The London talking elevator

Before I move to writing about Sofia memories, I would like to share another highlight from London first: the Courthouse Hotel in Soho.

The Courthouse Hotel is set in the heart of London’s bustling shopping and theatre district, on Great Marlborough Street. A stone’s throw away from the infamous Liberty’s department store and the shopping paradise of Bond Street, Regent Street and Carnaby Street, the Hotel is situated in an old Grade II Listed Magistrates Court, retaining much of its original historical features with a modern twist. Situated in the very heart of Soho in central London, from the internationally known Selfridges department store and Bond Street with its Couture boutiques to the London Palladium, famous for its great Musical and Theatrical performances, you are in the centre of everything.

It is a luxury hotel that offers all kinds of staff, including the Sanook Spa. The Sanook Spa in Courthouse Hotel includes all the facilities to help guests relax, revitalize and refresh after a busy shopping trip or high powered meeting. Their signature treatments include a selection of chocolate treatments including facials, pedicures and manicures – chocolate without the calories, what more can you ask for!

Situated in an old courthouse, the Grade II listed building retains much of the splendour of the original, with a number of quirky features. In 1835, Charles Dickens worked as a reporter there for the Morning Chronicle.

The Great Marlborough Street Magistrate’s Court set the scene for many famous cases over the years, which were either heard there or taken to full trial at Crown Courts such as the Old Bailey. This was the case with the first obscenity trial for a comic book in English history, against International Times in 1971. John Lennon’s sensational court case regarding the sale of sexually explicit lithograph drawings was thrown out on a technicality in 1970, and Mick Jagger spent time here defending his name when it was alleged he was caught in possession of cannabis (and Marianne Faithful!). Keith Richards received a £205 fine here in 1973 for possession of marijuana, heroin and mandrax, as well as a Smith and Wesson revolver and an antique shotgun, both held without a licence. Oscar Wilde also had the start of his ‘Queensbury’ case heard in the building.

And finally, I present you my best friend from Courthouse Hotel – the talking elevator!