Detailed Review
Hidden away on the edge of the business district, the Rookery is a haven of character and efficiency. Inside, the Rookery is all period charm. Polished wood panelling, stone-flagged floors, open fires and genuine antique furniture give the place a homely atmosphere, more private club than hotel. Each of the 33 rooms is different. All are named after people who actually lived in the buildings over the last 250 years.
The comfortable Conservatory with its private courtyard garden is perfect for informal meetings or social gatherings of up to 30 people. Enjoy home-baked croissants at a breakfast meeting, fresh sandwiches and fruit for lunch and delicious canapes in the evening. Drinks are available as required.
Today, anyone looking for a private and discreet meeting facility on the fringe of the Square Mile need look no further than The Rookery. Our careful restoration of these picturesque period buildings has created a haven of calm, complemented by the highest levels of comfort and service.
Press Quotes
"...restored 18th-century houses... a quirky period home-from-home."The Telegraph 07
Independent Reviews
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“Historically a hotspot for criminals, today the neighbourhood is all high-rollers who frequent the hotel on the City’s periphery.”
The Rookery
By Angela Moore
The Rookery is named for the old term for this area, which stands just outside the legal boundaries of the City of London and once attracted all manner of crooks and ladies of the night. Today, it draws businessmen, discreet weekenders and Pete Doherty, who was recently arrested there. Plus ca change.
The hotel was originally three little Georgian buildings. When its owners took the site over it was a derelict shell; between them they painstakingly rebuilt, restored, converted and furnished it from their own collections of art and antiques. The result is a delightful small hotel, highly individual but never twee.
Two of the three public rooms, the wood-panelled library and drawing room, are often in use for small meetings. However, there is a small private conservatory-lounge at the back of the hotel, with rugs on the flagstones and plump tapestry armchairs in front of the fireplace. There are serious oils of breed bulls on the walls (Smithfield, once London’s main meat market, is just down the road). Outside, there’s even a little gravelled garden planted with herbs and pots of geraniums. A frieze of rustic peasants in smocks leading cows to market is painted on one wall – apparently the peasants are sly portraits of the owners. Past reception, the hotel feels relaxed, informal and pleasantly free from interference.
The rooms
Naturally in such a funny old collection of buildings, each of the 33 rooms is different. The best is the room at the top of the hotel, the Rook’s Nest, a decadent and witty two-level suite with wonderful rooftop views of London from the Old Bailey to St Paul’s. Downstairs deluxe doubles are spacious but feel rather subterranean. A small top-floor room, Mary Lane’s, is notable for a lovely garret feel, with its wood-beamed ceiling. On one corridor wall, there’s a trompe l’oeil painting of a young milkmaid, clothes in disarray, peeking naughtily around a half-open door.
All rooms have beds with fine carved or decorated beds and a few elegant period pieces. Bathrooms, too, are individual – you might get a claw-footed rolltop bath, a bath/ shower with a beaten brass surround or a walk-in shower. Otherwise, amenities cover the minimum only – not much desk space, not much hi-tech equipment. The hotel has no restaurant and can provide simple room service; breakfast is brought to your room.
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