THE DIXON, LONDON
As my favourite style of interiors is a mixture of old and new, The Dixon, Southwark, ticks every decor box for me. Converted from an Edwardian magistrates’ court and police station, it must have been pretty grim until it closed in 2013. But now, after a huge makeover, it offers a great entrance: a vast, custom-made chandelier, with glass handcuffs to suit the building’s history, drops down from the atrium. And snaking upwards is the original double staircase to the gallery, which is lined with works by artists with links to SE1.
The Courtroom Bar, named after its former purpose, still has original wood panelling as well as another huge handblown chandelier and a bar where the judge sat. A clever touch: the walls are lined with blown-up reproductions of Victorian mugshots, which look oddly modern.
What I really like about The Dixon is how it showcases its fascinating history: there are metal castings of the wooden benches carved by the accused on the walls and the lift doors are lined with old cell keys.
The old/new theme continues in the bedrooms; mine has muted upholstery, a huge bed, low lighting and the original high ceilings, with a view of The Shard. My bathroom is decorated in my very favourite style: traditional, with grey-and-white marble and a black-and-white tiled floor.
That night, in the Provisioners restaurant, I eat delicious Secret Smokehouse smoked trout with pickled radish, and crispy pan-fried Newlyn hake with asparagus and prawns. Here, the look is more modern in teal and grey, with cosy coral-pink booths separated by big palms and fancy metalwork screens. Right in the middle is an original lock-em-up metal jail cell, where the hotel’s own brand of coffee, Shakedown, is roasted.
At breakfast, it becomes a chic cafe – I have a vegan fry-up. As the light floods in through the picture windows, and I eat my spiced cauliflower and avocado mash, it feels a million miles away from its previous incarnation. BRIGID MOSS