27 Poultry, London EC2R 8AJ

The Ned is named after the building’s architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, who was known as simply Ned. It’s location is directly opposite Mansion House the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London and a stone throw from the Bank of England. It’s the former home to one of the largest banks in the world and now a hotel, this building still retains the feel of luxury and excess.

Midland Bank Plc was one of the Big Four banking groups in the United Kingdom for most of the 20th century. It was acquired by HSBC in 1992 and became defunct in June 1999. In 2006 it was purchased by a Russian tycoon who stripped it and left it unused for six years until it passed to a partnership of hotel groups Soho House and Sydell who undertook a £200 million refurbishment.

The building still boats many of the original fixtures and fittings, but has been transformed into a hotel, restaurant and bar complex. The bars and restaurants caters for non-hotel residents too, making it one of the go to places of the London night scene.

If you walked into the Midland Bank HQ in the 1950s you’d see tall ceilings, sturdy jade-like square pillars and a stone floor covered with over with wooden desks, bureaus, tables, chairs and open space separators and screens, lit by large UFO-like dropped chandeliers in the art-deco style, just as you’d expect a large bank to look and feel like. Today, that space is filled with bars, pianos and hotel and non-resident guests alike, and the UFO drop chandeliers remain albeit not the originals.

Indeed the main reason the building was acquired and invested in was because of its sheer scale and impressiveness. It spans 320,000 square feet (29,450 square meters) and rises 11 storeys with three basement levels. There are two swimming pools; one on a lower level and the other on the roof.

The original wooden panelling from the cashier counters remain as the main bar panels, the decadent jade marble pillars and some of the hanging lights also. Due to the building’s listed status the developers were unable to remove the central circular reception desk, which now serves as a bandstand.

The building contains little surprises at every turn just waiting to be discovered by the casual observer. The Tapestry Room has the original walnut panelling and crystal chandeliers from the 1920s, the tapestry that once wrapped around the upper walls was the largest of its kind ever produced in England.

But perhaps the most identifiable connection is with the 20 ton bank vault, situated just a few steps down from the main floor, not far from the bandstand, which has been converted in to the Goldfinger Bar. This is the the vault that was used in the Bond film.

The renovation lasted four years. MW Fire were selected to install fire systems for the complete complex. This involved a dedicated team onsite working throughout the project to install the containment, cable and accessories needed to comply with fire installation regulation. From smoke detectors in every room and in every void space, manual call points, refuge areas, public address systems, telephone points and evacuation controls.