Groucho Club
The Groucho Club | |
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General information | |
Address | 45 Dean Street |
Town or city | London, W1D 4QB |
Country | England |
Coordinates | 51°30′47″N 0°08′03″W / 51.5131°N 0.1341°W |
The Groucho Club is a private members' club formed in 1985 located on Dean Street in London's Soho. Its members are mostly drawn from the publishing, media, entertainment and arts industries.[1]
The club has rooms on several floors, including three bars, two restaurants, an enclosed terrace and 20 bedrooms available for members or their guests, a snooker room, and four event rooms available for hire.[2]
History[edit]
The club opened 5 May 1985. Its name was in reference to Groucho Marx's telegram saying he did not want to be a member of any club that would have him.[3][4]
The club was owned from 2006 to 2015 by Graphite Capital, who sold it to a group of investors led by Isfield Investments and Alcuin Capital Partners.[5]
In 2022, the Groucho Club was purchased through Manuela and Iwan Wirth's Art Farm, which owns a group of boutique hotels and restaurants, for £40 million ($48.9 million).[6]
Members[edit]
Anyone may apply for membership, but applications are favoured from individuals working in the creative side of media and the arts and who are proposed by two existing members.[7]
Well-known members of the club have included Cara Delevingne, Nick Grimshaw, Harry Styles, Caroline Flack,[7] Jarvis Cocker, Lily Allen, Melvyn Bragg, Stephen Fry, Noel Gallagher, Luke Pasqualino and Rachel Weisz.[8]
Art[edit]
The club has a large collection of contemporary art curated by Nicki Carter, a graduate of Goldsmiths' during the YBA period, erstwhile waitress and now longest serving employee of the club.[9]
The Groucho Club Maverick Award[edit]
Launched in 2010 as 'the antidote to other awards', The Groucho Award celebrates people who have broken the mould in their own particular field, by challenging and making a significant contribution to culture and the Arts in the previous 12 months, either in the UK or internationally.[10]
References[edit]
- ^ Sophie Leris (21 May 2010). "The Groucho Club: a home for hellraisers – Life & Style – London Evening Standard". Standard. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
- ^ "Inside Story: The Groucho Club – 20 years of schmoozing and boozing – Media – News". The Independent. 2 May 2005. Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
- ^ Well, The Web. "HISTORY – Groucho Club". Groucho Club. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- ^ "Groucho Marx – Wikiquote". en.wikiquote.org. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- ^ Cotterill, Joseph (18 June 2015). "Groucho Club sold by private equity firm". Financial Times. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ^ Alex Greenberger (11 August 2022), Hauser & Wirth Owners Buy Storied London Private Club with a Star-Studded Art Collection ARTnews.
- ^ a b "Why Is 'The Groucho Club' Harry Styles' Favourite London Hotspot? (Pictures)". Contactmusic.com. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
- ^ "The Groucho Club: Private members bar set for £40 million buy out". Evening Standard. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
- ^ "The walls talk in the Groucho Club | Christie's". www.christies.com. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
- ^ "Nell Gifford wins the Groucho Maverick Prize". 2 November 2010. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
Further reading[edit]
- Patten, Alice (2015). The Groucho Club – 30th Anniversary. London: Preface Publishing. ISBN 978-1848094703.
- Thévoz, Seth Alexander (2022). Behind Closed Doors: The Secret Life of London Private Members' Clubs. London: Robinson/Little, Brown. ISBN 978-1-47214-646-5.