Dukes Hotel, St James’s Place 1977

A 1970s colour photo of the elegant entrance to Dukes Hotel in St James’s Place during the latter half of the 20th century. The scene from 1977 features the sophisticated red-brick and stone Victorian architecture of the hotel, complete with its decorative wrought-iron canopy and a flag flying from the facade. In the foreground, a black Austin FX4 taxicab with the registration HYT 372N is pulled up at the entrance, with a passenger partially visible. This prestigious hotel, tucked away in a quiet cul-de-sac in the heart of St James’s, has been a fixture of London’s luxury hospitality scene since it opened in 1908. Historically, the site is famous for its association with Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond, who was a frequent guest and is said to have found the inspiration for the “shaken, not stirred” martini at the hotel’s legendary bar. For more images of the capital, please visit our main London page where photos are organised by decade or area and theme.