We should be grateful to the Bletchley codebreaker Jane Hughes Fawcett, and not just for her help in sinking the German battleship Bismarck in 1941. After the war, Ms. Fawcett became active in the Victorian Society and, in that capacity, hectored the British Rail authorities into abandoning their 1967 plans to close and demolish the St. Pancras Railway Station.
Such things can defy explanation, but at the time, the London arts scene had developed a massive antipathy for all things Victorian and this station in particular. Without Ms. Fawcett's determined intervention, we would have lost our favorite hotel in town and the future terminus of the Eurostar train service to France and Belgium—not to mention a truly iconic and fascinating landmark.
Commercial railways were invented in Great Britain in the 19th century and, like all inventions of that laissez-faire period, developed willy-nilly wherever private capital wanted to take them. Originally financed primarily for the carriage of coal, they eventually consolidated and added passenger service. This in turn prompted the invention of the classic Railway Hotel. So when the shady operators of the Midland Railway combination added a terminus in London, they commissioned the four stories and tower we see today.
Fortunately, the 2004 renovation replaced chamber pots and spittoons with modern bathrooms and plumbing. The taxi rank was covered and became the main hall and reception area. The former ticket office was converted into a restaurant and one of our favorite martini bars in martini-crazy London. In the morning, you can wake up within an hour of your train for Paris or Bruxelles and get to it by nothing more complicated than a pair of elevators. In London, that is no small favor.
Marriott operates the hotel through their Renaissance brand, but there isn't a hint of hotel chain about this establishment. Think of it as a reverse dive into the British Industrial Revolution and 19th century London, without the grimy slums and coal-black fog that plagued the era. And be grateful to Ms. Jane Hughes Fawcett for the experience.
To reserve a room…
Find the official website here.
Or call the hotel direct at: +442078413540
The tower and original wing of the hotel were converted into private condos and the hotel spa, so you will most likely be staying in the newer Barlow Wing. Ask for a room overlooking the British Library across the street.
For an excruciatingly goofy and dated introduction to the original wing, see the music video "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls. It was filmed there in 1996.
The Victorian Society continues its excellent work, with an informative website here. Its American counterpart was born in outrage at the thoughtless destruction in 1964 of the original New York Penn Station and can be found here.