St. Ermin’s – Code Word for a Luxury Stay in London with a Secretive Past

I walked in as a guest, grateful for a night’s stay at an elegant hotel. I walked out with stories of secret meetings, double agents, and espionage in an era when a web of whodunnits was afoot.

St. Ermin’s Then and Now

A member of Marriott’s Autograph Collection, the four-star hotel offers stylish comfort, with a dash of an illustrious, storied past.

The site began as a chapel dedicated to a monk later canonized as St. Ermin. After the chapel was demolished, the site became a mansion block. Such blocks featured “fashionable flats clustered around a courtyard” in the mid-to-late nineteenth century. It opened as a hotel in 1889.

St. Ermin’s Hotel, London, UK ©Nancy Mueller Photos

Today, the 331-room property offers exceptional service and unpretentious hospitality. Guest rooms range from compact to expansive, with accessible, family, and dog-friendly accommodations available.

Guest Room, St. Ermin’s Hotel ©Nancy Mueller Photos

The Hotel at First Glance

Located within easy walking distance of London’s historic landmarks, St. Ermin’s offers tranquility, especially amid the city’s high-octane world of trade and finance.

The handsome, red brick Queen Anne-style hotel lies tucked inside London’s leafy Westminster neighborhood near the trails and gardens of St. James Park and Green Park. Guests enter St. Ermin’s courtyard, partially hidden from street view, under a canopy of abundant foliage.

With a welcoming smile, the doorman invites me into a resplendent lobby designed with theatrical flair. Crystal chandeliers sparkle above a grand staircase surrounded by stunning white plasterwork.

St. Ermin’s Hotel Lobby Entrance ©Nancy Mueller Photos

Intimate seating areas throughout the reception area and the floor above include the Library Lounge, inspiring guests to pause or enjoy hushed conversations with confidantes. A portrait of Queen Elizabeth keeps close watch over all.

Intimate seating area at St. Ermin’s Hotel ©Nancy Mueller Photos

Queen Elizabeth Portrait at St. Ermin's Hotel

Queen Elizabeth Portrait, St. Ermin’s Hotel ©Nancy Mueller Photos

Ceiling detail at St. Ermin’s Hotel ©Nancy Mueller Photos

House of Spies

The hotel’s unassuming setting and proximity to the House of Parliament — a fast, eight-minute walk from the hotel — must have proven irresistible to spies and counterspies in the 1930s and 40s.

My cloak-and-dagger curiosity piqued upon learning that, in the 1930s, officers in the Secret Intelligence Services (SIS and MI6) rendezvoused with agents within these walls and hallways. And that from 1938, St. Ermin’s served as the headquarters for SIS Section D, the division created to carry out espionage and clandestine operations within the Secret Intelligence Service agency.

Men in bowler hats near St. Ermin's Hotel

Men in bowler hats out for a stroll near St. Ermin’s Hotel
©Nancy Mueller Photos

Steeped in spy history, St. Ermin’s past harbors more secrets as well.

In the 1940s, British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill took over a full floor of the hotel as the operational headquarters for the SOE (Special Operations Executive) organization. Under the disguise of “Statistical Research Department,” SOE specialized in the stuff that spycraft is made of — espionage, sabotage, and reconnaissance.

Rumors also swirl of a secret tunnel that runs from under St. Ermin’s grand staircase to the House of Commons. Members of Parliament (MPs) could have used the tunnel to speed walk to Parliament in time to cast their votes on pending resolutions.

Whether true or not, Division Bells, like the one positioned in the hotel lobby, were rung to call MPs back to vote at the eight-minute mark from strategic locations around Parliament Square.

Houses of Parliament Division Bell ©Nancy Mueller Photos

007 in the Making

Fancy yourself a James Bond MI6 recruit? Shortly before WWII, you might have been among the students enrolled in guerrilla warfare classes at St. Ermin’s. Your classmates? Playwright- British agent Noel Coward and double agent Anthony Blunt, member of the traitorous Cambridge 5, were recruited by Soviet spies.

007 James Bond: Tea and Espionage at St. Ermin’s Hotel ©Nancy Mueller Photos

The classes have ended, but you can still test your spy mettle. Just crack the code of secret messages on an original SOE silk scarf displayed in the hotel lobby.

