Hotel Russell, London

UPDATE: Since rebranded as a Kimpton hotel - Kimpton Fitzroy London by IHG

373 air-conditioned guest rooms over eight floors.

The Hotel Russell, built in 1898, is an imposing late Victorian hotel in London. It is located in the heart of Bloomsbury, with the British Museum, Covent Garden and Oxford Street within comfortable walking distance. This majestic terra-cotta clad historic hotel is adjacent to the Underground and overlooks the gardens of Russell Square. The exceptional mosaic floor that lies in the lobby was laid when the hotel was originally built and was recently restored to its original state, after being covered up due to war damage.


Detail of the terra-cotta clad exterior:

Russell Square - London

In the late 17th century the Russell family, who were Earls and later Dukes of Bedford, acquired most of the present Bloomsbury area and established many formal squares. Completed in 1806, Russell Square became the most distinguished and largest of the group. Besides some uninspired alterations in the 1960s, it had never seen changes to its design. However, it also wasn't receiving adequate care. While the trees had time to reach their maturity, the rest of the place fell into benign neglect.

In February of 2001, Camden Council undertook the full restoration of the square and refurbishment of the gardens. There is now a fine café just opposite the grand Victorian-era Hotel Russell, and a modern fountain operates at the very center. All four corner entrance gates have paths that lead to the central fountain. Today Russell Square (just north of the British Museum) is once again a handsome, beautiful urban oasis, and now has a permanent gardener.

Russell Square also has one of London's few remaining Cabman's Shelters. These were built in the 19th century to provide some facilities for Hansom Cab drivers who by law weren't allowed to leave the cab stand where they were parked. They were set up by the Earl of Shaftsbury and were green huts that weren't allowed to be longer than a horse and carriage. They had an attendant working there who would cook and sell food to the cab drivers; around ten drivers could fit inside at any one time. Drinking, gambling and swearing were banned from the premises. 61 were built, and 13 are still in operation today, all of which are Grade II listed buildings.


Much of the cultural reputation of this area is related to the Bloomsbury Group. The members had all met while attending Cambridge University at the end of the 19th century. It included the writers Virginia Woolf and E. M. Forster, critic Lytton Strachey, and artists Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell – not to men an economist, John Maynard Keynes. Although their atheism, liberal economics, modernist fiction, and their non-nuclear family and sexual arrangement alienated many, the Bloomsbury Group pioneered many aspects of popular culture that continue today.

The Lamb - a London pub

Located in Bloomsbury at 94 Conduit Street, south of Guilford (just east of Russell Square).

There may be a lamb on the sign, but the pub and the street were named after philanthropist William Lamb. In 1577, he improved the conduit that brought fresh water to the people of the area. Today, Lamb's Conduit Street is a three-block stretch of book and music shops, clothing stores, pubs and restaurants, each of them independent; there's not a single chain retailer. This popular pub was built in the 1720s but "improved" in the 19th century, when much of the original structure was lost. What remains is a fine Victorian pub in the heart of Bloomsbury.

The exterior is fairly typical with the exception of striking green tiled walls. Inside, at head level above the U-shaped counter, are rare snob screens. These small pivoting panels of etched glass were positioned at head height to conceal a drinker's identity from the pub staff. The pub would have originally been divided into several small bar areas, each with its own access to the central counter.

Dark wood, tufted leather banquettes, smoke-brown walls, a polished wood plank ceiling, sepia photographs and Victorian artefacts provide a bygone atmosphere. A Polyphon, a kind of Victorian juke box , occupies one corner, and by all accounts it still works. At the rear of the pub is a small covered patio.

The service is friendly and the Young's beers are invariably in top condition. There's a good variety of set meals and daily specials at reasonable prices, such as savory pies, bangers and mash, and fish and chips.