The Practice was given the opportunity to work on the design of a hotel on this site in Greenwich by  a client who had admired one of our completed projects in Central London. Located on the edge of the UNESCO Greenwich Maritime World Heritage Site and the Greenwich Park Conservation Area, the site sits on a narrow piece of land between the Trafalgar Tavern which fronts the River Thames on one side and two Grade II listed Georgian Houses on the other.

The existing building on the site, Trident Hall, was built in the 1930s to replace the Trafalgar Tavern stables, and it is an exceptionally plain utilitarian building, even in comparison with buildings characteristic of the artisans’ area to the east. The replacement of Trident Hall with a contemporary styled building that complements the restrained architectural aspiration characteristic of Park Row whilst reinforcing the transition between strongly contrasting character areas, improves the setting of the adjoining historic buildings.

The proposal replaces the existing Trident Hall with a contemporary contextual development which uses traditional materials and proportion to respect the surrounding historic buildings and reinforce Park Row as a point of transition between strongly contrasting historic urban character areas.

The 70 bedroom boutique hotel has a large reception space and restaurant on the ground floor, and a speak easy bar at Lower Ground level. The activation of the ground floor enhances the surrounding public realm, including the pedestrian path which runs along Crane Street.

The design of the hotel and the materiality of the elevations responds to the scale and texture of the adjacent listed buildings through a palette of light coloured, brick facades and dark bronze panelling and windows. The proportions of the façade in Park Row, facing the grounds of the Royal Hospital, mediate comfortably between the Trafalgar public house and the neighbouring Georgian houses. The use of roman bricks and flush joints express the modernity of the design whilst sitting in harmony with the historic context within which the building sits.