To celebrate the 70th anniversary of Radio 3, the network invited five writers with whom it shares a birthday, also turning 70 this year, on a birthday outing. Our contributors chose to visit places that have some personal significance for them, where they could look back and reflect on their feelings in this special birthday year.

Today, novelist and campaigner Lisa Appignanesi, who is Chair of the Royal Society of Literature, samples the timeless elegance of The Savoy Hotel's Beaufort Bar and reflects on the characters that have passed through its doors during the 'Belle Epoque' and since.

Essayist and reader: Lisa Appignanesi