Wheeler's The Ivy, London, 1950s Lunch Diners entered from Shaftesbury Avenue

Diners entered from Shaftesbury Avenue

A lovely handwritten menu from London's celebrated Claridge's Hotel in Mayfair

Close to Elstree Film Studios

This is a charming example of vintage menu art from a banquet honouring Firefighters

During the years between the wars

Wheeler's The Ivy, London, 1950s Lunch Diners entered from Shaftesbury AvenueThe Ivy, one of London's most celebrated restaurants, began life in 1916 as an unlicensed caf selling food but soon got a dash of glamour when owner Abel Glandellini joined forces with maitre d'Hotel Mario Gallati. It quickly became a favorite of the theatre crowd, attracting Marlene Dietrich, Laurence Olivier and Dame Nellie Melba among others. The Ivy's fortunes waxed and waned but its boom years came around again in the 1990s when Hollywood stars