Claridge’s – which first opened its doors in 1812, initially as Mivart’s Hotel, surviving both world wars and then some – has a fabled reputation, one bolstered by its glittering past and long-standing penchant for remaining hush-hush. (Everyone from Queen Victoria to Jackie Kennedy have graced its marbled halls. It would actually be quicker to list who hasn’t stayed there.)

If only those walls could talk… Well, now they sort of can. This week, historian Martin Williams released the hotel’s official biography, Claridge’s: Queen of Hotels, Hotel of Kings, an in-depth account of how Claridge’s went from a single-terraced townhouse at 51 Brook Street to the plush, Art Deco institution we see towering over Mayfair’s polished pavements (and on Instagram feeds) today. It’s a meticulous body of work, charting everything from its early history as a mainstay for Victorian London’s gentry, to its prominence as a party spot among the who’s who of fashion in the ’90s and ’00s. Indeed, no stone remains unturned.

So, what are the headlines? Below, find five fabulous titbits as they relate to London’s most illustrious hotel.

Claridge’s threw one of the most legendary all-night parties of the ’30s

If there’s one thing that Claridge’s has always been known for, it’s throwing the sort of lavish party to end all parties. Enter one of its most legendary: The Olympian Ball, a charity ball held in 1935 in which guests were asked to dress up as mythological deities, and which Williams describes as “all the excuse required for Society to embark upon an orgy of classical excess”.

“On the evening of 5 March, Claridge’s was thronged with gods, goddesses, nymphs and fauns,” he writes. “Lady Isabel Manners came as Diana, with two enormous dogs straining on leads; Lady Mary Lygon as Amphitrite arrived in a chariot shaped like a sea shell; Mrs Bryan Guinness was a pearl-studded Venus; and the couturiere Elsa Schiaparelli was a dramatic Stella.” The gossip columns devoted page after page to the party, with a photo of high society woman Lady Plunket – who dressed up in “dappled tights, horns and heavy makeup” – ending up on the cover of Tatler. The ball, which is still referenced today, left an unusually rich and enduring cultural legacy.

Audrey Hepburn was “discovered” at Claridge’s

While I loathe the term “discovered” in relation to any famous woman (where was she before? Lost?), there’s no doubt that Claridge’s played a significant part in Audrey Hepburn’s big break. The Brussels-born actor had, before then, only obtained small parts in a few West End revues and British films. However, in 1951, casting began for two-time Academy Award winner William Wyler’s Roman Holiday, with initial auditions taking place in – you guessed it – Claridge’s.

“Aware that she would have to secure a screen test, Hepburn was apprehensive before her first meeting with Wyler, which took place in his room at Claridge’s,” writes Williams. “Wearing her ‘one and only proper dress,’ she nevertheless made an excellent impression… When the footage was delivered he was captivated by her screen presence. Hepburn was, he reckoned, ‘absolutely delightful… absolutely enchanting’.” The role of the fictitious Princess Ann in Roman Holiday was hers.

The film would, of course, go on to be a smash hit, with Hepburn appearing on the cover of Time magazine and scooping an Academy Award for Best Actress at the age of 24.

Jackie Kennedy was a revered guest at Claridge’s in the ’60s

It can be hard to imagine now, but until the mid-19th century, women wearing trousers were heavily frowned upon in the UK – and it wasn’t until the ’40s that such a thing became semi-normalised. By the ’60s, some women had started wearing trousers as formalwear, too, but the ever-conservative Claridge’s didn’t lift its ban on women wearing trousers until as late as 1969 – and only after Tatler published an editorial celebrating trouser suits, which was photographed outside a brand new hotel just around the corner.

What has this got to do with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis? Well, in September 1970, the former first lady of the United States, then the most famous woman in the world and married to Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis, strode out the front door of Claridge’s in a “polo-necked sweater and a pair of smartly tailored trousers. Chic, insouciant and utterly contemporary,” her ensemble suggested that Claridge’s had at last admitted defeat. The idea that they’d ask her to change into a skirt would be unthinkable.

Kate Moss threw her infamous 30th birthday blowout at Claridge’s

Where were you when Kate Moss turned 30 in 2004? Well, she was famously at Claridge’s, where she threw a debauched F Scott Fitzgerald-themed all-nighter and invited everyone she’s ever known: Naomi Campbell, Grace Jones, Gwyneth Paltrow, Stella McCartney, Sadie Frost, Chrissie Hynde, Tracey Emin, the list goes on.

“Over cocktails and Cristal champagne, they changed into vintage outfits, with the hostess donning a sequin-encrusted gown she subsequently discovered had been worn by the actress Britt Ekland at the premiere of The Man with the Golden Gun in 1974,” writes Williams. After migrating to the home of artist and filmmaker Sam Taylor-Wood, the local residents complained of the noise, so the party shuttled back to Claridge’s. “Although details of what took place in one of its penthouse suites remain vague, it’s said that Moss at one point sang George Gershwin’s ‘Summertime’ to the piano accompaniment of Jools Holland.”

When Vogue moved buildings, Claridge’s wheeled over a trolley of champagne

Look, I don’t mean to make this all about us. But when British Vogue decamped from Vogue House – where Condé Nast had resided for 65 years – to the Adelphi building, Claridge’s wheeled over a wheelbarrow brimming with Champagne to celebrate slash commiserate.

“We had a party on the doorstep for the writers, editors and photographers,” Claridge’s Head of Communications Paula Fitzherbert told Williams in the book, adding that “somebody rather famous was in the building that day. A window opened and a silver bucket on a string was lowered for her champagne. It was part of the spirit of what the hotel is, to go and say goodbye to our neighbours.”

‘Claridge’s: Queen of Hotels, Hotel of Kings’ by Martin Williams is out now.

By Daisy Jones