★★★★★ 5.0
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Old War Office Building
This building is deliberately disguised. The four ornate domes crowning this neo-Baroque masterpiece on Whitehall aren't just decoration... they're architectural camouflage, hiding the fact that Britain's former War Office is actually built as a trapezoid to squeeze every inch from this awkwardly shaped plot. Standing before William Young's 1906 creation, you're looking at what once housed the most powerful military minds in the world. Behind that imposing stone facade lie 1,100 rooms spread across seven floors, where Winston Churchill orchestrated wartime strategy and Ian Fleming dreamed up James Bond between intelligence briefings. The building cost a staggering £1.2 million in 1906 money... that's roughly £150 million today, just for construction. What you can't see from here is the maze of corridors inside, designed to confuse enemy spies, or the secret tunnels connecting to Downing Street. After sitting empty for years following the Ministry of Defence's departure in 2016, this Grade II listed giant was sold for £350 million and transformed with a billion-pound renovation into Raffles London hotel. For the first time in over a century, civilians can actually walk these halls where Britain's military fate was decided... though now they're sipping champagne instead of planning invasions.
Did You Know?
- The Old War Office Building (now Raffles London at The OWO) was completed in 1906 and served as the nerve center for British military operations during both World Wars, with legendary figures like Winston Churchill, David Lloyd George, and Lord Kitchener making critical decisions within its walls—even author Ian Fleming worked here as a Naval Intelligence Officer and is said to have first imagined James Bond while at the OWO.
- Designed by architect William Young, the building is a masterpiece of Edwardian Baroque architecture, featuring four distinctive domes that were cleverly added to disguise its unusual trapezoidal shape, a design solution to maximize space on its irregular plot in central London. With over 1,100 rooms across seven floors, it remains one of London's most imposing and architecturally significant Grade II*-listed buildings.
- The OWO has a star-studded cinematic history, appearing as the fictional MI6 headquarters in five James Bond films—more than any other real-world location—and has also been featured in the Netflix series 'The Crown,' making it a hidden Hollywood landmark in the heart of Whitehall.