NoMad London to open in Bow Street Magistrates' Court in 2020

The first NoMad hotel outside the US will open in the former Bow Street Magistrates' Court in London's Covent Garden, it has been confirmed.

Sydell Group and investment firm BTC UK will transform the 19th century, Grade II-listed building into a 91-bedroom hotel with much of the original architectural features preserved and woven into the design.

Due to open in the summer of 2020, it will feature the first ‘NoMad lounge' and, as with other NoMad hotels, will offer expansive food and beverage options under the direction of Daniel Humm and restaurateur Will Guidara. The restaurant will be the second London site for Humm after it was revealed the chef would be taking over the former Fera space at Claridge's hotel.

The building's original Magistrates' Courtroom will be reimagined as a space for private events and gatherings, while a museum with rotating exhibitions will honour the history of the Metropolitan Police Force.

A collaboration with New York-based interior design firm Roman and Williams, the design will draw inspiration from the original materials, colour palette and architecture of the building and pay homage to England's decorative traditions and reference both New York and London's art scenes.

The Caterer broke the news in 2017 that the first NoMad-branded property outside the US would open in London.

Sydell has NoMad hotels in New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The London hotel will be its second hotel in the city, joining the Ned, which it operates in partnership with Soho House & Co

Sydell Group founder and chief executive Andrew Zobler is renowned for taking historical buildings and transforming them into hotels deeply rooted in their location and architecture.

"We are thrilled to bring the NoMad to London, and we feel there could not be a better building for it," said Zobler. "The NoMad has always been about combining tradition and architecture with a modern and urbane sensibility, so it is well suited for London."

Mehdi Ghalaie, managing director of BTC UK, said: "It has always been our
intention to work with a leader in the lifestyle hotel space with whom we can transform Bow Street Magistrates' Court, so we are delighted to be partnering with Sydell Group to bring the NoMad brand to London."

Humm said: "We're really looking forward to working with our partners to transform the historic space and make it our own, bringing our food, cocktails, and service to such a storied neighbourhood."

"To be able to take the NoMad experience to London is something we're very excited about. It's a city we've loved for so long, and it has such a rich history of hotels and dining that we're eager to contribute to," added Guidara.

BTC UK, which owns the Soho Coffee Company, Apostrophe cafés and Euphorium Bakery, has owned the 90,000 sq ft Bow Street Magistrates' Court since 2016. It announced its intention that year to develop a £50m hotel within the building, shortly after acquiring it from Austrian hoteliers Rudolf and Christian Ploberger.

The brothers originally received planning permission to convert it into a hotel in 2013, but decided to sell with a price tag of £75m. Previous owner Irish-based hotel owner and developer Edward Holdings had also announced plans to develop the site into a hotel in 2007.

Bow Street Magistrate's Court, built in 1881, is famous as one of London's most notorious courts, hosting defendants such as the Kray twins, Jeffrey Archer and Pete Doherty. The court closed in 2006 after being in use for 267 years.

Photo credit Alex Sarginson; CGI credit Benoit Linero

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