Great Scotland Yard, the infamous and historical home of London law and order in SW1, is set to become a hotel, restaurant, tearoom, bar, drinking club and events space, opening its doors later this summer.
Chef Restaurateur Robin Gill, founder of The Dairy, will oversee all of Great Scotland Yard’s food and drink culture and community. Gill will be joined by General Manager Sholto Smith, and Alex Harper as Executive Chef, who Gill originally met working at Le Manoir.
Gill will also bring with him Lewis Wright as General Manager - Food & Beverage, with whom he has worked for several years. Gill, Harper and Wright will lead with their relaxed style of seasonal British food and warm hospitality to create a new culinary destination at this Great British landmark.
Stripping back the grandness and elitism of the building’s past while remembering its history, the hotel will offer a modern British experience that’s rooted in hospitality and suited to such a historic landmark.
Great Scotland Yard will be Gill’s first foray into the hotel industry. Involved in the development of the hotel’s food and drink spaces from an early stage, Gill’s influence can be seen throughout, from the design of the open kitchen through to the fun, contemporary atmosphere in the two bars, to a shared culture rooted in seasonality and classic cooking techniques.
A focus on in-house production will infiltrate the spaces, for example with house made gin and an in-house butchery and bakery. Gill’s Bloodshot Supper Club is well known in the food industry, and something of the supper club’s buzzy, late night, food-loving spirit will be evident in his vision for Great Scotland Yard.
Gill commented, 'Great Scotland Yard is a historical institution so we had to be bold, bringing a new chapter and attitude not only to the building but also to Westminster.
'As with my other restaurants, we’ll be taking a back to basics approach; we will be baking from scratch, butchery and ageing will be done on site, and we will only work with the most passionate growers in the country. Our aim is to let the ingredients and the experience do the talking while producing the very finest plates of food.
'I’ve been involved in this project for a while now, which is a huge privilege and I am excited about my whole team being involved in the opening.'
The first UK hotel to join The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, Great Scotland Yard Hotel, London, will comprise 152 luxury rooms ranging from Standard King Rooms to a number of suites, as well as a two-bed Georgian Townhouse, that can be booked for exclusive stays or events.
The building’s bespoke renovation is being undertaken by leading developer Galliard Group with design from architects HBA International.
Upon completion of the renovation works, the property will be owned by Twenty14 Holdings, the hospitality arm of Abu Dhabi based Lulu Group International, that has entered into a £110mn forward purchase agreement with Galliard Group.
The rich history of the iconic Great Scotland Yard was integral to the renovation with nods to the building’s notorious past featured throughout. Once a dwelling for visiting Kings of Scotland during the Tudor period, today the building is most famous as the former headquarters of the Metropolitan Police force.
It was during this time the Plaistow Marshes and Jack the Ripper crimes were investigated at Great Scotland Yard, and the building was immortalised in the works of writers including Dickens and Conan Doyle.
In 1910, the building served as the British Army Recruitment Office and Royal Military Police headquarters and it was here that Lord Kitchener famously told WWI recruits ‘Your Country Needs You’.
