For those seeking an intoxicating mix of fizzling history and intrigue washed down with plenty of modern-day style, look no further than one of Britain’s landmark buildings. Sitting pride of place in the heart of Whitehall, the Old War Office – today reborn as The OWO, with Raffles London housed within the grand Edwardian walls – is one of London’s most fascinating landmarks and places to visit in the ‘cocktail’ hours of the day.
The Old War Office was designed and built during the Edwardian ‘summer’, the years between the start of the twentieth century and the outbreak of the First World War, and witnessed historic events of the utmost importance, notably during the First and Second World Wars. It was of international importance as the nerve centre of different kinds of military intelligence and secret activities for over 100 years.
The building played its part in the evolution of the Military Intelligence Service and Secret Service (SSB) Bureau into its modern form (MI5 and MI6) under the leadership of Commander Mansfield Cumming and Captain Vernon Kell — a connection preserved in the name of the Spies’ Entrance today.
In the Second World War, candidates for the Special Operations Executive (SOE) were interviewed and briefed in the basement in what was called Room 055a on the lower ground floor. And in a second-floor office, MI9 was organised – the network that helped fugitive POWs and soldiers stranded behind enemy lines to escape home to Britain.
The first meeting of the Secret Service Bureau, held on the morning of 4th October 1909 was in the basement of the Old War Office in rooms along a corridor where, today, Raffles London operates ‘The Spy Bar’, an elusive and almost-secret speakeasy. More on that later …
And to add to this narrative of spies and secrecy, Ian Fleming the English author, journalist, and naval intelligence officer best known for his James Bond series, while working for Britain’s Naval Intelligence Division during the Second World War, was involved in planning Operation Goldeneye and overseeing two intelligence units. His wartime service and career as a journalist provided much of the background, detail, and depth for the James Bond novels. Without doubt his frequenting the corridors of the Old War Office would have embellished his rich imagination.
Meanwhile, his brother, Peter Fleming, a former reserve officer in the Grenadier Guards, was recruited by the War Office research section. The combination of the brothers’ military careers and access to the military Library of the Old War Office, would have further fuelled the imagination of Ian. Today the Library is now operating as a much more stylish destination – Saison by Mauro Colagreco, offering delicious Riviera inspired seasonal cuisine to enjoy under the original historic glass roof.
The Old War Office building also had stints as the MI6 base in the following Bond movies: Octopussy (1983), A View to a Kill (1985), Licence to Kill (1989), Skyfall (2012) and Spectre (2015).
Taking this rich tapestry of spies and secrecy as inspiration for today’s hotel guests, Raffles created a subterranean cocktail bar like none other. Sitting on B1 in the underground secret corridors of Raffles London is The Spy Bar. Deeply atmospheric with a hint of the illicit, this bar now pays homage to this plethora of spies whose secrets were guarded by the walls of The OWO. Its exact location is in two former rooms that were numbered 006 and 007 in the early 20th century and functioned as high security storage vaults for identity papers and mission reports of MI5 and MI6 agents. The entrance lobby to The Spy Bar was once a guard’s room.
Today the bar is reminiscent of the late-night drinks consumed, cloak-and-dagger moments, secret forms of communication and martini-hour rendezvous. Other rooms along this corridor were rooms used for briefing, debriefing and interrogating spies before and after going into the ‘field’, and working behind enemy lines in occupied Europe during the Second World War.
Stepping through the unmarked door, visitors and guests are transported through time, greeted by vintage furnishings and antique telephones reminiscent of its past life, before emerging into the plush, Bordeaux-red interiors illuminated by subtle, atmospheric lighting.
Each of The Spy Bar’s 16 signature cocktails evoke different chapters from The Old War Office’s storied past. From Winston Churchill’s penchant for whiskey, double agents, rations, underground intelligence networks, noted writers and royals, the concoctions are carefully crafted to tell a story. Among them stands The Vesper Martini, an ode to the creation of the most iconic fictional spy, James Bond. Originally named after Vesper Lynd, Bond’s love interest in the novel Casino Royale, The Vesper Martini at The Spy Bar has a special twist. This is the first bar in London to distil honey, resulting in intensely aromatic and nuanced flavours which complement the perfect bitterness of the drink.
And paying homage to the unsung heroines of espionage, a special cocktail honours the bravery and intrigue of Christine Granville, Britain’s longest-serving female agent and reputedly, Churchill’s favourite. In addition to these signature offerings are an exclusive range of vintage spirits, offering a glimpse into bygone eras.
Indeed, the female spy is honoured in the hotel’s luxurious Corner Suites located in the majestic pavilion corners to the building (which have a cupola atop overlooking Whitehall) and give The OWO its dramatic roofline. Each is named after a notable female spy or significant woman of the 20th century, such as Churchill’s wife, Clementine.
But it is the female spies that peak intrigue with suites like The Sansom Suite named after Odette Sansom who was an agent for the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in France during WWII; The Atkins Suite named after Vera May Atkins who was a Romanian-born British spy; and The Lamb Suite named after Christian Lamb who was a brilliant Wren Intelligence Officer who worked on the D-Day landings from Whitehall and received her Legion of Honour in June 2024 aged 103.
It’s not every day that a hotel stay, or cocktail-hour tipple will inspire and inform, and ignite, perhaps, your inner spy!
