The title of this work is likely a reference to a 1926 stagecoach service called “The Old Berkeley" which ran between London and Brighton and had been revived by Bertram W. Mills and Claud F. Goddard. The service used a horse-drawn coach and was a historical revival of the 19th-century stagecoach route. Historically the stagecoach journey to Brighton took around 10 hours, but the revived "Old Berkeley" service made the trip in about seven hours and 45 minutes and was meant to showcase the speed and luxury of horse-drawn travel. On 13 July 1888, James Selby of 7 Edgware Road, a famous stage coachman established a record by driving “The Old Times” coach from Hatchett's Hotel to the “Old Ship” at Brighton and back - 108 miles in 7 hours 50 minutes - changing horses 13 times. His feat remains the most celebrated stagecoach event in British history.

This, probably imagined, scene has been drawn from the entrance of Hatchetts Restaurant and Grill.

The Old White Horse Cellar at No. 155 Piccadilly (where The Ritz is now located) was one of the best-known coaching inns in England during the 18th and 19th centuries. It rose to prominence under Abraham Hatchett who moved it to the opposite side of the road to the corner of Dover Street and renamed it "Hatchett’s Hotel and White Horse Cellar.” In its heyday, Hatchetts White Horse Cellar was the starting terminus for all western-bound mail coaches from London and was the nightly departure location for mail bound for Bath and Bristol, as well as journeys to Brighton. It had a waiting room for travellers to rest and wait for another coach, but the real draw was the cellar, where people gathered to gossip, discuss the news and share a drink. This popularity led to Hatchetts becoming known as “Picadilly nuisance” due to the high volume of traffic. 

The site continued as a hotel and restaurant through the early 1900s, but it failed in the 1950s and was developed into a popular nightclub, affectionately known as “Hatchett’s playground” through the 1960s, before closing in 1978 when the venue was redeveloped.