Attendant cafe

Space to build in Central London is never easy to find but someone had a good idea of how to make use of this disused structure.  This former Victorian gents toilet was built in the 1890s and then closed in the 1960s, Nothing happened for more than 50 years but then it was transformed into a coffee bar.

It took two years from the planning stage to completion.

Come down and have a look.

Recognise the fittings? (Not that I'd seen them before, I hasten to add)

These are the original urinals.

It did seem a little strange to be sitting at a urinal but full marks for originality.

It was much smaller than I thought as I imagined they would have extended it somehow.

If you are in London and fancy going somewhere a little different then check it out. It is less than a 10min walk from Oxford Circus on Foley Street

Warrington Hotel

This is the Warrington Hotel in Maida Vale. I first came across this building when I was discovering places of interest on the Bakerloo Line.

It looks wonderful from the outside and I promised myself that I would return to have a look inside.

This week  a friend and I travelled out to Maida Vale  so we could enjoy lunch in the decorative and unusual bar of the hotel.The mosaic greets you as you walk up the steps and into the bar.

Although this was built in 1859 as a hotel, rumour has it that it operated as a brothel during its Victorian years.

 The inside has many Art Nouveau features added at a later date.

In the centre is a semi circular marble topped bar with mahogany panels.

Around part of the seating area are these  oval mirrors with mahogany surrounds

The wide staircase is lit by this overhead stained glass window

Drapers Hall

This week saw the final of the BBC series 'The Great British Menu' where, this year, chefs competed for the honour of cooking at a banquet to celebrate 100 years of the Women's Institute. The banquet was held at Draper's Hall in London.



During Open House weekend a few weeks ago I was lucky enough to visit the hall. As the name suggests the Drapers' company was involved in the buying and selling of woollen cloth within the City of London (nowadays it administers charitable trusts). The first Royal Charter granted to the Drapers is dated 1364. The company regulated the drapery trade by setting prices, quality standards and oversaw the training of those learning the trade. It protected the trade from rivals outside the City of London. When an order of precedence of the City Companies in 1516, the Drapers position was third after the Mercers and Grocers.

  There has been a Hall on this site since 1543. Destroyed in the Great fire of 1666, rebuilt and destroyed in another fire in 1772. Since then it has been altered and redesigned when necessary.
Walking through the bronze doors of the Throgmorton street entrance you walk down an oak panelled corridor with a stained glass window.

Another window looks out onto the courtyard. The surprise for me was just how big this building is once you enter those doors.




Staircase and Landing

The Court Dining Room

The Livery Hall (where the Women's Institute Banquet was held)

All along the corridor are a selection of royal charters and grants of arms dating back to 1364!

The Drawing Room

From one of the windows you can see some of the modern buildings that surround Drapers' Hall.