London’s Custom House to be reborn as hotel and cultural venue

The historic Custom House on Lower Thames Street, poised between London Bridge and Tower Bridge, is set to be given a new lease of life. Since HMRC vacated the site in 2021, the building has stood empty. Plans for its redevelopment have been floated before, but now the decision is firm: a hotel will open here, complete with spa, swimming pools and restaurants. Crucially, though, the scheme makes a clear commitment to public space.

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A Grade I–listed building, Custom House is more than 200 years old, though the site’s history stretches back to the 14th century, when it served as a centre of customs and taxation. Architects Orms and Richard Griffiths Architects envisage a new passage running through the former King’s Warehouse, lined with galleries and exhibition halls, a historic library in the Tide Waiter’s Room, and displays dedicated to the building’s past. For the first time, the Thames riverfront here will be freely accessible to the public.

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Earlier luxury hotel proposals triggered protests from SAVE Britain’s Heritage and the Georgian Group, who feared the landmark would be lost to the city behind closed doors. This latest plan, however, has been shaped in dialogue with heritage experts and has secured the backing of the City of London.

Cover photo: orms.co.uk

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