Watching Eyes Wide Shut in a masonic temple at Andaz Liverpool Street

I don’t know about you, but I’ve got an obsession for hidden London. So obviously when I heard that the Andaz Hotel in Liverpool Street was opening its masonic temple to the public for a screening of – how fitting! – Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut, I couldn’t resist going.
Inside the Andaz Liverpool Street hotel lays a hidden gem in the form of an opulent room of marble, gold and masonic mystery. This stunning masonic temple remained forgotten behind a wall for decades before being rediscovered during a refurbishment in the 1990s.Masonic Temple, Liverpool Street
Now open for events, the masonic temple doesn’t host any sinful get-togethers anymore… Or not that I know of. But watching Eyes Wide Shut there sure was a different experience: the acoustic made the already marvellous film soundtrack unforgettable. The chairs were terribly uncomfortable… But then again I’m sure the Illuminati deciding the fate of the world needed to stay awake?Layout 1
Attending the Temple Cinema also gave me a chance to get a glimpse of the Andaz Hotel itself, an impressive structure hosting architectural styles ranging from Victorian to high-tech and modern. Originally known as the Great Eastern, the hotel was built by Charles Barry Jnr, son of the architect of the Houses of Parliament. Barry also built the temple for around £50,000. The room contains 12 types of marble, as well as a golden pipe organ and mahogany furniture.andaz-liverpool-street-london-hotel-city-of-london-united-kingdom-18853-1374501231 ALS2
You can get a peek inside the temple on Open House weekends every September.

Pictures by: Andaz, The London Sinner, imgkid, Appointments, Triptease.


Non so voi, ma io sono ossessionata dalla Londra nascosta. Appena ho sentito che l’Andaz Hotel a Liverpool Street sta aprendo le porte al suo tempio massonico per una proiezione di – e che altro? – Eyes Wide Shut di Stanley Kubrick, non ho potuto resistere.

Dentro l’Andaz Hotel a Liverpool Street si nasconde un’opulenta stanza di marmo, oro e misteri. Questo incredibile tempio e’ rimasto nascosto e dimenticato dietro un muro fino agli anni Novanta, quando dei lavori di ristrutturazione l’hanno riportato alla luce.

Il tempio non ospita piu’ incontri peccaminosi in stile massonico… O almeno, io non ne so niente. Ma guardare Eyes Wide Shut la’ dentro e’ stato di certo suggestivo: l’acustica perfetta ha reso la fantastica colonna sonora del film ancora migliore. Certo, le sedie non erano molto comfortevoli… Ma immagino che gli Illuminati dovessero rimanere svegli per prendere le decisioni che cambiano le sorti del mondo, no?

Andare al Temple Cinema mi ha anche permesso di dare un’occhiata all’Andaz Hotel in se’, una struttura unica con architettura sia in stile vittoriano che moderno. Inizialmente conosciuto come il Great Eastern, l’hotel e’ stato costruito da Charles Barry Jnr, figlio dell’architetto delle Houses of Parliament. Barry ha costruito anche il tempio per £50,000. La stanza contiene 12 tipi di marmo, mobili di mogano e un organo d’oro.

Potete vederlo a Open House – “Porte aperte” nei migliori edifici di Londra – a Settembre.
Foto:  Andaz, The London Sinner, imgkid, Appointments, Triptease.

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