St. Pancras Renaissance

Designed to commemorate the glamour and glory of Britain’s Victorian railways, this neo-Gothic London landmark originally opened as a hotel in 1873, forming the frontispiece of St. Pancras railway station. It then languished for decades as station offices before an ambitious £150 million renovation relaunched it as a hotel in 2011.

Now, as well as the elaborate original features of its turreted, redbrick building, it has a new contemporary wing, a fabulous cocktail bar in the former station’s Booking Office, and clubby fine dining by way of its all-day drinking and dining space, Hanson.

It’s also home to one of London’s most indulgently-set spas, an Orientalist Victorian fantasy of tiling, steam rooms and a peacock blue pool overlooked by grand windows.

Original Victorian features in the building include gold-leaf ceilings, ornate murals and a spectacular staircase with windows measuring over 50ft.