From visionary architects to covert operations and clandestine meetings between double agents, St. Ermin’s has seen, and played a part in, it all. Its enviable position, just moments from the Houses of Parliament, has placed the hotel at the heart of Westminster’s colourful past, present, and undoubtedly its future.
Traces of this remarkable history can be found throughout the building, but here are just a few highlights.
St. Ermin’s stands on the site of a 15th-century chapel dedicated to St. Ermin (derived from St. Armel). By the mid to late 19th century, Westminster was undergoing rapid transformation, and in 1889 architect E. T. Hall created St. Ermin’s Mansions — the very building that forms the foundation of today’s hotel.
A decade later, in 1899, the mansion blocks were converted into a hotel. The new owners commissioned a major redesign of the interiors, led by celebrated Victorian theatre designer J. P. Briggs. His dramatic reception rooms, adorned with intricate plasterwork, became a defining feature of the building. A vintage marketing brochure from around 1910 captures this spectacular craftsmanship, much of which remains lovingly preserved today. Even then, St. Ermin’s embraced innovation: the brochure proudly notes that every bedroom had a telephone, replacing the traditional bell system to enhance the guest experience.
In 1940, St. Ermin’s became the backdrop to a pivotal moment in British wartime history. Winston Churchill convened a secret meeting here, calling on a remarkable group to help him in his mission to “set Europe ablaze.” These individuals would go on to form the Special Operations Executive (SOE), also known as Churchill’s Secret Army — the precursor to the modern SAS.
The SOE established its headquarters on an entire floor of the hotel during WWII, with MI6 operating two floors above. Churchill himself was a frequent visitor to Caxton Bar, where he enjoyed a glass of his favourite Champagne. Raise a glass there today, and you’re toasting in the footsteps of some of the bravest men and women in history.
St. Ermin’s intrigue didn’t end with the war. The hotel is long rumoured to have been a favoured meeting point for spies, including double agent and eventual Soviet defector Guy Burgess, who is said to have used Caxton Bar to pass secret government documents to his Russian handler.
Reminders of this clandestine past still appear throughout the hotel. In the lobby hangs an original SOE silk printed with coded messages, and our display of WWII SOE field equipment offers a rare glimpse into the tools of Britain’s wartime operatives.
A genuine Division Bell hangs in our lobby — once used to signal MPs that they had just eight minutes to reach the House of Commons to vote. These bells were placed throughout what became known as the Westminster Bubble, positioned precisely within an eight-minute brisk walk of Parliament. While this bell is now silent, its history remains intact.
And then there is the rumour: a secret tunnel beneath the grand staircase, said to have offered MPs a discreet route back to the Commons. Whether myth or reality, it’s one of many stories that make St. Ermin’s such a fascinating part of Westminster’s living history.
