Shaftesbury Hyde Park Hotel, 1 Inverness Terrace, W2

Recently given a makeover (it used to be the Inverness Court) this discreet little Bayswater hotel has a fascinating history. And for such an elegant hotel, the Shaftesbury has been the scene of some raucous cinematic goings-on.

in 1986, when it was the Inverness Court, it was the base for cleaned-up American rock star Rock Head (a character not a million miles from Iggy Pop, or perhaps Johnny Thunder of the New York Dolls), where he’s visited by the definitely not cleaned-up Sid Vicious and Johnny Rotten in Alex Cox’s Sid and Nancy. “This is a respectable hotel.” announces pompous manager Eddie Tudor-Pole, “Lillie Langtry stayed here.” And it’s true. The hotel was built as a private home for the actress by Edward VII, during his affair with her.

For Ken Russell’s 1977 biopic Valentino, it became the ‘American’ bar, where the silent heart-throb (played by dancer Rudolph Nureyev) drinks macho Rory O’Neil (Peter Vaughan) under the table, after demonstrating his masculinity in the boxing ring. Look out for Cheers’ John Ratzenberger in an early role as the newshound in the heaving crowd.

The same year, the hotel appeared as the ‘The Dunchester Club’, hangout of slippery PR man Elliott McQueen (Barry Foster), quizzed by disgraced cop Regan (John Thaw) in the big-screen version of Sweeney!

Clarion Collection Shaftesbury Hyde Park

Sid And Nancy (1986, dir: Alex Cox)
Valentino (1977, dir: Ken Russell)
Sweeney! (1977, dir: David Wickes)