‘Ello, ‘ello, ‘ello; what’s going on ‘ere then? A new luxury hotel has opened on the site of Great Scotland Yard, the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police in Victorian-era London.

Scotland Yard you say? Yes. The HQ was monikered after the street on which it stands and the name has been synonymous with the Metropolitan Police ever since Charles Dickens became fascinated by the Met’s Detective Department and made friends with some of the inspectors, writing several magazine articles about them and immortalising them in the novel Bleak House in the 1850s. Towards the end of the 19th century, Arthur Conan Doyle featured many Scotland Yard detective characters in his Sherlock Holmes books.

What’s inside? You won’t be watching the detectives (they moved out in 1890, thereafter the building was used by the Ministry of Defence) but there are reminders galore of Met history, with police- and crime-related memorabilia, design details and artworks throughout the hotel. Some are subtle, such as “sniffer dog” rails in the lift, and part of the fun is stumbling across them. Particularly poignant is a lobby exhibition of pieces by current prisoners working with the Koestler Arts rehabilitation programme.

Arts are a big thing here, then? Absolutely. From the lobby, your eye is drawn to The 40 Elephants bar. The name is a reference to a female “smash and grab” gang that shoplifted from West End stores between the 1870s and the 1950s. A striking chandelier signifies the broken glass and jewels stolen by the gang. Over the fireplace is a portrait of the glamorous-looking Lilian Kendall – not one of the 40 Elephants’ leaders but apparently the gang’s most photogenic member.

The cocktail list is a cheeky nod to the gang and the detectives who pursued them; Puttin on the Posh, a reference to the thieves dressing up smartly to blend in with the wealthy customers at the stores they looted, consists of Ceylon arrack, peach, honey, sparkling wine and raspberry liqueur. The drinks on the “Detectives” list are, of course, no or low alcohol, and include the Undercover: bitter aperitif with ice verjus, soda and orange.

Are there other bars? Behind a door masquerading as a bookcase lies a “secret bar”, Sibin. Open in the evenings only, the wood-panelled den specialises in whiskies. The Parlour offers respite from all the law and order references. This serene space has white shutters and painted wallpaper that bring to mind the British Raj in India, and serves a range of gin and tonics as well as the obligatory afternoon tea.

What about the food?The main restaurant, The Yard, is a relaxed space with an open kitchen from which breakfast, lunch and dinner are served. Modern British and Irish, and seasonal produce, are much in evidence on the daily changing menu, with dishes such as Cornish crab tartlet, Scottish scallops with sea herbs, a roast fallow deer hunter’s pie and wild mushroom risotto with toasted hazelnuts.

What are the rooms like? Well, you won’t be spending the night in the cells (these have been converted into a gym and an events space in the basement); each room comes with plush carpeting, one-off artworks and Japanese loos. No two rooms are the same, although they all share a common theme of muted colours with flashes of (police) blue.