History

Stepping into One Aldwych is to step into a moment in history, dressed up in style. Built in 1905 as the home of the Morning Post newspaper, we like to think it still inspires spirited conversation and connection. Take a meander through some of our past lives...

1630

inigo jones

Complete a trip to The National Gallery with an overnight stay with us. Enjoy tickets to the Van Gogh exhibition and linger a while in our destination Lobby Bar with a complimentary cocktail to complete your experience.

1830

COVENT GARDEN MARKET

With the area fallen into disrepute, the Duke of Bedford took it upon himself to knock down the ramshackle collection of sheds that constituted the then market and commissioned architect Charles Fowler to build the covered granite market building that stands proudly on the piazza today.

1858

royal opera house

With playhouses at this famous Covent Garden address since 1732 both destroyed by fire, it was the third reincarnation designed by Edward Middleton Barry in the mid-1800s which has survived as the foundations of the theatre that we know today.

1905

SUPERSTAR ARCHITECTS

1907

the morning post moves in

Thanks to innovative architecture and a steel frame construction, the building was completed in only two years and quickly became known for its blend of Edwardian grandeur and splendid Parisian elegance.

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Later that year the newspaper’s editorial and advertising staff moved into the building and the printing presses were installed in the basement, where the hotel’s swimming pool sits. There they remained for the next twenty years.

1927

INVERESK HOUSE

1974

MARKET MAKEOVER

The final trading bell rings in the Flower Market at Covent Garden and the largest wholesale fruit, vegetable and flower market in the UK moves out of Covent Garden making room for a vibrant collection of shops, bars and restaurants. The market spirit remains with the Apple Market and its range of handmade crafts and goods, plus weekly antiques and collectables on Mondays.

1998

one aldwych opens

With its Grade II listing, our building was eventually sold to private independent owners who undertook the project to create the One Aldwych Hotel which first opened its doors in 1998.

1999

royal opera house

2019

LONDON'S CULTURED, INDEPENDENT HOTEL

One Aldwych underwent an extensive refurbishment with suites and bedrooms redesigned by renowned designer Robert Angell to give them an upscale residential feel – timelessly chic and filled with natural daylight. London design company Fabled Studio gave Indigo a bright, airy feel and reaffirmed The Lobby Bar as a true destination bar with interiors evoking the building’s Art Nouveau and Parisian touches, as well as its former life as the headquarters of the Morning Post newspaper. Ready for the hotel’s next chapter.