St Pancras Renaissance Hotel — Gilbert Scott Restaurant Plasterwork

The St Pancras Renaissance Hotel began life as the Midland Grand Hotel, designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott and opened in 1873 as one of the great set-pieces of Victorian Gothic architecture. The Grade I listed building closed in 1985 and stood largely empty for two decades before a major restoration returned it to use as a hotel, working with client Manhattan Loft, contractor Galliford Try and architects RHWL.

Locker & Riley were brought in to restore the fine lime plasterwork throughout the building, with particular focus on the ceilings, walls and ornate mouldings of what is now the Gilbert Scott Restaurant. Decades of vacancy had left the decorative plaster scheme damaged and, in places, lost entirely, requiring careful survey, matching and reinstatement of mouldings and gilded enrichments consistent with Scott's original Victorian detailing.

The brief also required integrating modern fire protection measures within the historic fabric without compromising its appearance — a recurring challenge in major heritage hotel restorations. The completed scheme reinstated the grandeur of the original interiors, providing an appropriately ornate setting for what is now a Michelin-starred dining room within one of London's most celebrated railway hotels.