Bloomsbury set for £400 million facelift

Bloomsbury is about to get a £400 million facelift from some of the area’s main landowners.

A consortium called Bloomsbury London Partnership will put the money in over the next five years to revitalise the area, which is home to the British Museum but “punches below its weight” according to the group.

Made up of Bedford Estates, Imperial London Hotels, Kimpton Fitzroy London, Lazari Investments and Central District Alliance, the group wants to bring back the buzz to what was once what its spokesperson, Simon Elmer, called “the intellectual and literary hub of London”

He said: “We have a concern that many visitors are simply passing through our neighbourhood every year, rather than experiencing the depth of the area and everything that it has to offer. 

“ It’s time to interrupt those journeys and show people the abundance  of truly inspirational experiences on offer daily - and that there’s even more to come”.

The money will be used to refurbish the Imperial Hotel and will create three new ones in the area. There will also be what the consortium calls “new places to live, learn, work and stay”.

It will also establish a “Bloomsbury London” brand to “elevate” the area, which is between Kings Cross, Euston, Tottenham Court Road, Warren Street and Holborn.

There will be a dedicated website and targeted marketing campaigns.

Bloomsbury has 14 museums, over 40 hotels and features festivals to celebrate its cultural and literary heritage. It was once a hotbed of intellectuals and artists, including the stream-of-conciousness writing of Virginia Woolf and the cool-headed economics of John Maynard Keynes.