A Major Hotel Renaissance in London

After standing empty for years, the spectacular Midland Grand Hotel, overlooking one of the world's great train stations, has been restored to its former Victorian Gothic glory. It officially reopens as the 245-room St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel London on Thursday.

The dramatic red-brick building, first opened in 1873, was designed to cater to travelers coming in and out of St. Pancras, the major train hub opened five years earlier.

The new hotel—a 12 year project that cost £150 million--marks the completion of the regeneration of the St. Pancras International Station, which was completely restored and reopened in 2007. It’s now the home of Eurostar, the high-speed train connecting London to Paris, Lille and Brussels via the Channel Tunnel. (From July 9 to September 10, you can take the Eurostar direct from St. Pancras to Avignon in Provence in just under six hours. The Saturday-only service is direct and does not require a change; it leaves at 7:17 a.m. and arrives Avignon Centre at 2:08 p.m. The return train leaves Avignon Centre at 4:24 p.m., arriving St. Pancras at 9:09 p.m. Other days and times you connect in Lille or Paris. For info, click here.)

While the hotel began welcoming guests since mid March, the official grand opening will be May 5th, exactly 138 years to the day after its predecessor. Many original areas and features have been meticulously renovated and restored, by a team of hundreds of craftsmen and painters. “Victorian architect George Gilbert Scott designed every single window in the building with a different surround,” says general manager Kevin Kelly, who left the five-star Marriott Grosvenor Square (London) to run this hotel. “In our restoration, we’ve tried to do justice to this great building.”

There’s also a 120,000-square-foot extension featuring original artwork and contemporary design. 

The hotel has restored gold-leaf ceilings, ornate wall murals and a Grand Staircase that’s widely revered as the most majestic in England, with windows measuring more than 50 feet and crowned by an elaborate vaulted ceiling. It’s been featured in many films (such as Batman) and music videos such as the Spice Girls’ debut single Wannabe.

And what about the food ? Top Michelin-starred London chef Marcus Wareing (a Gordon Ramsay protégé) is in charge of the restaurant The Gilbert Scott, which offers what he calls “an original yet familiar menu of Great British inspired classics."  He continues: “Inspired by the history and architecture of the building we’ve looked at old-style cookery books of Great Britain and done a lot of research on the traceability of dishes which are no longer recognized today as their names have changed." Dishes on the opening menu include Nettle and watercress soup; Dorset Jugged Steak (braised featherblade with Port, pork dumplings and red currants ; featherblade is a braising cut from the shoulder); Tweed Kettle (sea trout with a lemon, nutmeg and an herb crust); Yorkshire fish cakes; Manchester tart (custard, bananas, puff pastry, jam); and treats such as a “sweet shop bag” and chocolate cigars. 

In the second bar/restaurant, this one called the Booking Office and located in the train station’s original ticket office, Julien Maisonneuve (formally of the Michelin-starred Tom Aikens Restaurant) is the chef. The food there is seasonal, market driven and simply prepared, with dishes such as mushroom and leek Wellington with curly kale and hollandaise and a sea bass with wild mushrooms, new potatoes and lemon butter. Maisonneuve oversees banquets and room service as well.

The hotel also has a spa with swimming pool (in what had been the hotel's old kitchen), a 500-person event hall, a “gentleman’s grooming salon” and a “Ladies Smoking Room”--a renovation of the original room, the first place in Europe where it was acceptable for women to smoke in public. Rates begin at £225 ($371, €250).

Click on each photo to enlarge. Caption Info: The Grand Staircase during, after and before renovation. The hotel exterior today and in a 1884 painting by John O'Connor. The old booking office, now the Booking Office Bar. The view from the hotel's Chambers Suite bedroom.

Traveling by Train?

Okay, so the SNCF has been on strike for 10 days now. But here are some bits of news that might interest you anyway....

First, Expatica reported that the SNCF, the French rail operator, is planning to run some sleeper trains during the day, starting May 21st--so passengers can catch a nap while traveling. The new service, called Téoz Eco, will run for a six-month trial on the line from Paris to Toulouse via Limoges, Brive and Cahors. If succsesful, it will be extended to other long-distance routes. Read the whole story here.

The next item, from This French Life, tells how Eurostar and the SNCF are working to improve the links between London and Provence, with a new trial service that connects in Lille and uses specially reserved coaches. Upon arrival at Lille, passengers are given advice and directions for their onward travel. Tickets for travel to Lyon and Marseille on the new service are on sale now for travel beginning June 1; prices start at £109 roundtrip to Lyon and £119 roundtrip to Marseille. Travel time between London and Lyon is around five hours while Marseille is about six and a half. Eurostar will seek feedback from passengers, and if the service proves popular, extend it to other destinations. You can read that article, along with other French rail news, here.

Most of the year, to travel between London and Avignon by train requires a change in Paris. In summer, however, you can travel direct non-stop...but only once a week. Direct Eurostar trains from the UK to Avignon run every Saturday, July 10 to September 11, 2010. Trains leave St. Pancras at 07:17 and arrive at Avignon Center at 14:08. Passengers may also board at Ashford International. For the return, trains leave Avignon Center on Saturdays at 16:24 and arrive at St. Pancras at 21:09, stopping at Ashford along the way. For info, click here.

Photo: Train wreck at Gare Montparnasse, Paris, 1895.