8 London luxury hotels with Grade II listings, fascinating histories and famous fans

Luxury hotels in London — (Image credit: Future)

Want to know what’s hot in the hotel world? Graded hotels.

And no, we’re not talking about properties with seven stars (a rating which doesn’t actually exist, despite the hoteliers who’d have you believe otherwise) but historic properties with Grade I or II listings. Here are London’s top heritage hideaways.

1. Sofitel London St James, Piccadilly Circus

This Grade II-listed neoclassical beauty was built in 1923 as the headquarters of Cox & King’s bank. It was clearly built to last, because during WWII George VI's prized stamp collection was stored in the bank’s vault (probably not its intended purpose, admittedly). Today this five-star hotel offers a fitting nod to its heritage albeit with modern touches, such as the Banksy in the hotel lobby. Legendary Parisian interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon steered the recent refresh of the signature suites.

2. Rosewood London, Holborn

A belle-epoque Grade-II stunner built in the early 1900s, the building which once housed the Pearl Assurance Company has been carefully preserved, and original features include the ornate interiors of the east and west banking halls, the grand staircase and the original carriage way. There are vast expanses of the original Cuban mahogany which, managing director Tessa Gorman points out, is just one reminder of the ‘no expense spared’ approach by the architects.

"There's something special about calling a 1914 Edwardian, Grade II-listed building your workplace,” admits Tessa, who says the staircase is one of her favourite spots.

“It features seven different types of marble, some of which can no longer be found anywhere else in the world.”

3. The Great Scotland Yard Hotel, Westminster

For a five-star history fix, check into the Grade II-listed Great Scotland Yard Hotel, built in the 1820s on a site given to Kenneth III, King of Scotland, 1,000 years ago, to provide him with a base for his visits to the British monarchy. Later, it was the home of the London Metropolitan Police for over 200 years, but while the coppers are long gone, we suspect those checking into the hotel’s swankiest offering, the hotel’s five-story No.1 Townhouse Residence, accessed from the hotel via a secret corridor, will probably have their own security in tow.

As for general manager Gregory de Clerck’s’ must-see spot? The hotel’s green entrance doors.

“They've been immortalised in some of Britain's greatest works of fiction,” says Gregory.

“Charles Dickens, who occasionally accompanied constables on their nightly rounds, drew inspiration from the area, while Sir Arthur Conan Doyle regularly featured officers from Great Scotland Yard in his Sherlock Holmes stories.”

4. Flemings Mayfair, Mayfair

This beautiful hotel was established in 1851 by Robert Fleming, who became a valet for the Marquis of Anglesey. He was paid handsomely for his work and started buying London properties, later establishing the hotel in 1851 – the year of the Great Exhibition, and a time when six million visitors (all of whom needed somewhere to stay) flocked to London. Agatha Christie was one of several fans of the hotel, which was the inspiration for her novel Bertram's Hotel. Bookworms should try and bag the three-bedroom Townhouse Suite, inspired by Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest (the author lived nearby and was a regular at the hotel). Other notable guests are less well known, for various reasons.

“During the Second World War, it also became a discreet meeting place for members of the Special Operations Executive,” says Henrik Muehle, managing director of Flemings.

“Vera Atkins, one of Britain's most influential intelligence officers, met agents here before they departed on dangerous missions into occupied France.”

5. Eccleston Square Hotel, Belgravia

A Belgravia retreat comprising two Grade II-listed Georgian townhouses, Eccleston Square Hotel has had numerous former tenants, including from an era when the property offered somewhat simpler accommodation.

“A few years ago, we heard from a gentleman who'd lived at this address in the 1950s as a teenager, when the building was a hostel for young people working in London's hotel trade,” says owner Olivia Byrne.

“The one photograph he kept from that time was of himself standing on our balcony. Knowing that others have happily gathered on the balcony for so many decades gives the spot a real sense of continuity — it's an oasis in the heart of London, then and now."

6. Threadneedle’s, City of London

Another Grade II-listed hotel which was a former bank (in this case the headquarters of City Bank), the building occupied by Threadneedles was designed to resemble an Italianate palazzo. Built in the late 1800s, it’s the oldest surviving premises of a joint-stock bank in the City of London, and there’s a wonderful sense of space, thanks partly to the hotel’s stunning circular stained-glass dome installed in 1856. Our top tip? Admire it from the bar, with a drink in hand.

“My absolute favourite spot has to be the bar,” says Cedric Horgnies, area general manager for YTL Hotels.

“From there, you have a perfect view of the stained-glass dome, which survived the London bombings during WWII. If you look closely at the glass panels, you can see the letters CB – a tribute to the building's origins as the Victorian-era City Bank.”

7. Spread Eagle Wandsworth, Wandsworth

The best things really do come in small packages, if the Spread Eagle Wandsworth is anything to go by. A Grade II-listed (posh) pub with rooms, it’s been the flagship property of Young’s Brewery since 1836, when dray horses would carry the casks to the pub (handily, the brewery was just over the road).

General manager Joshua Sissons often meets customers keen to regale him with stories about the hotel’s past:

“I’ve heard some great tales from our guests, including regulars who tell me about the time when the pub showed silent films on the walls - long before these were covered in the pictures and mirrors which you’ll find today!”

8. The Clermont Victoria, Victoria

When the Clermont Victoria opened in the 1860s it was one of the first London hotels to have an elevator – a device known as an “ascending room” and powered by the city’s water pressure.

“Later, they were operated manually by hotel porters using ropes,” says general manager Michael Hedges.

“Recently, I was contacted by a former employee from Finland who worked here as a porter in 1971, pulling those very ropes!”

We suggest toasting the hotel at the Réunion Bar, which previously doubled as the first-class lounge of the Brighton Belle train.

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Tamara Hinson is a Shortlist contributor with a soft spot for Asia, mountain biking and snowboarding. Her work has appeared in the Times, Conde Nast Traveller and Wanderlust, and her favourite places include Singapore, Osaka, in Japan, and Tamil Nadu, in India. Her pet hates are selfies and dog backpacks.