May 20, 2026 – 5.00amCentral London is a thrill – but it’s also a lot. Emerge from Tottenham Court Road station into the honking traffic and a scrum of commuters, and even the most seasoned traveller could be forgiven for wanting an escape. Fortunately, they don’t have to go far to find one.A few streets away, tucked discreetly behind the Dominion Theatre, sits a slice of a more genteel time in the city’s history. The red-brick frontage of The Bloomsbury Hotel, with its Corinthian pilasters and serpentine ironwork, promises the kind of well-mannered quiet that was once the hallmark of polite society. Step through its doors and the urban din fades away.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Maxim DonniProduction editor, Life & LeisureMaxim Donni is the production editor of Life & Leisure at the Financial Review, based in Sydney. He writes about dining, hospitality and culture, and was previously editor of Time Out and Concrete Playground.Fetching latest articles