Or check out other espionage memorabilia in St. Ermin’s boutique espionage exhibit. The items are on loan from the London Clandestine Warfare Collection. Secret communication devices, a map of secret routes inside enemy territory, and a WWII First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY) uniform are among the featured artifacts.

St. Ermin’s Espionage Exhibit ©Nancy Mueller Photos

Get a first-hand look at original SOE field equipment and concealed weaponry devices. Many such inventions were the brainchild of Charles Fraser-Smith. Fraser-Smith is often credited as the inspiration behind Q in Ian Fleming’s James Bond series.

Shaken, Not Stirred

Raise a glass to Sir Winston Churchill in St. Ermin’s Caxton Bar. Here, it’s said he enjoyed his favorite champagne, Pol Roger, while relaxing. Or perhaps he was plotting his next moves among soldiers and spies. Imagine sitting in the same space where it’s rumored that counterspy Guy Burgess passed confidential government files to his Russian counterparts after the war.

Enjoy the taste of a Bowler Hat gin cocktail with St. Ermin’s own award-winning London dry gin, vermouth, lemon, and honey. Spirits and dishes are flavored with botanicals from the hotel’s rooftop garden and honey harvested from beehives on site.

Gin Cocktail at Caxton Bar, St. Ermin’s Hotel ©Nancy Mueller Photos

Or keep the spy spirit alive with a Vesper concoction of gin, vodka, and Lillet Blanc – a modern substitute for Kina Lillet in the original recipe, now discontinued.

Perhaps one of five cocktails inspired by the notorious Cambridge 5 spy ring is more to your taste. And there’s always a timeless gin & tonic, featuring Franklin & Sons Indian tonic, selected to enhance the flavors of St. Ermin’s gin.

Rum aficionados can delight in St. Ermin’s spiced rum cocktails. They are smoothly blended from fine rums from Trinidad, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela. Signature flights of three whiskies or wines are also available, as are mocktails and a fruit punch for the kiddos.

Caxton Grill

At Caxton Grill, an innovative menu is prepared with seasonal produce from the rooftop herb and kitchen gardens. Rooted in locality and sustainability, premium steaks and fish highlight the cuisine’s connection to land and sea.

Breakfast

When in the UK, I dine like a Brit with a classic breakfast. On the menu, St. Ewes Golden Eggs stand out with their vibrant-colored yolk. British back bacon, a lean and meaty cut from pig loin, is less fatty with a milder taste than that made from pork belly. And black pudding is anything but the customary sweet custard in American foodspeak. In the UK, black pudding refers to a type of sausage made from pig’s blood blended with savory spices.

For a vegetarian option, the menu highlights grilled Halloumi. The “squeaky” cheese is so-named for the sound made when biting into its rubbery texture. The dish is served alongside field (meadow) mushrooms. Roasted tomatoes, hash browns, and baked beans top off the entrée.

Lunch and Dinner

Warm potato-and-rosemary bread is a comforting accompaniment to my starter of creamy burrata. It features a smoky red pepper coulis with heritage tomatoes, figs, basil, and mint pesto. For my main entrée, I chose the fresh king oyster mushroom scallop. It is served with mushy peas — a must when dining in the UK — and a uniquely tasty maple-glazed carrot bacon and carrot puree.

The Tea Lounge

How better to conclude my stay at St. Ermin’s than by indulging in afternoon tea in The Tea Lounge for a quintessential UK experience? A welcoming glass of bubbly is soon followed by a tier of savories, sweets, and scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam. St. Ermin’s blend, a black tea designed exclusively for the hotel, is my inspired choice of beverage.

As I sit and reflect on my stay at St. Ermin’s with its rich history, teeming with secret agents, moles, and informers, I wonder whether that secret tunnel still exists, if it ever did.

As for decoding the secret messages emblazoned on the silk scarf in the lobby, I’ll leave that for another visit. Or for families traveling with small kids who no doubt can crack the code, thanks to the “Top Secret Spy Pack” they received upon arrival.

With special thanks to St. Ermin’s Hotel for sharing these insider secrets on my hosted stay.

If You Go

St. Ermin’s Hotel is located at 2 Caxton Street, London SW1H 0QW, United Kingdom.

Directions to the hotel by car, train, and airports are provided on the hotel’s website.

Or for a fee, the concierge team at St. Ermin’s is happy to make your transfer arrangements.