The Ned

On Poultry, across the junction from the Bank of England, a Portland stone bank built for the Midland between the wars now takes overnight guests. The Ned opened here in 2017, a hotel and members' club in the City of London created by Nick Jones, founder of Soho House, and Andrew Zobler of Sydell Group. The name comes from the architect. Sir Edwin Lutyens was Ned to his friends.

History

The Midland, then one of Britain's Big Five clearing banks, commissioned Lutyens to design its new head office in the early 1920s. Construction went ahead in phases from 1924, and the building was completed in 1939. For more than half a century it was the seat of the bank's board and the centre of its business in the City.

HSBC took over the Midland in 1992 and later moved its London headquarters to Canary Wharf, which left the building on Poultry without a purpose. The partners behind The Ned took it on and kept the bank's plan largely intact. Instead of dividing the ground floor into conventional hotel lounges, they treated the banking hall as a covered market of restaurants, each with its own counter and menu, so that the room stays busy through the day and well into the night.

Architecture and design

Lutyens gave the bank a classical stone exterior of great weight and restraint, suited to an institution that wanted to look permanent. On the Poultry corner, small figures of a boy with a goose by the sculptor William Reid Dick recall the poultry market that gave the street its name.

Inside, the banking hall sets the tone. Ninety-two columns faced in green verdite rise through the room, and the long counters where cashiers once served customers now frame the kitchens and bars. The interiors take their cue from the 1920s and 1930s, with velvet upholstery, brass lamps, patterned rugs and dark timber.

Below ground lies the old safe deposit vault. Its massive round door stands open, and the walls of small steel boxes have been kept, so the bar inside sits among the fittings of a working bank vault.

Rooms and suites

There are around 250 bedrooms, furnished in period style with reproduction furniture, deep colours and fabrics chosen to match the age of the building. The smallest are compact rooms suited to a single night in the City, while the suites are larger and more residential in feel.

Dining

The restaurants in the hall share one vast room yet keep separate kitchens. Cecconi's serves Italian cooking, Millie's Lounge is an all-day British room, and the Nickel Bar pours cocktails among the columns. Lutyens Grill, in a private room off the hall, serves steaks and grill classics. The Vault bar below ground is open to members of Ned's Club and to hotel guests.

Wellness

On the roof, a heated outdoor pool faces the dome of St Paul's Cathedral. It belongs to Ned's Club, the members' side of the house, and hotel residents are admitted. The club also runs a gym and a spa below ground.

Weddings and events

The building has a series of private rooms for dinners, meetings and receptions, and its size allows it to take large parties. Weddings, private dinners and corporate meetings are all held here.

Location

This luxury hotel in the City of London sits at the centre of the Square Mile, with the Bank of England, the Royal Exchange and Mansion House gathered around the same junction. Bank Underground station has entrances on the surrounding streets and is served by the Central, Northern and Waterloo & City lines and the DLR. St Paul's Cathedral and the Millennium Bridge lie to the west. London City Airport is the nearest airport, and Heathrow is reached by the Elizabeth line from Liverpool Street or Moorgate.