The Groucho Club is a
private members' club founded in 1985 and located on
Dean Street in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
's
Soho
SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street, Houston Street", is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, art installations such as The Wall ...
. Its members are mainly drawn from the publishing, media, entertainment and arts industries.
The club's facilities include three
bars, two
restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and Delivery (commerce), food delivery services. Restaurants ...
s, a
snooker
Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sport played on a rectangular Billiard table#Snooker and English billiards tables, billiards table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six Billiard table#Pockets 2, pockets: one at each corner and ...
room, an enclosed terrace, 17
bedroom
A bedroom or bedchamber is a room situated within a residential or accommodation unit characterized by its usage for sleeping. A typical Western world, western bedroom contains as bedroom furniture one or two beds, a clothes closet, and bedsid ...
s for members or their guests and four event rooms, which are available for hire.
History
The club opened on 5 May 1985. Its name is reference to
Groucho Marx
Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (; October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977) was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer who performed in films and vaudeville on television, radio, and the stage. He is considered one of America's greatest comed ...
saying he did not want to be a member of any club that would have him.
The club was owned by
Graphite Capital
Graphite Capital is a private equity firm focused on mid-market leveraged buyout investments, primarily in the UK. The group manages around Pound sterling, £1.2 billion for institutional investors, with the most recent fund raising over £500 m ...
from 2006 to 2015, when it was sold to a group of investors led by Isfield Investments and Alcuin Capital Partners. 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.
In March 2024, the club announced that it would be opening its inaugural branch outside of London at Bretton Hall near Wakefield in Yorkshire.
In November 2024, the club's license was suspended by Westminster City Council as a result of a criminal investigation.
During the closure, CEO Elli Jafari stepped down after 10 months in the role. Simon Cooke, former Managing Director of Ronnie Scott's Club, has taken over as interim managing director. The reopening introduced updated guest sign-in procedures, requiring digital registration through the Groucho app to enhance safety and security.
Members
Anyone who is proposed by two existing members may apply for membership, but applications are favoured from those working in the creative side of media and the arts.
Prominent members of the club have included
Cara Delevingne
Cara Jocelyn Delevingne ( ; born 12 August 1992) is an English model and actress. She signed with Storm Management after leaving school in 2009. Delevingne won Model of the Year at the British Fashion Awards in 2012 and 2014, and List of award ...
,
Nick Grimshaw
Nicholas Peter Andrew Grimshaw (born 14 August 1984), nicknamed "Grimmy", is an English broadcaster and author. He became known for having hosted a variety of shows on BBC Radio 1. He is also known as a television presenter for his Channel 4 rol ...
,
Harry Styles
Harry Edward Styles (born 1 February 1994) is an English singer, songwriter, and actor. His showmanship, artistry, and flamboyant fashion have had a Cultural impact of Harry Styles, significant impact on popular culture.
Styles's musical ca ...
,
Caroline Flack
Caroline Louise Flack (9 November 1979 – 15 February 2020) was an English television presenter and actress. Flack grew up in Norfolk and took an interest in dancing and theatre while at school. She began her professional career as an actress, ...
,
Jarvis Cocker
Jarvis Branson Cocker (born 19 September 1963) is an English musician. As the founder, frontman, lyricist and only consistent member of the band Pulp (band), Pulp, he became a reluctant figurehead of the Britpop genre of the mid-1990s. Cocker h ...
,
Lily Allen
Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. List of awards and nominations received by Lily Allen, Her accolades include a Brit Award, alongside nominations for a Grammy Award and a Laurence Olivi ...
,
Melvyn Bragg
Melvyn Bragg, Baron Bragg (born 6 October 1939) is an English broadcaster, author and parliamentarian. He is the editor and presenter of ''The South Bank Show'' (1978–2010, 2012–2023), and the presenter of the BBC Radio 4 documentary series ...
,
Stephen Fry
Sir Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director, narrator and writer. He came to prominence as a member of the comic act Fry and Laurie alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring in ''A Bit of ...
,
Noel Gallagher
Noel Thomas David Gallagher (born 29 May 1967) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Gallagher is the primary songwriter, lead guitarist and a co-lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis (band), Oasis. After leaving Oasis, he formed Noel ...
,
Luke Pasqualino
Luca Giuseppe Pasqualino (born 19 February 1990) is a British actor. He is best known for portraying Freddie McClair in the television series '' Skins'' (2009–2010), d'Artagnan in the television series '' The Musketeers'' (2014–2016) and ...
and
Rachel Weisz
Rachel Hannah Weisz (; born 7 March 1970) is an English actress. Known for her roles in independent films and blockbusters, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Rachel Weisz, several awards, including an Academy Award, ...
.
Art
The club has a large collection of contemporary art, curated by Nicki Carter, a graduate of
Goldsmiths, University of London
Goldsmiths, University of London, formerly Goldsmiths College, University of London, is a constituent research university of the University of London. It was originally founded in 1891 as The Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by ...
during the
YBA period, erstwhile waitress and now the longest serving employee.
The Groucho Club Maverick Award
Launched in 2010 as 'the antidote to other awards', The Groucho Club Maverick Award celebrates people who have broken the mould in their field by challenging and making a significant contribution to culture and the arts in the previous 12 months, either in the UK or internationally.
References
Further reading
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External links
Official website
{{Gentlemen's clubs in London
1985 establishments in England
Arts in London
Buildings and structures in the City of Westminster
Marx Brothers
Nightclubs in London
Private members' clubs
Soho, London