Claridges Hotel and Attached Railings Claridges Hotel Wing, City of Westminster, London

Description

TQ2880NE BROOK STREET W1
(South side)
08-MAY-1981 MAYFAIR
1900/69/46 Claridges Hotel Wing

GV II

Includes: Claridges Hotel and attached railings, Nos. 45-57 BROOK STREET W1, MAYFAIR
Hotel, 1895- 1898 by C.W.Stephens for Savoy Hotel Company, interiors by Ernest George and Yates and C.W.Stephens; main entrance 1929 by Oswald Milne, extended 1930-31 also by Oswald Milne. Interors by Rene Sergent, Oswald Milne, Basillonides and others. Refurbished c2000 by Thiery Despont. Red brick with red Mansfield stone and rubbed brick dressings, cast iron balconies, slate roofs. Entrances in Portland stone with black granite dressings. Corner site with Davies Street.
Brook Street elevation. Principally six storeys, with two storeys of attics set into mansard roof, and basements. Symmetrical, three bay gabled centrepiece, four flanking bays, the outer bays shaped. Two storey entrance in Portland stone, green and buff marble and black granite linings; central mahogany revolving doorcase under scalloped mahogany canopy; these and flanking doors and windows metal framed with scooped glazing bars, upper stage patterned glazing to central bay, small paned flanking windows. Canopy inscribed CLARIDGES; flat roof surmounted by urns set with flowers, linked by iron balustrade. Gabled centrepiece breaks forward, third floor in rusticated brickwork; flanking arms also set in rusticated brickwork; fourth and fifth floors recessed behind pair of rusticated arches on paired pilasters with embellished capitals, single pilasters to fifth floor. Shaped parapet, the gable set back, with central aedicular open segmental pediment at sixth floor framing round headed window, similar flanking windows and above. Rubbed brick dressings. Shaped cast iron balconies at fourth and fifth floors. Flanking bays similarly treated. Ground and mezzanine floors in banded brickwork, the outer bays rusticated; rectangular window openings some with balconies. Entrance to No.55, moulded buff stone architrave to lintel height, rubbed brick capitals and frieze. Six panel door beneath overlight, paired windows above. Canted bays at upper storeys rising through three floors, continuous cast iron balconies across three bays, three bay cast iron loggia at sixth floor. All windows timber casements in rubbed brick architraves. Later (20 alteration to sixth floor of right hand bay. The outer bays shaped, the outer angle being facetted, the windows slightly canted in stone architraves and with semicircular balconies, at third floor on hemispherical moulded stone or terracotta base; ground floor treatment and upper balconies continue to Davies Street, the first bay being a mirror image of that to Brook Street. All windows are timber casements painted white, most in rubbed brick architraves. Attic storeys; lower range of full dormers, in timber with small pediments, upper range similar but each with full pediment. Tall lateral brick stacks.
Davies Street elevation. Treated as Brook Street. Symmetrical with added restaurant entrance to third to fourth bays, inserted bar entrance to first bay. Nine bays, principally five and six storeys with two tiers of attics, and basements. Ground floor largely full height flush set metal framed casements, those to left of entrance as Brook Street. Restaurant entrance in Portland stone, with green and buff marble and black granite dressings. Overlight with shaped glazing bars above canopy inscribed CLARIDGE'S RESTAURANT. Coat of arms to entablature. Small inserted entrance to bar, repeating theme of main entrances. Central rusticated arch on enriched pilasters rising through two storeys, framing paired timber casements in moulded architraves with shaped balconies. Upper floor set back, with stone and brick parapet.
Flanking canted bays rising through three storeys, enriched architraves and pilasters to timber casements with continuous cast iron balconies. At sixth floor three bay loggias in cast iron. Outer bays treated as those to Brook Street. Dormers as to Brook Street except for those to upper tier having segmental pediments.
Brook's Mews treated in simplified manner, the corner bay with Davies Street treated as mirror image.
