London Marriott Hotel County Hall

The London Marriott County Hall Hotel is a Grade-II listed hotel in Westminster, London.[1] It has 206 bedrooms, some of which offer views of Big Ben.[1]

London Marriott Hotel County Hall
General information
Address	Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 7PB, London
Coordinates	51°30′3.8″N 0°7′9.3″W
Opened	September 1998
Management	Marriott International
Design and construction
Architect	Ralph Knott
Other information
Number of rooms	206
Website
www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/lonch-london-marriott-hotel-county-hall/

History

Entrance to London Marriott County Hall during the Holiday Season

The County Hall was designed by Ralph Knott in 1909 and work on the building began in 1912. In 1922 County Hall was officially opened by King George V and Queen Mary as the headquarters of the local government in London.[2][3] The entire complex of seven buildings was completed in 1932 and the northern section of the building was built in 1933.

The premises continued to expand, and became under control by the Greater London Council (GLC) in 1965. By the 1980s, the Labour controlled GLC was in conflict with the British Conservative Government. Since the Parliament buildings were just across the river from County Hall, the latter sported a large banner recording the total number of unemployed in London. Subsequently, the GLC was abolished by the Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher in 1986. The London County Council (LCC) was established in 1889 by elected members of each London Borough in order to control public services within each borough. They focused on issues such as education, roads, city planning and council housing. For 64 years, County Hall served as the headquarters for local governments in London.

Following the end of the GLC, the county hall sat vacant. It was purchased by the Shirayama Shokusan Corporation in 1993 and converted into a hotel in 1998.[3]

Building

The building is constructed of Portland Stone from the Isle of Wight, and its foundation is a plinth composed of Cornish granite.[4] The oak covered walls are nearly 100 years old and are marked by the English Heritage Foundation. The bronze doors that decorate the entrance were made by Crittals, with enrichments modelled by George Alexander. The plaque on the right side of the entrance commemorates the official opening by King George V in 1922. On the left is displayed a bronze relief of Ralph Knott, designed by Gilbert Bayes and unveiled in 1932. The sculptures of the four pavilions at the far end of County Hall were produced by A. F. Hardman. Visible at the cornice level are eleven coats of arms representing London Boroughs. This was completed in 1933 and overseen by E. Stone Collins after Ralph Knott's death.

The County Hall building is six stories high and has seven miles of corridors.[4]

Deluxe Room at the London Marriott County Hall

Hotel Rooms and Designs

London Marriott Hotel County Hall was officially opened by Mr. J.W Marriott Jr, Chairman and president of Marriott International Inc. on 23 September 1998. The current owner of County Hall is Japanese company, Shirayama Shokusan Ltd. [5]

The hotel currently has 206 bedrooms[5], 12 meeting rooms[6], The Library, Gillray's Steakhouse & Bar & the Club at County Hall including a 25m indoor swimming pool located on the 6th floor. All the meeting rooms in the hotel have been created from offices dating back to 1922.[5]

All of the Hotel meeting rooms are named after distinguished individuals with significance to County Hall's history. The King George V & Queen Mary Room is named after the Royal couple who laid the foundation stone to County Hall in 1912 and also officially declared County Hall open in 1922. William Wordsworth Room is named after a major English Romantic poet. He penned his immortal sonnet on the Westminster Bridge in 1805. Four of the meeting rooms are named after Council leaders and chairmen: Francis Anderson (1922-1923), Herbert Morrison (1939-1940), Lady Nathan(1947-1948) and Horace Cutler (1977-1981) who was the pre-war leader of the old London County Council and also the most formidable figure since Herbert Morrison.[7]

The Noes Lobby has 2 fireplaces of Black Belgian Marble on each side. The walls are panelled with polished Indian laurel wood. It is illuminated from both a skylight and several lamps above the main chamber [8]. The Council Chamber of County Hall is preserved right behind glass doors. When a government proposal was outlined, the Council Chamber members would adjourn to the Ayes Lobby if they voted yes. If they voted no, they would stand by the Noes Lobby. This system is still being used in Westminster today. The Council Chamber is under the landlord's demise and is not accessible to the general  public.

All of the corridors are wallpapered with a bowler hat and brolly design, complementing the pocket watch print curtains, to allude to London's business culture. Every lift lobby in the six-story hotel features a wall decorated with book covers of English publisher Penguin Books, while quirky colourful artworks by local London artists adorn the corridor and guest room walls. The guest rooms all have wallpaper featuring a historic map of London from the era of the building's infancy, as well as mosaic flooring harking back to the best of early 20th century style.[9]

Gillray's Steakhouse & Bar

Steak Board with Yorkshires and Gillray's Steak

Gillray's Steakhouse & Bar is situated on the banks of the River Thames with views of the London Eye, Houses of Parliament & Big Ben. This London-based restaurant is located directly below the London Marriott Hotel and features locally sourced and seasonal produce. They source the majority of their products from within 150 miles of the restaurant using Kent and Essex based farms. Known for bespoke butchering and ageing, Gillray's is proud to work with 8th generation Butchers Darragh and Michael O'Shea. Gillray's butchers select free range organic beef, from both South West Ireland and their own farm in Perthshire, Scotland.[10]

The restaurant is named after James Gillray, a well-known English caricaturist born in Chelsea in 1757. He started out as a letter engraver but later started to draw caricatures and cartoons of current politicians causing him to be reviled by the political establishment of his time. He became loved by the public due to his amazing caricatures and two of his prints can be spotted in Gillray's today.

Gillray's Bar

Jamie Welch joined Gillray's as an Executive Chef in 2016. Jamie has been working in the industry for 21 years. In 2003, he joined the Marriott as a Demi Chef de Partie at Melon Valley. In 2011, he became Sous Chef at Grosvenor Square then subsequently became Executive Chef. Jamie Welch was awarded the "Marriott Europe Chef of the Year" in 2015 followed winning the prestigious "Marriott Global Chef(ACE Award)" in 2016.[10]

References

1. Olson, Donald; Strachan, Donald; Brewer, Stephen; Shelby, Barry (14 February 2012). Frommer's Great Britain Day by Day. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 123–. ISBN 978-0-470-64869-8. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
2. "London Marriott County Hall Hotel Review, Southbank, London". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
3. "We'll keep the dead cow flying here". 4 April 2003. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
4. "London Marriott County Hall". Marriott Bonvoy. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
5. "Hotel review: London Marriott Hotel County Hall". Business Traveller. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
6. "London Marriott Hotel County Hall". Marriott International. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
7. "Historic and Iconic Hotels in London | London Marriott Hotel County Hall". www.marriott.com.au. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
8. "Project Spotlight: RPW Design's Noes Lobby at Marriott County Hall". Hotel Designs. 19 January 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
9. "London Marriott County Hall Project | ATADesigns". Retrieved 28 June 2019.
10. "Gillrays Steakhouse & Bar | Restaurant near London Eye, Southbank". www.gillrays.co.uk. Retrieved 28 June 2019.