The Wolseley
The Wolseley is a restaurant located at 160 Piccadilly in Westminster, England, next to The Ritz London. Designed by the architect William Curtis Green, the Grade II* listed building was erected by Wolseley Motors in 1921 as their regional offices with a ground floor showroom. The ground floor was occupied by a branch of Barclays Bank between 1927 and 1999. After a brief period as a Chinese restaurant, it reopened in 2003 as the Wolseley following extensive renovations by British restaurateurs Chris Corbin and Jeremy King.
In 2022, the Wolseley came under the ownership of Minor Hotels after the acquisition of the hospitality group Corbin & King, now rebranded as The Wolseley Hospitality Group.
History
Wolseley Motors showroom
The six-story building was commissioned by Wolseley Motors, a part of the Vickers engineering combine, which bought the site in 1919 for a car showroom and London sales offices. It was designed by the English architect William Curtis Green, drawing inspiration from a recently constructed bank building that he had seen in Boston, Massachusetts. The building, which opened in November 1921, features Venetian and Florentine-inspired detailing, with an interior decorated with lavish marble pillars and archways. Wolseley Motors lost its long-term leadership of the British car industry in the early 1920s and fell into receivership in 1926; the Wolseley showroom was sold in June 1926.Barclays Bank branch
The premises were acquired by Barclays Bank, and reopened in April 1927 as the 160 Piccadilly Branch. Barclays reemployed William Curtis Green to create offices and a banking counter, and design furniture in Japanese lacquer. Barclays sold it in 1999 and opened in new smaller offices in nearby St James's Street.Restaurant
After the closure of the Barclays branch in 1999, the premises were refurbished and initially turned into a Chinese restaurant until the building was purchased in July 2003 by the restaurateurs Chris Corbin and Jeremy King, who began a major restoration and renovation project, though they retained many of the original features. The Wolseley opened in November 2003, operating as an all-day café in the "Grand European" style. It has since received numerous accolades, including Harper & Moet's Restaurant of the Year 2004, The ObserverThe Wolseley has consistently been among London's most profitable restaurants, recording sales of over £10 million in 2007 alone.