• UA

    Select your country and language

    Selected country/territory
    All countries/territories
  • MENU
August 2018

Issue: August 2018

Read Current IssueDownload
Welcome to a world of travel, entertainment and culture, curated from a global collective of writers, photojournalists and artists. Each article of our award-winning magazine is sure to inspire, no matter which of our destinations you call home.
 
 
Stay
            Back to Open Skies

Making Paddington cool

1 August 2018

The Pilgrm is a characterful and cleverly conceived boutique hotel just a few steps from London Paddington

The Pilgrm’s primary selling point is undoubtedly its proximity to one of London’s major transport hubs: just a one-minute walk from Paddington, you can arrive by overground without facing a potentially hellish schlep across London. There is, of course, a lot more to recommend this 73-room boutique property. The team behind The Pilgrm describe it as a “considered reinterpretation of a traditional hotel”. What that means is that it has been designed with the needs of its target clientele in mind – the sort of entrepreneurial, stylish and well-travelled individuals who frequent The Frontline Club and Monocle’s Kioskafé, just round the corner on Norfolk Place.

Taking the place of several Victorian buildings on Norfolk Square, The Pilgrm has retained its period character and charm, thanks to lovingly restored original features such as the lobby’s timber staircase and reclaimed parquet flooring. With large sash windows and cast-iron radiators, the rooms are the epitome of understated style. The lounge offers breakfast, lunch and dinner menus created by talented head chef Sara Lewis (formerly of Bruno Loubet’s Grain Store), and an impressive cocktail menu. If you want a midnight snack, there are communal pantries on every floor.

The Café – a quiet spot to enjoy an espresso and thumb through the carefully curated selection of independent titles in the well-stocked magazine rack – takes the place of a traditional reception, with guests encouraged to check in and check out online. It’s a bold and refreshing touch that contributes to a seamless guest experience.

thepilgrm.com

The Neighbourhood

Paddington’s cultural stock is finally rising Paddington is one of London’s best-known neighbourhoods, home to Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s London Paddington – the station where the Brown family discovers Paddington Bear in Michael Bond’s well-loved books – and St Mary’s Hospital, where Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin. But it has never been cool. Thanks to an ongoing multi-million pound regeneration, that is starting to change. It boasts Floating Pocket Park, London’s first floating park; Kerb Paddington, a fortnightly street food market; and Pergola Paddington, a two-floor summer hotspot boasting pop-up restaurant and bars and a rooftop garden.

Words: Gareth Rees

Share