Amongst the bustling, cobbled streets of Spitalfields, Batty Langley’s is the latest hotel to grace London’s trendiest neighborhood.
In the past home to silk merchants, petty thieves, tarts and vagabonds, juxtaposing Georgian elegance and witty charm. Now close to the city’s high-tech, fast-paced, high-rises, Batty Langley’s is a haven.
This latest offering has been more than a decade in the making. Peter McKay and Douglas Blain, founders of the Spitalfields Trust and dedicated to the meticulous restoration of old buildings, have tirelessly sought genuine antique furniture and fittings to match the Georgian period.
The hotel’s namesake, Georgian landscape designer and architect Batty Langley (1696 – 1741), published handbooks designed to help inexperienced clients plan their houses and gardens “in the most Grand Taste”. Today this work breathes new life into this corner of London; the aristocratic nature of the building, along with its relaxed, friendly atmosphere, gives guests the chance to slow their fast-paced lives down and unwind. All the high-tech is installed, concealed but readily accessible.
The front door is locked and guests gain access by ringing the bell. Spacious ground floor rooms including a parlour, tapestry room and library. The 3,500 books dotted around the property mean guests can leave a bookmark and return to finish their chosen tome at a later date.
Although bathrooms did not exist in the 18th century, Peter and Douglas have recreated what they might have been like had they existed. One room has a huge marble bath, craned in before the roof was repaired. Another a vast Victorian bathing machine complete with shower and body spray. Freestanding cast iron roll top baths, bathing machines and walk-in showers abound.
The duo comments: “It’s an unusual name for a most unusual hotel! We have been restoring Georgian buildings since 1977; our first hotel project was transforming a defunct Soho hostel into what is now Hazlitt’s Hotel, beloved of show business celebrities from all over the world. We’ve spent more than 10 years planning and sourcing period fittings, to create this latest rare departure from London’s increasingly bland, international hotel scene. We believe atmosphere is everything. Our aim at Batty Langley’s is to return to Georgian life with the comforts and facilities of the 21st century, even if only for a night or two.”
Visit website: https://www.battylangleys.com