Royal Garden Hotel Rooftop View

The Royal Garden Hotel on Kensington High Street in London is a 1965 building designed by Colonel Richard Seifert that famously hosted England’s 1966 FIFA World Cup victory celebration. Before its construction, the site featured the Royal Palace Hotel built in 1893, which served as World War II headquarters for the Women’s Royal Voluntary Service. In 1991, the hotel accommodated Japan's sumo wrestlers for an overseas tournament.

London · from the walk “Kensington High Street: Shop, Eat & Explore” · audio ~3 min · Generated

Royal Garden Hotel, 2-24 Kensington High Street, London W8 4PT

What famous sports event celebration was held at the Royal Garden Hotel in London in 1966?

Now look at this spot... the Royal Gar-den Hotel. From out here on Kensington High Street, it looks like a fairly ordinary tower. But this building holds layers of history that most people walking past never suspect.......... The first hotel to stand on this very spot was the King's Arms, a grand old tavern with a lively bar on the ground floor and guest rooms above — a popular stop for travellers. Then, in eighteen ninety-three, the Royal Palace Hotel replaced it, transforming this corner into one of the World'S largest hotels at the time, boasting over three hundred rooms, elegant lounges, and a magnificent ballroom. And here's a detail I love... the Victorian building even featured a flat rooftop promenade that doubled as a smoking lounge — quite an innovative touch for its era.......... During the Second World War, the Royal Palace was taken over and used as headquarters for the Women's Royal Voluntary Service. Then the old Victorian giant was demolished, and a new building was designed by the renowned — and deeply controversial — architect Colonel Richard Sei-fert, completed in nineteen sixty-five.......... Now, Sei-fert is a fascinating figure. He and his company were responsible for More London buildings than Sir Christopher Wren — Centre Point, the NatWest Tower, you name it. The Royal Garden was one of a Trio of hotels he designed around Hyde Park. But here's the juicy bit... He managed to get on the wrong side of Princess Margaret, who expressed her dislike for his Royal Garden Hotel overlooking her garden at Kensington Palace. Imagine having a Princess as your angry neighbour!......... The hotel opened just in time for something legendary. In nineteen sixty-six, it was the venue for the draw for the Fifa World Cup — and then hosted the celebration following England's World Cup Victory. Bobby Charlton and the boys partied right here. This had much to do with the location on High Street Kensington, where swinging London took off in the sixties. Guests included Sonny and Cher, Abba, and the Monkees. From Elton John to Princess Margaret herself — yes, she eventually came around — a whole superstar cast of celebrities stayed here.......... And here's something wonderfully quirky. In nineteen ninety-one, the hotel served as the base for the Japanese sumo delegation during the First overseas sumo tournament, staged at the Royal Albert Hall. Picture that... enormous sumo wrestlers checking into this Kensington hotel.......... Now, if you glance at the gas lamps near Kensington Palace just up the road, you'll notice they're crowned with royal crowns on top, finished in gold leaf — a subtle reminder that you're walking on royal ground.......... And for those of you thinking about eating... up on the tenth floor sits Min Jiang, an acclaimed fine-dining Chinese restaurant celebrated for its refined Sichuan and Cantonese cooking and sweeping views over Hyde Park. Their wood-fired Beijing Duck, prepared according to an ancient Chinese recipe, is legendary. It's one of the Best dining views in all of London... and quite possibly the best Peking duck too.

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