St Ermin's Spies

St Ermin's is a prestigious hotel in Westminster around the corner from where MI6's HQ was from the 1920s to 1960s. Privy to many secrets, the hotel has long hosted spies who gathered to plan and plot. During WWII, it was home to the Special Operations Executive (SOE) whose mission was to carry out espionage, subversion and sabotage behind enemy lines in Europe to assist resistance movements. The story goes that Winston Churchill ordered them to ‘set Europe ablaze’ and he regularly drank in the Caxton Bar in the hotel. The lobby now houses various gadgets used by the SOE - some were designed by Charles Fraser-Smith (of the Ministry of Supply). who was apparently the inspiration for "Q" in Ian Fleming's James Bond novels.

During the 1950s and early 1960s the hotel also hosted spies of a less savoury sort - the "Cambridge Five" were double-agents who were spying for Russia and included Kim Philby and Guy Burgess. Do visit the Caxton Bar - it's an atmospheric and historic venue where you can relax over a cocktail and forget the hustle/bustle of London for a while. Here's the link to the St Ermin's website to find out more.