Millennium Bailey's Hotel
Encyclopedia
Millennium Bailey's Hotel, formerly Bailey's Hotel, is a historic hotel in the Kensington
district of London
. The postal address is 140 Gloucester Road
, but the main entrance is on Courtfield Road, opposite Gloucester Road tube station
. It was established in 1876 and named after its original owner, Sir James Bailey
(1840-1910), Member of Parliament
.
. When completed the hotel also included nine stables to host a carriage service from the hotel.
In 1877 Bailey extended Bailey’s Hotel along Courtfield Road and in 1881 replaced the stables with a garden and additional buildings, which today houses the Bombay Brasserie restaurant. In 1883 Bailey installed new bedrooms and built a new elevator and installed electric lights in 1890.
By the 1890s Bailey's Hotel was one of the more successful hotels in London with over 300 rooms, and was popular with international guests. An American tourist guide published in 1891 mentioned the "cosy, homelike atmosphere, which is enhanced by the rich and substantial surroundings" (all for $1 a night at the time). Sultan
Abu Bakar of Johor spent his last days in bed at the hotel before dying of pneumonia
on 4 June 1895. At the peak of its success, Bailey sold the hotel to Spiers & Pond Limited in 1894, but remained as Managing Director for several years, as he was elected a Member of Parliament for Walworth, Newington, and was knighted in 1905.
By 1914 Bailey's Hotel faced stiff competition, with some fourteen hotels in eighteen buildings in close proximity. It survived, though, and during World War II
was hit by an incendiary bomb, causing a major fire and damage, and again on 8 March 1941. A further fire broke out in the staff quarters in 1945, damaging the ceilings and floorboards, which meant the building had to be evacuated at a time when it was being used as a provisional hospital.
It wasn't until 1952-54 that the hotel was renovated, and new bathrooms were added in 1954 and a new bar in 1958. However, the hotel had significantly fallen from grace and was not the elegant, upmarket hotel it had been, and it changed ownership many times. The Royal Borough of Kensington
and Chelsea protected the hotel from being demolished in the 1970s and 1980s because of its historical value. In the 1970s a room in the hotel cost just $12 a night, compared to $110 today. The hotel was completely restored in 1988 and purchased by the Taj Group by Securum Hotel Holdings in 1992 and City Developments Limited (CDL) in July 1994. It is now operated by Millennium Hotels.
The hotel is 5 floors in height and contains 212 rooms.
The main restaurant is the Bombay Brasserie, which serves Indian cuisine
typical of the British Raj
and Olive's Restaurant, a stylish Victorian restaurant that serves continental and full English breakfasts. The main bar is called Olives Bar.
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
district of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The postal address is 140 Gloucester Road
Gloucester Road, London
Gloucester Road is a street in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea of London. It runs north-south between Kensington Road and Old Brompton Road at the south end...
, but the main entrance is on Courtfield Road, opposite Gloucester Road tube station
Gloucester Road tube station
-Deep-level station:By the beginning of the 20th century, the MDR had been extended to Richmond, Ealing Broadway, Hounslow West and Wimbledon in the west and to New Cross Gate in the east...
. It was established in 1876 and named after its original owner, Sir James Bailey
James Bailey (UK politician)
Sir James Bailey JP, DL, MP, was a British Conservative Party politician who served from 1895 to 1906 as Member of Parliament for Walworth in South London...
(1840-1910), Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
.
History
Bailey's Hotel was one of the earliest privately built hotels in London, built between 1874 and 1876 by Aldin and Sons under the command of MP Sir James Bailey. He erected the hotel in an upmarket location so as to attract London’s aristocracy and wealthier inhabitants and to be easily accessible through Gloucester Road tube stationGloucester Road tube station
-Deep-level station:By the beginning of the 20th century, the MDR had been extended to Richmond, Ealing Broadway, Hounslow West and Wimbledon in the west and to New Cross Gate in the east...
. When completed the hotel also included nine stables to host a carriage service from the hotel.
In 1877 Bailey extended Bailey’s Hotel along Courtfield Road and in 1881 replaced the stables with a garden and additional buildings, which today houses the Bombay Brasserie restaurant. In 1883 Bailey installed new bedrooms and built a new elevator and installed electric lights in 1890.
Sultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
Abu Bakar of Johor spent his last days in bed at the hotel before dying of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
on 4 June 1895. At the peak of its success, Bailey sold the hotel to Spiers & Pond Limited in 1894, but remained as Managing Director for several years, as he was elected a Member of Parliament for Walworth, Newington, and was knighted in 1905.
By 1914 Bailey's Hotel faced stiff competition, with some fourteen hotels in eighteen buildings in close proximity. It survived, though, and during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
was hit by an incendiary bomb, causing a major fire and damage, and again on 8 March 1941. A further fire broke out in the staff quarters in 1945, damaging the ceilings and floorboards, which meant the building had to be evacuated at a time when it was being used as a provisional hospital.
It wasn't until 1952-54 that the hotel was renovated, and new bathrooms were added in 1954 and a new bar in 1958. However, the hotel had significantly fallen from grace and was not the elegant, upmarket hotel it had been, and it changed ownership many times. The Royal Borough of Kensington
and Chelsea protected the hotel from being demolished in the 1970s and 1980s because of its historical value. In the 1970s a room in the hotel cost just $12 a night, compared to $110 today. The hotel was completely restored in 1988 and purchased by the Taj Group by Securum Hotel Holdings in 1992 and City Developments Limited (CDL) in July 1994. It is now operated by Millennium Hotels.
Exterior
The building retains its elegant Victorian appearance. The name of the hotel, Bailey's Hotel, is written in gold lettering above a central porch. Above the name are five royal flags of Great Britain.Interior
In 1996 it underwent renovation but today the hotel retains many of its Victorian furnishings, including the period fireplaces and grand, spiralling main staircase.The hotel is 5 floors in height and contains 212 rooms.
The main restaurant is the Bombay Brasserie, which serves Indian cuisine
Indian cuisine
Indian cuisine consists of thousands of regional cuisines which date back thousands of years. The dishes of India are characterised by the extensive use of various Indian spices, herbs, vegetables and fruit. Indian cuisine is also known for the widespread practice of vegetarianism in Indian society...
typical of the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
and Olive's Restaurant, a stylish Victorian restaurant that serves continental and full English breakfasts. The main bar is called Olives Bar.