In the 1920s the Midland Bank was one of the largest and most powerful in the world. To celebrate its achievements, the bank wanted a new London headquarters – a building that would stand out from the straight-laced Victorian architecture of The City.

There was only one person to turn to: Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens, known to friends and family as ‘Ned.’ Lutyens, who was an architect for the rich and famous, spent the next four years drafting a vast 29,450sqm Grade-I listed building, designed to convey the impression of dependability and security demanded by a bank.

The Midland Bank was later bought by HSBC, which remained in the building until 2007 when it relocated to a new head office in Canary Wharf. Five years later, in 2012, Ron Burkle fell in love with the space and saw an opportunity to create a new approach to hospitality. He set about transforming the building into The Ned.

The opening of The Ned in 2017 was one of London’s most ambitious hotel launches in recent decades, with a team working tirelessly for five years to repurpose the iconic building and make it relevant once again. Today, the property has 248 bedrooms, 10 restaurants, 12 bars, a range of men’s and women’s grooming services, and Ned’s Club - where members have access to a rooftop pool, a state-of-the-art gym, spa, and late-night lounge bar created in the bank’s original vault.