ago in Croix in northern France.

Paul’s baskets overflow with mille-feuilles, pains au chocolat and other pastries, providing boundless opportunities to lard oneself with plus gras butter. But perhaps, for decorum’s sake, just a simple croissant and café au lait will be all one needs to fuel a morning’s peregrinations.

'Most beautiful bookshop'
For serious travel, every worldly empire-builder should be familiar with Daunt Books, which the Daily Telegraph has called “the most beautiful bookshop in London — designed for travelers who like reading.” Just a brief stroll from Paul down Marylebone High Street, Daunt is an original Edwardian bookshop almost 100 years old. The centerpiece of the store is an enormous skylight, reminiscent of the Crystal Palace, which allows natural light to cascade down past oak galleries to the open floors below. Books are arranged country by country, which makes the task of acquiring intelligence for international intrigue all the easier.

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With your appetite whetted for travel, hail a hackney and demand conveyance to the National Portrait Gallery in Trafalgar Square. Although its larger sibling, the National Gallery, may draw more punters and press, the portrait gallery is a true magnum opus. Not only are its walls papered with masterpieces from the past five centuries, but its rooftop restaurant offers one of London’s greatest visual experiences. When you have had your fill of Holbein, Reynolds and their celebrity subjects, mount the stairs to the top floor and behold an impossibly dramatic view of the city.

There, looking south through the Portrait Restaurant’s picture windows, you will spy a family portrait of London’s greatest sights: Nelson himself, atop his column and at eye-level; the Houses of Parliament; Whitehall; Westminster Abbey; St. Martin’s-in-the-Fields; the London Eye; the Thames and more. This view is the one Julia Roberts and Clive Owen admired in the film “Closer,” but until you see it for yourself, scarcely will you believe one vista can encompass so much splendid architecture and history.

Time for tea
After feasting aesthetically and gustatorily at the gallery, consider restocking your own pantry with some of the finest comestibles from every corner of the empire. Fortnum & Mason’s in Piccadilly celebrates its 300th anniversary this year, with the two famous merchants having partnered in 1707, the same year England united with Scotland to form the United Kingdom. In those three centuries, the celebrated grocers have gathered the finest teas from Darjeeling, Ceylon and Kenya, the richest jams and marmalades from English country gardens, and the most delicate cookies and biscuits from French hearths. With a nod to the liveried doormen, stride into the main floor and wander the world, past tables of beautifully packaged wares.

Leading Hotels of the World For a soothing cup of England’s most elegant tea, take a pot in the finest fashion with afternoon tea at the Ritz in Palm Court, the hotel’s central atrium.

Having purchased a tin of Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe or the house’s own Royal Blend, you will naturally find yourself in the mood for a soothing cup of your own. Take a pot in the finest fashion with afternoon tea at the Ritz, just a few doors down in Piccadilly. Tea at the Ritz is served in the Palm Court, the hotel’s central atrium, which is the interior-decorating equivalent of Rome’s Trevi Fountain: soaring ceilings, mirrored walls, and gilded, rococo excess in every direction. Upon showing you to a banquette, your waistcoated attendant will offer a fresh urn from a menu of brews almost as extensive as Fortnum’s.

Within moments, a triple-tiered tray of elegant victuals materializes in front of you. The lowest level offers savory sandwiches of egg salad and cress, cucumber and cream cheese, and cheddar and pickle; one rung up sit the scones, with and without currants, to be slathered with Devon clotted cream and strawberry jam; finally, in the penthouse, reside opera cakes, raspberry tarts and other delicate desserts. Though he may be only one of a handful of fellows in the strikingly female room, an English gentleman will nibble and sip with aplomb.

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