Brown's Hotel is said to hold the title of being the oldest hotel in London, having never been relocated, renamed or rebuilt.
Its opening coincides with the accession of Queen Victoria to the throne in 1837, and since that moment it has not stopped hosting great politicians, such as Winston Churchill, kings, aristocrats and the finest in world literature.
In addition, this accommodation boasts of marking a milestone in history, since it is said that the first telephone call on British soil was made by Alexander Graham Bell from one of the rooms on the lower floor, where the device that was used in the war is still preserved. 1876. The property soon became a refuge for writers who came to Brown's seeking retreat, privacy and inspiration.
Mark Twain used to walk the halls in his bathrobe and slippers at the beginning of the 20th century—“Brown's is a rarity that is hard to find,” he wrote—and Stephen King outlined his novel
Misery
(1987) while sleepless due to
jet lag
and huge quantities of of tea.
Christopher Robin, the tormented son of AA Milne, author of Winnie the Pooh, held his wedding reception in the hotel halls and Agatha Christie treasures her own corner in the
Drawing Room
(in Spanish, living room) next to the fireplace, where he spent his days writing without rest.
Other of his most famous guests: Tom Wolfe, Arthur C. Clarke, William Golding and Robert Louis Stevenson.
The opening of the accommodation was carried out by the Brown's couple.
James Brown had been butler to one of the great families of the British nobility and his wife Sarah was Baroness Byron's maid.
It was the latter, a woman of extraordinary personality, who contributed to the dazzling success of the hotel, from its beginnings in 1832 - recently, historian Andy Williamson reviewed the archives and investigated the history of this enclave, which revealed that the hotel could add five years to its age.
The building was acquired in 2003 by the Rocco Forte Hotels chain and reopened two years later by Margaret Thatcher herself to extend her legendary legacy to infinity.
More information
The Goring, this is the London hotel that Queen Elizabeth liked the most
Agatha Christie treasures her own corner in the Drawing Room.john carey
Although, without a doubt, the uniqueness of this property is the
suite
dedicated to one of its most frequent guests: Rudyard Kipling, author of
The Jungle Book
,
a
book whose 130th anniversary is celebrated in 2024 and which he wrote in part here .
The creator of the iconic story lived in London for much of his life and established numerous ties with the British capital.
He was born in Bombay in 1865, but moved to England when he was still a child to begin his academic life.
His childhood was spent in Southsea, near Portsmouth, before returning to India, as his family did not have the resources to finance his studies.
In 1889, Kipling returned to London with his wife.
After a few years living in North America, the couple settled in Devon (and years later in Sussex), after a family dispute.
During their stays in the British capital they always stayed at Brown's.
“His entire married life was marked by the hotel,” says historian Andy Williamson.
“He stayed there on the day of his wedding and was there on the day of his death.”
For his part, the author described it as “our faithful, beloved, warm and affectionate Brown's Hotel.”
The Kipling 'suite', the room dedicated to the author of the 'Jungle Book', at Brown's Hotel, in London (England).Hotel Photography
Kipling's connection with the city is not only limited to his intermittent stays, but also to his active participation in the literary and journalistic circles of the time.
Awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907—one of the few prizes he accepted to receive—the writer of the British Empire managed to exalt the patriotic values of the United Kingdom's middle class.
Additionally, he was a member of The Savile Club, a literary club located in the heart of London's Mayfair neighborhood, where the hotel is also located.
Inside Brown's, the plant decoration of the Charlie's restaurant or the children's tea dedicated to the
Jungle Book
(
Jungle Afternoon Tea
) are some of the nods that the owners wanted to dedicate to their most famous guest.
But without a doubt the surprise is the room where the Nobel always stayed.
A Monkey
lamp
by Seletti hangs at the entrance door to the
suite
and is presented as a key clue to deduce that one is in front of the Indian writer's room.
After a three-month renovation, the original Kipling
suite
was merged with the adjoining one to create the largest space the hotel has.
Olga Polizzi was in charge of the design, maintaining the original plaster of the living room and giving the room a unique style that continually reminds us of the author's masterful work.
The
jungle effect
was achieved thanks to the British green and tropical print wallpaper from Lewis & Wood covering most of the walls of the rooms.
The paper was printed on a slightly larger scale than the original to cover the hallway, and on a much larger scale for the bedroom area.
The telephone with which Alexander Graham Bell made the first telephone call in England in 1876 is preserved in the rooms of Brown's Hotel in London.Hotel Photography
The designer is a great scavenger of flea markets and antique shops, where she has been fortunate to find objects that directly connect with the Kipling literary universe, such as, for example, the alabaster hanging lamp from 1940. The references to the Jungle
Book
are constants: contemporary paintings of animals, colorful Cánovas fabrics or antiques such as the sculpture of monkeys or the black elephant that pays tribute to Colonel Hathi, Mowgli's great friend.
But surely the most valuable item is a framed handwritten letter from Rudyard Kipling, written and sent during a stay.
Facade of the Brown's hotel, in the London neighborhood of Mayfair (England). graham jepson (Alamy / CORDON PRESS)
One of the great charms of Brown's, Williamson asserts forcefully, is that the decor has been altered very little: “Yes, the wallpaper may have changed several times over the years, but if Kipling walked in today, I would continue to recognize the place.”
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