The Clermont Hotel on the Strand, which I am old enough to still think of as the Charing Cross Hotel, must certainly count as Old London, since it has its own page on Historic England’s National List of protected buildings. Built in the 1860s – “an ebullient design in the French Renaissance style”, according to Historic England – to serve the new Charing Cross terminus of the South Eastern Railway, it became one of the best known hotels in the country, due to its convenience for travellers on the boat trains to the continent. Pretty much every distinguished personage of the time stayed there at some point. Arthur Conan Doyle was a regular visitor, and, writing as ever of what he knew, had the hotel appear in four of the Holmes stories.
It has, of course, been much extended, restored, and renovated, but retains much of its original character. The Grand Staircase is still impressive, and Historic England tell us that “the current dining room, and bar area, formerly the lounge, faces The Strand on the first floor. This room has an elaborate plaster, co!ered ceiling, decorative plaster wall panels and a large marble fireplace.”
And in the dining room, the hotel website tells us that “the menu in our Charing Cross restaurant is inspired by the classics with a modern twist”. For which read hotel standards, done well. Should you require a chicken, salmon, or cauliflower steak grilled, they will do it as well as anyone, and the pasta is also pretty good.
Like the restaurant in the Strand Place hotel, mentioned in an earlier post, this is a place to bear in mind if you find yourself without a reservation at a busy time. With added benefit that you might spot Holmes and Watson arresting a spy in the corridor.
The Occasional Informationist 