The Groucho Club
Groucho Club is located in Greater London
Groucho Club
Location in London
Groucho Club is located in England
Groucho Club
Location in England
General information
Address45 Dean Street
Town or cityLondon
CountryEngland
Coordinates51°30′47″N 0°08′03″W / 51.5131°N 0.1341°W / 51.5131; -0.1341

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

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

Rachel Weisz (left) and Stephen Fry (right) have at one time been members of the Groucho Club

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

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

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

  1. ↑ Sophie Leris (21 May 2010). "The Groucho Club: a home for hellraisers". Evening Standard. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  2. ↑ "Inside Story: The Groucho Club – 20 years of schmoozing and boozing". The Independent. 2 May 2005. Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  3. ↑ Well, The Web. "HISTORY – Groucho Club". Groucho Club. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  4. ↑ "Groucho Marx – Wikiquote". en.wikiquote.org. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  5. ↑ Cotterill, Joseph (18 June 2015). "Groucho Club sold by private equity firm". Financial Times. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  6. ↑ Alex Greenberger (11 August 2022), Hauser & Wirth Owners Buy Storied London Private Club with a Star-Studded Art Collection ARTnews.
  7. 1 2 "Why Is 'The Groucho Club' Harry Styles' Favourite London Hotspot? (Pictures)". Contactmusic.com. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  8. ↑ "The Groucho Club: Private members bar set for £40 million buy out". Evening Standard. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  9. ↑ "The walls talk in the Groucho Club | Christie's". Christie's. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  10. ↑ "Nell Gifford wins the Groucho Maverick Prize". 2 November 2010. Retrieved 27 November 2023.

Further reading

  • 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.
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