To delve into the history of The Connaught, Mayfair’s grand five-star hotel, is to glimpse, for a moment in time, into the lives of the countless people who have walked through its doors. It is a red-brick beacon of British luxury on the corner of Carlos Place and Mount Street, which opened in 1815 as The Prince of Saxe-Coburg Hotel – but was renamed during World War One, carried by a wave of patriotism, to honour Queen Victoria's son, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught. Its Art Deco bar is famous, one of the best in the world, reputed for its Martini trolley, and its grand lobby staircase was so admired by Ralph Lauren that he had a replica built for his New York flagship store. The stories attached to this London landmark are too many to recount, which is why writer Bill Prince has written a book about the hotel, the very first of its kind, published by Assouline (£120). It’s presented in a coffee-book format with beautiful imagery, a few of which, we have selected here: