110

By Hannah Norman

1 Year Ago

For the culturally curious, it is a hotel ahead of the curve, marrying high-end design with opulent home comforts. It’s therefore no surprise that The Stafford’s many repeat guests gratefully refer to “their” hotel as a home-away-from-home, and it’s testament to the hard work and dedication of its staff that The Stafford London will be celebrating its 110th anniversary this September. Now part of the Stafford Collection — additionally comprising Northcote, a luxury hotel and Michelin-star restaurant nestled in the beautiful Ribble Valley; and Norma, a Sicilian-inspired restaurant in the heart of London’s buzzing Fitzrovia — The Stafford London has proved that its appeal is as timeless as the day that it opened. The hotel’s rich history stretches as far back as the 17th century. Centrally located near some of London’s most historic landmarks, the building has seen its fair share of historic events, being one of the oldest — if not the oldest — hotel near Buckingham Palace.

The Stafford’s story starts back when numbers 16—18 St James’s Place were originally built as private residences, some time in the 17th century. Number 17 was perhaps most famously owned by Lord and Lady Lyttelton, and the house remained in the family until 1849, when Lady Lyttelton, daughter of the then Earl Spencer, was pressed into service as a nanny to the children of Queen Victoria. In the years that followed, the house changed hands many times, before becoming the Richmond Club Chambers. It later became St James’s Palace Hotel, with The Stafford Club — which, at the time, was housed in number 18 — added in 1886. A quarter of a century later, in 1912, the hotel was extended to include number 16, and The Stafford Hotel was born.

The hotel has remained steeped in history and character, evidenced throughout the building. No visit to The Stafford London would be complete without a peek at the 380-year-old Wine Cellars, built in the 17th century by Lord Francis Godolphin, which, much like the hotel standing above them, have had many uses over the years. It is reputed that certain doorways used to lead directly to the Palace of St James’s — albeit that they are now long since blocked up, the entrances lost to the annals of history (St James’s Palace being the official home of the British monarchy, from the reign of King Henry VIII right up until the time of Queen Victoria).

Much later in their history, the Cellars housed the famous Madame Prunier wine shipping company. Simone Prunier was a beautiful, but formidable, restaurateur in Paris and London. She was the granddaughter of celebrated French restaurateur Alfred Prunier, who opened the first Prunier fish restaurant in Paris in 1872. La Maison Prunier in St James’s became famous for its fresh fish and shellfish, and was frequented in its time by the great and the good of society — from kings and queens, to actors and politicians, including Sir Winston Churchill.

During World War II, Madame Prunier housed her extensive wine collection in the Cellars of The Stafford London, firstly to guarantee that the bottles would be safe, but also to ensure that there was a regular supply of fine wines for her clientele! A wooden plaque now hangs proudly on the gates of one of the Cellars’ wine chambers, in her memory. Quite apart from preserving alcohol during the War, the Cellars were also utilised as an air raid shelter. The hotel itself served as a club for American and Canadian officers stationed in London, and today a fascinating little museum of artefacts can be found in the Cellars, seemingly left in situ by the officers from their time at the hotel. Today, the working Cellars hold 8,000 bottles of the finest wines, including many rare and precious vintages. Housing one of the most complete wine collections in London, it’s not surprising that a wide range of vintages in half bottle and imperial sizes are on offer, alongside an impressive selection of vintage cognacs, Armagnacs, ports and single malt whiskies — some dating back to the 1920s. Alongside this impressive collection, the last remaining casket and wine corking machinery are on show in the main chamber of the Cellars.

Above ground, it would be impossible to talk about The Stafford London without mentioning the veritable institution that is The American Bar. It is one of only two of the original American Bars left in London to retain the name, created to cater for the first mass influx of travellers from the US in the 1940s. As well as its signature serves, The American Bar is perhaps best-loved for its décor, with every available wall, surface and square inch of ceiling displaying an intriguing collection of artefacts, knick-knacks and signed celebrity photographs donated by patrons and guests over the years. The collection of memorabilia was first started when an American guest gave Charles Guano — the hotel’s late, beloved Head Barman of 42 years — a small wooden carving of an American eagle. Shortly after, a Canadian guest gave him a small model of an Eskimo. Then an Australian presented a model of a kangaroo, and so the collection grew and grew into the incredible display on show throughout the bar today. Artefacts include a signed photograph from Clint Eastwood asking to “save a pint” for him, model airplanes donated by the makers of the actual planes, a shark’s jaw, a dollar bill signed by the Secretary of the Treasury of the U.S., and even an adorable Paddington Bear.

And whilst The American Bar packs a punch at the best of times, this fighting spirit is immortalised with a pair of Lonsdale boxing gloves signed by none other than boxing legend Evander Holyfield, which he donated during the 2012 London Olympic Games. The one item on display which has always amused regulars to the bar, however, is the large screwdriver tacked to the wall. So the story goes, this stems from when a guest staying at the hotel phoned down to order a drink. Unfortunately, they had unwittingly got through to an intern, who followed their request for a Screwdriver a little too literally, with a tool rather than a cocktail dispatched to the guest’s room!

Less bemusing, but very respected, is the special place permanently reserved for Nancy Wake, the Allies’ most highly decorated servicewoman of World War II. A Karen Newman-sculpted bust honours Wake’s position not just at the bar, but also in history. Wake’s story begins in New Zealand, although a fiercely independent streak saw her leave home to work as a nurse and then a journalist in Europe, swinging with a cosmopolitan set of other independent and carefree young people. However, having witnessed the rise of Hitler and anti-Semitism in the 1930s, she eventually came to work for the French Resistance. Code-named the “White Mouse” by the Gestapo because of her ability to evade capture, she was at one point their most wanted person, with a five million-franc price on her head (fortunately for Wake, the Gestapo presumed she must be a man). She became a saboteur and Resistance fighter, and led an army of 7,000 Maquis troops in guerrilla warfare to sabotage the Nazis. Her story is one of daring, courage, intrigue and optimism in the face of impossible odds.

In the latter stages of her life, Wake became a resident at The Stafford London, and quickly became very much part of the family. Uncompromising and recklessly heroic, yet loved by her friends for her huge sense of fun, Wake would usually be found in The American Bar sipping her first gin and tonic of the day at 11 o’clock in the morning, sat on a special bar stool built for her by the hotel. Wake celebrated her ninetieth birthday at the hotel, and in 2003, when she chose to move to the Royal Star & Garter Home for Disabled Ex-Service Men and Women in Richmond, London, the hotel owners and His Majesty King Charles (then the Prince of Wales) absorbed most of the costs of her stay. With such a rich history, there are more than a few incredible other stories that abound about The Stafford London. One of the greatest stars of the silver screen, Bing Crosby, would regularly stay at The Stafford when he was in the capital. As a passionate golf player, Crosby would frequently challenge then-general manager and keen golfer, Simon Broome, to a game, with ashtrays used as holes. The games would start at the reception desk and end in The American Bar, where one particularly wild shot — history is vague as to whose it was — smashed a mirror.

Crosby once also challenged Broome to see who could chip a ball into nearby Green Park from the steps of The Stafford — meaning there could still be some stray golf balls hiding on the roofs of the buildings opposite the hotel! In later history, another famous American, U.S. President Ronald Reagan, stayed at the hotel before his election, whilst visiting friends who lived nearby. The story that sticks strongest in the hotel’s history books, however, comes from when a very tired American guest turned up at the hotel after an intercontinental flight, telling staff that he didn’t want to be disturbed, including by any telephone calls. Respecting his wishes to the letter, when a call was received from Washington asking to speak to the guest, the hotel staff politely, but firmly, refused. Several more calls came through, and each time the caller was gently and apologetically rebuffed. Eventually, a car from the U.S. Embassy screeched up outside the hotel, where upon staff were asked to wake up the guest as he had an important phone call from America.

There followed the immortal words from then-Head Porter, Colin Short: “I don’t care if it’s the President of the United States!” As it turned out, that’s exactly who it was — the guest was George Schultz and President Ronald Reagan was phoning him to ask him to become Secretary of State. Whilst these stories have lived long in The Stafford London’s list of legends and tales, what is undeniable in the hotel’s recent history is its endurance and appeal. Whilst a committed and expert team has ensured that The Stafford London remains a five-star hotel of choice, credit must be given to Chief Operating Officer of the Stafford Collection, Stuart Procter, under whose tenure the hotel has enjoyed well-deserved success. A highly experienced hotelier with an unrelenting passion for the industry, Procter is respected by staff and guests alike for his accessible managerial style and down-to-earth approach. Procter originally took over the helm at The Stafford London in 2006, at the tender age of just 29, taking on the responsibility of overseeing the £26 million pound development of The Stafford Mews — a building separate from the main hotel, set off from the courtyard and accessible by its own private lobby, with 26 spacious suites built to offer the security and the independence of a private residence right in the heart of central London — as well as an extension of The American Bar. During his five-year tenure, the hotel’s annual revenue grew from £8 million to £12.5 million, and profitability from £2.2million to £5 million.

Procter left the hotel in 2011 to work on other ventures, but made a welcome return just four years later, in time to oversee the multi-million pound renovation of the hotel’s historic Carriage House Suites. Once the former stables of British nobleman and politician, Lord Francis Godolphin, the Carriage House suites offer guests at the hotel understated opulence overlooking the quiet, cobbled courtyard, with each one now individually crafted with a luxurious spirit and contemporary elegance. In-keeping with its equestrian past, the ground floor suites even retain their stable doors. The idea of keeping the past alive through modern updates and refurbishments, such as The Game Bird, The American Bar and the hotel’s exquisite suites, is something The Stafford London has long excelled at. Whatever the future holds — and if the past 110 years are anything to go by, then it surely must be a glorious future indeed — The Stafford London hotel will stand a proud witness to the history that is yet to unfold before it. Here’s to the next century…