One-Minute Hotel / The Mitre, Hampton Court
Across the road from Henry VIII’s favourite palace - and one of ours! Coincidence? We don’t think so - is a riverside building conceived for courtiers by King Charles II. Which means it’s plenty good enough for the likes of you!
So, where are we?
Right on the banks of the Thames - ‘that old river poet’ according to Kate Bush - across the bridge from Hampton Court station and literally a hop, skip and jump (maybe just a hop and a skip with no jump!) from the Tudor/Restoration masterpiece that is Hampton Court Palace. You can almost smell the intrigue and musty cod-pieces.
And where we’re staying...?
The Mitre Hotel, a gorgeous Restoration building right on the banks of the Thames - so right on the banks, in fact, that if you get a window seat in the restaurant you are actually sitting out over the water. A rambling old inn of a place, which, being Grade II listed and all, still has all the random corridors and strangely-shaped rooms that you can’t even imagine them fitting all those panier skirts and high-flying hair down. Going sideways and crouching, we guess.
What’s the style?
The Grade II listed-ness of it all means that this feels like an old building, but only in terms of its topography. Colours are mid-century-fresh, Farrow & Ball-classy with hand-painted wallpapers that veer from over-the-top to something that looks like a graphic out of a Jean Cocteau sketchbook. The age of the building is mitigated, you might say, by the light that pours in everywhere and the freshness of the decor. They may not be able to do anything about the fact that reception feels a bit like someone’s entrance hall but musty is the last word you’d ever use.
And the rooms?
Simple and fresh with wood floors mixed with sea-grass carpeting, there’s an historic feel in terms of free-standing Victorian bathtubs and four-poster beds but it’s all elevated by the colour-scheme and quirky touches like the candy-striped bathtub-side ceramic table and quirky cartoons referring to Henry VIII (to Katharine of Aragon: ‘I want a divorce.’ Katharine: ‘Is there someone else, hun?’) without ever labouring the point that Hampton Court is just there. We can see it from our room!
Is there a story?
Built in 1665 - that’s a year before The Fire of London! - The Mitre was commissioned by Charles II, the one with the really big hair and even bigger sexual appetite, to house ‘visitors to the palace’, by which he probably meant his tarts. It’s actually built on the site of The Toy, an old ‘victualling house’, which basically means pub and is a spot of archeological importance. You’d never know from the inside though.
And to eat?
Take your pick. Down in their pair of brasseries, Coppernose and The 1665 Riverside Brasserie, out over the water, where the quality is high and the prices not so much, you’ll find beautiful rooms and amazing menus. We went vegan (because we’re kind like that) and were served up everything from popcorn cauliflower (our new favourite thing) through to nettle gnocchi. Eat outside on the terrace, watching the ducks quack by, or just visit the Whispering Angel Riverside Bar and do the same.
So, to sum up...
If you love your history but don’t necessarily want to stay in Miss Haversham’s back bedroom, this is your pick. Drenched in history with the coolest of Royal Palaces (plus maze!) a minute away and with the River running right past it, it has location coming out of its ears.
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