The previous lives of London hotels

Some of London’s best places to stay are buildings that used to be something else altogether. Join us as we examine the London hotels with fascinating previous lives …

The NoMad 

Not enough hotels have their own museum. The NoMad does. It’s set in what used to be the Bow Street magistrate’s court, where the likes of Oscar Wilde and Dr Crippen were committed for trial. It has skilfully reinvented itself from being a working court as late as the early 1990s – complete with grim-looking holding cells and even a drunk tank – into one of the city’s most stylish and elegant luxury hotels. Designed by the New York architects Rowan and Williams, it manages to marry Manhattan chic with British eccentricity.

The bedrooms are large, and feature a quirky mix of modern art and original Victorian features. Some even have views of the Royal Opera House, which is directly opposite. Since the NoMad opened in 2021, it’s been a destination for top-quality food and drink, too, whether you take a rhubarb margarita at the brilliant lounge bar Side Hustle, or enjoy dinner in the soaring glass atrium of the main restaurant, where chef Michael Yates marries Italian-American cuisine with British ingredients.