By Adam Bloodworth
Victorian police paraphernalia, like old truncheons and hats, on display next to interesting illustrations of life in prison, drawn by current inmates. This is the interesting vibe in the lobby of the The Great Scotland Yard hotel, which was formerly a police headquarters. The atmosphere is an intriguing mix of novelty and comfort.
First off, there’s the palpable sense you’re actually standing in a former police headquarters. Outside, the building has the sort of impressive white Portland stone and red brick façade that indicates very serious business, especially in this piercing heart of the capital, a few minutes’ walk from Trafalgar Square and Downing Street. With Edwardian and Victorian architecture, the building was the former HQ of the London Metropolitan Police force, but the police moved out in 1890 when the building began being used by government organisations, including the Ministry of Defence, until 2013.
Reinterpreting the space, the hotel opened during the pandemic following a £120 million refurbishment, but after a stop-start beginning, it officially launched this year. It’s worth spending an hour over a cocktail in the foyer to look at the thoughtful collection of police history, and soaking up the vibes the building brings, before moving into the modern day.
Talking of the modern day, on the ground floor is the Ekstedt at The Yard restaurant, which offers an exemplary, and Michelin starred journey, through Scandinavian cooking. Weeks later, the taste, and impression, of the various ways dishes are smoked lingers in the mind.
Smoked hay came as a bed for seafood dishes, there was juniper-smoked wagyu beef and smoked oysters. Go for the nine-course tasting menu for an assortment of genuinely unusual, daintily plated treats that surprise. Remember it’s incredibly hard to surprise in London, where food offers are ten-a-penny. Excellent stuff. (It’s also the sort of dimly lit intensely moody place you could cuddle up in a corner and somehow find four hours had gone by.)
I had a comfortable double room with great views out over the sort of central London courtyard that’s so central something is always going on, even if you peek out of the curtains at 4am on a Monday
I had a comfortable double room with great views out over the sort of central London courtyard that’s so central something is always going on, even if you peek out of the curtains at 4am on a Monday. Good double glazing kept the roaring tourists away.
Run by Hyatt, the Great Scotland Yard hotel, which was a police station as far back as the 1820s, is also well suited to business meetings.
Book a room at the Great Scotland Yard hotel by visiting their website. The hotel is also available for drinks, dinners and afternoon tea bookings
