A brick building with arched windows, decorative stone columns, and two black lamp posts in front, surrounded by palm trees and greenery.

The Belvedere

Careful Inspection and Considered Modifications to Reopen a Grade II listed Restaurant

Location: London
Architect: Archer Humphryes Architects
Budget: Confidential
Completed 2022

Photography: Keith Collie

Faced with the fit out and repairs needed to reopen this restaurant, we were on hand to carefully inspect the building and its many former modifications, detailing appropriate additions where needed.

The building includes the eponymous belltower, the original brick arcade, glazed, leaded arched windows and a private dining room overlooking the main dining floor. The first floor provides a further salon, private dining room and terrace overlooking the formal gardens and fountain.

The project included the removal of fittings and finishes from its’ numerous previous incarnations, revealing the beauty of the original brickwork.

The Belvedere occupies the site of the former stables, built for Holland House in 1638. The original structure, of which the curtilage wall remains, was added to in the 18th and 19th Century when it became a celebrated ballroom and venue for salons and parties, attracting famous literary and artistic guests whose behaviour remains as much a part of the building’s history as its romantic appearance and details.

Photographer: John Doe

Interior of a sophisticated restaurant with exposed brick walls, large potted plants, hanging pendant lights, and a bar area with shelves of bottles. Dining tables are set with white plates, glassware, and candles.
Elegant restaurant interior with lush green plants, warm lighting, a large tapestry on the wall, and tables set with glassware and cutlery.
Interior of a restaurant or cafe with wooden flooring, ornate windows, hanging pendant lights, a large tapestry artwork on a coral-colored wall, and a mix of tables with chairs and a green plant.
Elegant restaurant interior with large arched stained glass windows, a central brick fireplace with a copper chimney and a fire burning, round wooden tables set with glassware and white plates, cushioned chairs and a beige curved sofa, and decorative columns with ornate capitals, sunlight streaming through the windows.
A brick building with arched windows and a rooftop tower with a weather vane, surrounded by lush green plants and trees under a blue sky.
A brick building with arched windows on a sidewalk next to trees under a blue sky with clouds.
A brick building with arched windows and ornate white columns, surrounded by trees and flowering bushes in a park or outdoor area.

“Inside, all is now rather fabulous. This time the decorators have gone for “Tuscan Castle at Christmas”, so it’s all lantern light on the opulent parquet, lush palm and ficus trees, ersatz log fires and Persian carpets, handsome staff in leopard-print suits and a wine fridge full of Mouton Rothschild at the entrance to reassure you that if it’s six-grand bottles of plonk you’re after, you’ve come to the right place.”

Giles Coren, The Times, February 1st, 2023

A room under construction with a wooden beam, a partially installed wall, and a dusty orange carpet on the floor.
The interior of a building under renovation with brick walls, large arched windows with stained glass, construction materials, and tools scattered on the floor.
Interior of a building under renovation with exposed brick walls, a large arched window with stained glass, construction materials, and a worker in a yellow safety jacket.
Interior space under renovation with scaffolding, windows, and unfinished walls.
A brick building with a clock tower featuring a decorative arch, columns, and a slate roof, set against a cloudy sky. There are trees with bare branches on the left and some greenery with yellow flowers at the bottom.
A brick building with large windows and a roof top terrace, surrounded by lush green trees and plants in an urban park setting.
View of a backyard patio area with a brick wall, a green gate, a small section of grass, and garden beds with plants in the background.
A brick wall with two black electrical junction boxes and cables, a tree with green leaves, and a small section of sky visible through the leaves.
Part of an old brick building with ornate stone and concrete architectural details, including a decorative cornice and corbels. A black gutter pipe runs vertically along the building, and tree branches are visible in the background under an overcast sky.
A peacock walking on a rooftop with a cityscape and partly cloudy sky in the background.
Construction workers inspecting an ornate interior with exposed brick arches, crown molding, and large stained glass windows.
A garden with paved pathways, low brick walls, and neatly trimmed hedge beds leading to a historical building with a tower, surrounded by trees, under a partly cloudy sky.
A stone bust sculpture of a bearded man wearing a draped toga, mounted on a pedestal, against a stone wall background.
A brick building with arched windows and a small tower with a cross on top, surrounded by leafless trees, with a pathway and greenery in the foreground and a cloudy sky overhead.