Liverpool Street Andaz
News Story
Behind the imposing Victorian gabled façade of the Andaz London hotel are a multitude of surprises and hidden secrets.
Built in 1884 as the Great Eastern Hotel on the site of the old Bethlehem Hospital, the hotel has five bars and restaurants, 15 different event and meeting spaces, a health club, and over 250 rooms and suites. Spaces available for filming vary between modern and Victorian and include a magnificent Grade II listed ballroom with a stained glass dome that managed to survive both WWI and WWII; the modern Andaz Studio with open plan kitchen and exposed wine cellar; an authentic Japanese restaurant; a traditional semi-wood panelled English pub; and an elegant wine bar. The hotel is home to a ‘Guggenheim’ style feature that goes up across all floors, and the fifth and sixth floor offer views over Bishopsgate, Liverpool Street, the City and the stained glass dome.
While each of these spaces has its own character providing great variety for locations, Andaz London Liverpool Street also offers an outstanding and unusual space that was discovered behind a fake wall during major refurbishments in the late 1990s: the Grecian Masonic Temple, which was built in 1912 and used by a lodge of Scottish Masons from the 20s to the 40s, was one of the grandest of its time. The opulent space was built using 12 types of Italian marble on the floor, walls and columns, and features mahogany panels, an organ, candelabras and a blue and gold domed ceiling decorated with zodiac signs. The space is available for filming and has already hosted a number of high profile events, photo shoots and music videos.