 The Palm Court is the setting for the world @-@ famous institution that is " Tea at the Ritz " , once frequented by King Edward VII , Sir Winston Churchill , Noël Edmonds , Judy Garland , Evelyn Waugh and Queen Elizabeth , the Queen Mother . It acquired its reputation as " the place for tea " in London after World War I. In the 1920s a small orchestra would play regularly on the court ; film producer John Sutro for instance recalled that Hermione Baddeley once requested the violinist to " play something hot " . Between the Winter Garden and the central Grand Gallery is a screen featuring two Ionic columns . 