Attached railings to Brook Street, Davies Street and part of return to Brook's Mews. Cast iron with enriched vertical panels surmounted by gilt crests.
Interior: Front hall and Foyer (formerly Winter Garden) remodelled 1920's refurbished c2000 by Thierry Despont, breaking through to spaces to left. Hall, simple inter and post war classicism, plaster ceilings and friezes, marble chimneypiece. Three bay arcade with marble architraves, leading to Foyer. Foyer toplit with coved ceiling supported on four square Corinthian piers. Three bay glazed panels to outer walls are largely 2000.
Drawing Room. 1897-8 by Ernest George and Yates. A rare survival of a hotel interior of this date. Doric chimneypiece with paired shafts, segmental pedimented overmantel. Three bay screen to south wall. Pedimented doorcases, fluted columns at the angles, rich plastered ceiling with central octagonal panel, with modillion cornice.
French Salon. 1909-10 by Rene Sergent in Louis XV manner, created as ballroom. Marble chimneypiece possibly not in situ, tall panelled glazed overmantel. Shaped door and window heads, panel with seated putti to each doorcase. Plastered ceiling .
Mirror Room, the third private function room, interior not of special interest. (Former Reading Room redesigned 2000-01 by Thierry Despont).
Restaurant. Remodelled 1929-30 by Oswald Milne incorporating engraved glass panels from Basil lonides' refurbishment of 1925-6, formed from Ernest George and Yates' coffee room and restaurant. Chamfered piers with flared caps. Walls lined with engraved glass panels signed William Ranken and Basillonides, 1926.
Staircase rising from refurbished front hall. 1890's .dosed string, cantilevered stone treads, wrought iron balustrade treated as bronze with elaborate scrolled panels alternating with solid beaten bronzed panels. Screen of square Ionic shafts with panelled linings to first floor landing, Corinthian screen at second floor. Robust timber balustrade of turned balusters at first and second floor landings, with guilloche frieze below. Modillion cornice to plaster ceiling.
Ladies' stair. Cantilevered stair with cast iron balustrade, stairwell simply panelled between slender alternating swags. Upper floors identical except for sixth floor. Broad corridors, lightly embellished. Bedrooms and suites generally refurbished, retaining some chimney pieces, ceiling mouldings and doors. Some rearrangement of service passages.
Ballroom wing. 1930-31 wing by Oswald Milne. Red and buff brick, polished Portland stone cladding, granite and marble dressings. Six storeys, with three attic storeys set back. Five symmetrical bays. Ground floor and mezzanine polished Portland stone cladding, projecting canopy lined in black granite, inscribed BALLROOM. Buff marble architrave with green marble linings, metalized doors; lobby containing revolving doorcase in mahogany, under scalloped mahogany canopy, the doors metal framed with scooped panels. Replaced flanking shop windows, tripartite metal framed mezzanine windows. Surmounted by continuous frieze carrying pedestals bearing arms and linked by steel balustrades. Upper floors, paired timber sashes in moulded brick architraves, at third floor with steel balustrades. Ground floor axially arranged terminating in ballroom. Hexagonal lobby under hemispherical dome. Each flanking face with semicircular arch slightly recessed with slender double impost band, cartouche to each face, most with doorway. Leads via axial archway to rectangular Ballroom Reception Hall. Toplit but altered from original rectangular panel which contaned skylight by the Birmingham Guild. Glazed wall panels altered from original design, under coved dentil cornice with uplighters, probably original. Rectangular entrance to ballroom, flush architraves surviving. Ballroom in five bays, articulated by fluted pilasters. Chandeliers are replicas of bakelite originals.
Upper floors not inspected.

Survey of London vol. 39, 1977.
Survey of London vol. 40, 1980.
Andrew Saint, The Growth of a Hotel, Claridges I, Country Life, June 25 1981, p 1798
Andrew Saint, Evolution of a Hotel Interior, Claridges II, Country Life, July 2 1981, p 36

Listing NGR: TQ2863980928

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