Beautiful hotel once abandoned now has iconic Spice Girls link | UK | Travel

If you’ve ever passed Kings Cross St. Pancras station, whether it’s to get a local train or hop on the Eurostar, one building really stands out from its neighbours. A towering structure built in gothic revival style with red bricks, it looks like a grand cathedral or palatial home.

While this grand Victorian building often catches the eye of passing tourists, many don’t know about its rich history, and how close it came to being demolished. Luckily, unlike nearby Euston, which saw its beautiful entrance arch and Grand Hall being replaced by a gloomy functional concrete building, the St. Pancras London was saved and its unique architecture lovingly preserved.

The hotel’s origins date back to 1865, when a contest was run to design a 150-bedroom hotel that would sit alongside St. Pancras station. Enter George Gilbert Scott, a master of gothic revival architecture, whose portfolio included ornate cathedrals, as well as some bleaker buildings such as workhouses and asylums.

Scott entered an ambitious design for a 300-room property, finished with expensive touches such as a grand staircase, gold leaf on the walls, and hydraulic lifts, some of the first in the city. While it was bigger and costlier than planned, his design won, and the hotel opened its doors as the Midland Grand Hotel in 1876. 

There was however one technological advance that Scott couldn’t have foreseen. When he designed the hotel, the rooms didn’t have bathrooms which was common for the time. However, in the subsequent years it became more common for hotel rooms to have their own toilets, with many older hotels managing to add them into their layout. However, this wasn’t possible due to the design of the hotel, so unfortunate staff members were forced to carry chamber pots full of waste for their guests.

Closing in 1935, the hotel was turned into railway offices, eventually being taken over by British Rail. To convert the building, many of its beautiful features were covered, with false ceilings put in and walls painted over to make it more office-like. 

Even worse, British Rail went on to plan the building’s demolition, and it was narrowly saved by the passionate Victorian Society, a group of preservationists who campaigned against the destruction of the historic site in the late-60s.While safe from demolition, the building was abandoned in the 1980s as it failed fire safety regulations.

The building was empty until 2004, when planning permission was given to turn it back into a hotel. However, the building wasn’t completely unused in the intervening years. In April 1996, it was used to film the music video for the Spice Girls’ first hit Wannabe. 

The singers recalled the shoot in the dark, freezing environment, with Geri Halliwell later writing in the band’s biography: “The video I remember as being very chaotic and cold. It wasn’t very controlled—we didn’t want it to be. We wanted the camera to capture the madness of the Spice Girls. » The exterior of the hotel and its staircase were later used to film Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. 

In 2011, the hotel reopened as the St. Pancras Renaissance London Hotel, with 244-bedrooms, all ensuite this time, two restaurants, two bars, a ballroom, a spa, and several meeting rooms. Last year, it was renamed the St. Pancras London, Autograph Collection. 

The hotel has managed to keep many of its original features such as the grand staircase, which was a central part of the Spice Girls’ video and still holds much of its Victorian charm. The hotel has lots of grand design details from the ornate printed wallpaper to mosaic floors and wood panelling, but has been adapted with modern guests in mind.

During the renovations in the early 2000s, a new bedroom wing was added, where many of the rooms and suites can be found. These spaces are a mix of the contemporary and historic, with plush comforts such as cosy beds and white linens, yet still plenty of character. Best of all, there’s not a chamber pot in sight, and ensuite bathrooms have finally been added. 

In a nod to the hotel’s railway-themed past, there’s a cocktail bar named Booking Office 1869, which serves modern European cuisine and cocktails inspired by each decade going back to the 1860s. There’s also The Hansom, a bar and restaurant that serves a grand afternoon tea. Both restaurants offer a stylish, vintage-vibe, with velvet seats and gold detailing.

Guests can also enjoy a spa which includes a fitness area and tranquil pool, perfect for escaping from the bustle of the city. Decorated in Mediterranean-style tiling, guests can enjoy a relaxing environment for a steam or sauna, and book spa treatments from massages and facials.

Have a story you want to share? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com