With its riot of terracotta, the 1898 Russell Hotel in (of course) Russell Square could almost have been designed to irritate (indeed to help inspire) modernism.

A clean machine to live in it, it ain't but....

.... its dining room did apparently inspire the dining room on the Titanic. Both were design by the same man, Charles Fitzroy Doll

The hotel was also such a hit that the architect was hired to design the neighbouring Imperial Hotel seven years later.

Pevsner HATED the Imperial calling it a "vicious mixture of Art Nouveau Gothic and Art Nouveau Tudor"

Here's the lounge inside the Imperial. Very golden age....

The Imperial was demolished in 1966-7 and replaced with this cheery little number.

Apparently 21 statues from the original Turkish Baths, bells survive in the courtyard.

But (thank heavens) the Russell Hotel survived the high tide of modernism and is sailing on into the 21 century.

It was recently given a 'makeover' (good buildings get recycled). Here it is today. Presumably it has had a pretty tough 2020. Hope the team there are doing ok

And, apparently, here is the RMS Titanic inspiring dining room. To be frank....

.... we can't quite see it but this may the wrong comparison (can anyone advise?)

Freely confess that Edwardian maritime luncheon arrangements are a bit off-piste for us!

Also in Hotel Russell is this little bronze dragon (apparently called 'Lucky George' Why?) on the staircase who, again, apparently had a twin on RMS Titanic. Can anyone find a picture on the Titanic? We cannot...

Anyway to end at the beginning, next time you are nearby by all means have a look at the sheer visual chaos on outside...

There are four life size statues of English Queens: Elizabeth I, Mary II, Queen Anne and Victoria

... but also go inside which is pretty exuberant as well - though perhaps a little more restrained

Hotel Russell was one of few not used by the Government during World War II. Nor was it badly bombed though it lost a dome bigger than these.

Russell Group of universities is named after the hotel. It's where the first informal meetings took place

You can also see the date here

One final thing, and another reason to be thankful for this splendid building: supposedly (but again we cannot find a reliable source) the phrase "to doll up" comes from the, frankly slightly OTT, design approach of the architect Charles Fitzroy Doll. Can this be right? Hope so.

Answers on a twitter card please !