The Langham Celebrates 160th Birthday
Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear The Langham, happy birthday to you.
On 10th June, exactly 160 years ago, The Langham first opened its doors. Inaugurated in 1865 by the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), it stood as one of the largest buildings of its time and earned recognition as Europe’s first Grand Hotel. To celebrate this remarkable milestone, The Langham will host a series of curated experiences that pay homage to its Victorian heritage while embracing the elegance of modern luxury — including a commemorative Afternoon Tea, exclusive cocktails, culinary tributes, and daily champagne toasts with Taittinger.
Through its history, The Langham has celebrated innovation. It had the first hydraulic lift in the world, and was ahead of its time with its own water source, which still provides water to this day. A symbol of resilience after being bombed in World War 2, it’s seen many famous faces from literary figures Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde and Mark Twain to political figures Winston Churchill and Louis Napoleon III, to the British royal family. I also discovered that The Langham was the first hotel to serve guests the quintessential British tradition of the afternoon tea!
To celebrate, the afternoon tea will feature sweet and savoury favourites from the 19th and 20th centuries but modernised with seasonal ingredients. There’s ‘curried’ Shropshire chicken sandwiches, truffled egg, and The Langham’s signature custard cream. There’s also elegant patisserie inspired by historic recipes including the Charlotte with apricot and Earl Grey, and“Queen of Ices”—a Victorian-inspired frozen dessert reimagined for the season. In a tribute to the year of the hotel’s founding, 160 lucky guests randomly selected over the first 16 days will enjoy afternoon tea at a special price of £18.65.
Stunning pink rose arrangements adorned the beautiful Palm Court. The rose designed continued with the small pink birthday cakes. The rose is a symbol of British heritage and elegance, and is central to The Langham brand. It also matched well with Tattinger Prestige Rose, which is a delicate salmon colour. With wild raspberry, cherry and blackcurrant, it’s a fruity, fresh and young. You’ll feel elegant and sophisticated drinking this delicious champagne.
Walking in to Palm Court, there’s a 4-metre-tall Victorian-style hot air balloon, created in collaboration with Taittinger. At 18:65 (aka 7:05 PM)—a playful tribute to the hotel’s founding year of 1865—we gathered for “Taittinger Time”. This is an exclusive Champagne moment inspired by the opulent spirit of Victorian-era celebrations. Here a bottle of Tattinger is opened for guests to enjoy daily during the celebrations.
In addition, The Wigmore (a modern British pub and bar within The Langham) has introduced a celebratory, limited-edition Lobster Roll. In Victorian Britain, lobster was known as the “poor man’s protein” before being a luxury. Served warm in a soft, buttery bun it was mouthwatering bite of modern indulgence. I liked that it was wrapped in custom-designed newspaper inspired by 1860s publications.
In the Artesian, The Langham’s award-winning cocktail bar, there’s been a bold reimagining of a Victorian-era favourite- the Purple Velvet. This limited-edition serve combines London Dry Gin, lemon juice, violet liqueur, and sugar syrup, topped with Champagne and finished with stout caviar—a nod to the popularity of stouts and porters across 19th-century British society. Meanwhile, in The Langham Club Lounge, a specially created Langham Anniversary Punch has been created offering a taste of Victorian elegance.
For further information, please see The Langham’s official website.
Address: 1c Portland Place, Regent Street, London, GB W1B 1JA
Website: https://www.langhamhotels.com/en/the-langham/london/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/langham_london
Written by Caitlin Neal
