Newton at the British Library
The British Library is just three tube stops and a short walk from the office. The walk took me past the wonderful Midland Grand Hotel, a Grade I listed Victorian Gothic masterpiece, designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott , and described by many as the most romantic building in London. Originally opened as a 300 room hotel in 1873, it was pricey, with expensive fixtures which included a grand staircase, a fireplace in every room and rooms with gold leaf walls. In 1935 it closed as a hotel. By this time it was too costly to maintain, what with all the servants that were needed to carry the spittoons, chamber pots, tubs and bowls. After falling into a state of disrepair, and being described in an article in The Observer as having "stood, like the weird house of a crazy old lady in some village, unmissable, spooky and inaccessible," it re-opened in 2011 as the St Pancras Renaissance London Hotel . This was following a £200 million refurbishment, which brought this icon