Inside Beaverbrook Town House

Beaverbrook, Surrey’s much-loved countryside hotel and spa, has opened the doors to its first London outpost, Beaverbrook Town House, on Sloane Street.

Overlooking Cadogan Place Gardens and set across two lovingly restored Georgian townhouses, the hotel and its 14 bedrooms and suites have all the charm of its older sibling, with unforgettable interiors courtesy of Beaverbrook creative director Sir Frank Lowe and lauded designer Nicola Harding.

THE SPIRIT OF LORD BEAVERBROOK

The hotel is inspired by its namesake, Lord Beaverbrook (1879 – 1964), a Canadian-born newspaper magnate, political puppet-master and Churchill’s wartime minister of aircraft production. He was a famously hospitable host and welcomed movie stars, writers and politicians to his discreetly hedonistic weekend parties on his Surrey estate, Cherkley Court (now the Beaverbrook country hotel).

That spirit of understated decadence is at play throughout the hotel, invoking a bygone era of hospitality. Guests at the Town House will feel as though they’re spending time at the London pied-à-terre of a generous friend with impeccable taste and enviable connections.

The hotel is a paean to Lord Beaverbrook’s famously refined tastes and his wide-reaching assortment of interests, including his love of London’s storied theatres, Art Deco and Japanese culture, and is decorated with antiques, vintage toys and cheeky touches that might have been collected during his many jaunts throughout the empire.

Touches and accents throughout nod to his life and accomplishments. Beginning with the informal reception area, set within a cosy library, complete with a whisky decanter and tumblers, and wallpapered with an ornate pineapple pattern (a traditional symbol of hospitality), and seen in the figurine of a WWII fighter plane that sits proudly on a sideboard, a motif that’s repeated in the little pins worn by the staff.

THE ROOMS

Nodding to Lord Beaverbrook’s frequent appearances at West End theatres with his entourage of creatives and intellectuals, each of the 14 bedrooms and suites is named after a famous London playhouse, including the Royal Court on Sloane Square, and decorated with theatrical prints, posters, photographs, art and memorabilia. In the Old Vic suite, there’s a photograph of Dame Maggie Smith being toasted by the crowd while she looks every inch the star.

In palettes that range from striking to subdued, the interiors are a playful salute to the Art Deco aesthetic of the 1920s and ’30s, balanced by thoroughly modern savoir faire. Harding sourced fabrics, furnishings and fittings from an array of local London-based suppliers, including antique chairs from Howe, cushions by Penny Worrall, lampshades by Rosi de Ruig, and decorative lighting from Vaughan Designs.

Standout features include seductive four-poster and half-tester beds; antique bureaus and bedside tables; theatrical curtains, decorated with velvet geometric trims; bespoke rugs by Nicola Harding; and en suite bathrooms in opulent jewel tones with glossy tiles and lacquered mirror frames.

Every sound-proofed room has a seating area and upholstered cabinets to discreetly house rotating televisions, and personalised minibars stocked with guests’ preferred treats.

Rooms start from £400 per night and can be booked by both Beaverbrook members and non-members.

THE FUJI GRILL

Set on the ground floor of the hotel, the Fuji Grill and omakase sushi bar brings Beaverbrook’s love of contemporary Japanese cuisine to Sloane Street.

Overseen by Wojciech Popow and headed by chef Alex Del, whose credentials include tenures at Nobu, Dinings SW3 and Roka, the Fuji Grill serves an array of flawless sushi, sashimi and nigiri, alongside dishes including Kobe beef and some rare dry-aged fish.

Soft shades of green make up the backdrop of the restaurant, which is hung with a remarkable collection of 19th-century Japanese woodblock prints, many of which depict the eponymous Mount Fuji, including two by Japanese masters, Hokusai and Hiroshige. Other prints on the walls exemplify the hedonistic joie de vivre celebrated in the ukiyo-e genre.

The restaurant welcomes walk-ins. If a table is not immediately available, diners can enjoy a cocktail in Sir Frank’s bar, named after Beaverbrook’s creative director, tucked into the sumptuous pink sofa, or at one of the tables decorated with new and vintage Japanese matchbox covers (some of them are rather saucy).

If a table cannot be made available in the restaurant, the Fuji Grill menu can be served at one of the spacious booths within the bar, which also has its own menu of things to eat.

Downstairs, the Butterfly Room is a private dining space lined with antiqued mirrors and Japanese butterfly illustrations. It is fully equipped for corporate meetings and comes with exclusive access to a beautiful courtyard garden.

OMAKASE SUSHI BAR

For a truly unique dining experience, be sure to make a reservation at the omakase sushi bar, which has space for just six diners. Omakase, which means ‘I will leave it to you’, is the Japanese tradition of letting the chef choose your order for you.

From your seat at the bar, within sight of Hokusai’s The Great Wave off Kanagawa, you’ll be able to watch as the sushi chef prepares every aspect of the 16-20 courses of your meal, and discuss the food, techniques and ingredients as you dine.

From £195 per person; booking essential.

AT YOUR SERVICE

Beaverbrook Town House has done away with the formality of traditional hotel reception staff and, instead, has a team of accommodating personal assistants ready to provide savvy local recommendations and advice. They can arrange private shopping experiences on Sloane Street, in-room massages and beauty treatments, fitness classes at nearby KXU gym, or personal training sessions in the peace and privacy of Cadogan Place Gardens.

BEAVERBROOK TOWN HOUSE, 115 SLOANE STREET, SW1X 9PJ