The Dixon, Tower Bridge, Autograph Collection
London, United Kingdom

Name: The Dixon, Tower Bridge, Autograph Collection
Address: 211 Tooley Street, London, United Kingdom, SE1 2JX, United Kingdom

About the hotel

Loyalty programme

Style

Cosmopolitan

Rooms

193

"Set on Tooley Street just steps from the Tate Modern and Shakespeare’s Globe, the whimsical Dixon boasts colourful rooms, witty artwork and a killer coffee shop."

It’s our origins that make us all unique, you will agree. The same holds true for hotels, case and point The Dixon. One can only imagine the fun the designers had when it came to turning the place – that served as a magistrates’ court and police station from the turn of the century to 2013 – into this 193 room wonder.

Opened in 2019 and located on Tooley Street in SE1 as a Marriott Autograph Collection hotel, the property is in a great spot for just about everyone; its steps from the Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, the Maltby St Market (a weekend must for lunch), the Tate Modern and Shapeare’s Globe.

We say the designers must have had fun because there are whimsical and witty pieces and pictures everywhere you look, all in keeping with the theme of this Edwardian building’s heritage of law and order. Glass handcuffs, as an example, are enmeshed in the lobby’s crystal chandeliers; other gadgets like cell keys displayed in the walls and mugshots of former convicts (photoshopped with flowers in their lapels) adorn the rooms and public spaces. Some of the artwork is on loan from the Anise Gallery and rotates every so often.

Needless to say, the visual stimulation extends to the hotel’s food and beverage outlets. Grab some of the city’s best coffee in Shakedown, The Dixon’s very own brand and venue that also offers modern Italian fare. Banish the thought of a banal brew: this blend is made alongside the former cells. The Courtroom Bar also serves the delicious joe (plus afternoon tea service), but you may choose to enjoy it there in the form of an espresso martini. The bar itself, as the name implies, was the former magistrates’ courtroom, and the judge’s bench has been transformed into the physical bar itself. Sip your drink and imagine the fate of some of those who came this way.

When it comes to rooms, no two are identical, but all are sleek and colourful with handsome art and sleek furnishings. Marble bathrooms have showers and Murdock London amenities; suites have tubs. Note that entry-level rooms are 20 sq m (215 sq ft), but they still manage to fit in things like Nespresso machines, a big cosy chair as well as a comfortable bed with a pillowtop mattress. There’s a gym here, but a brisk walk in the park next door (weather permitting) may prove more invigorating.