The building

It was Old Street Magistrates Court and Police Station before it was a hotel, and it has not tried very hard to hide it. The courtrooms are still courtrooms, the holding cells are still downstairs, and all of it sits behind a Grade II listed Baroque facade. Guests tend to talk about this building on the way in, not just on the way out.

The rooms

A party of forty and a wedding of three hundred are not the same booking, so there are eleven spaces here rather than one ballroom. The five Chambers open into each other for the biggest events and hold up to 700 standing. Upper 5th is the rooftop, with the City skyline behind you and a barbecue kitchen through the summer. Beyond those there is a cinema, a bowling room, a private members bar, and Jailhouse Bar for anyone who fancies their reception in what used to be the cells.

Proportions and sound

The court is why the rooms feel the way they do. Ceilings run over four metres, the AV is built in rather than wheeled in, and the ballroom has a private entrance so a wedding party does not have to arrive through the hotel lobby.

Food and drink

Catering here is done in house, and only in house. Worth knowing before you enquire, because a caterer you have already booked will not be able to cook in this kitchen. The bar licence runs to 23:00 and an extension can be arranged.

Staying over

There are 86 rooms and 42 suites upstairs, which means the people who travelled furthest do not have to leave at midnight. Couples marrying here usually hold a block for family, and the evening carries on in the building rather than in a queue for cabs.