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Savoy puts history under the hammer

Art deco lovers, celebrity-addicts and couples who still cherish the memory of their honeymoon night at the Savoy will descend on the Strand over the next three days to outbid one another for a piece of the hotel’s 118-year history.

Having closed its doors on Saturday for a 16-month refit, the Savoy is auctioning off more than 3,000 pieces of furniture, fittings and artwork deemed surplus to the renovation but evoking decades of grandeur.

Someone will have a new home for one or both of the pairs of painted tole and ceramic chandeliers that graced the hotel’s Thames foyer, which Bonhams, the auctioneer conducting the three-day sale, has priced at £10,000 to £15,000 ($20,000 to $30,000) apiece.
Read entire article at http://www.ft.com