I stumbled in to the old Midland Bank building on Piccadilly and discovered that it has been converted into a smart and chic luxury bar and bookshop, where one can take shelter from the hubbub of Piccadilly, get a book bound, buy an African sculpture and have a madeleine. The building was designed by Lutyens, opened in 1925, was briefly a branch of Hauser and Wirth (they held a wonderful exhibition by Phyllida Barlow) and it still retains much of its original character:


