London’s star-studded Groucho Club is to open a new club and hotel in Yorkshire’s historic Bretton Hall.
The fashionable Soho joint, where artist Damien Hirst once stashed his £20,000 Turner Prize winnings behind the bar, first opened as a private members’ club in 1985 and now boasts thousands of members.
It has since become known for its famous guests, including Kate Moss and Bill Clinton, who have stepped through its busy doors at 45 Dean Street.
Now it is opening a new venue in the north of England at Bretton Hall in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, The Guardian reported.
The fashionable Soho joint, where artist Damien Hirst once stashed his £20,000 Turner Prize winnings behind the bar, first opened as a private members’ club in 1985 and now has 5,000 members
Now it is opening a new venue in the north of England at Bretton Hall in Wakefield, West Yorkshire
Ewan Venters, CEO of Artfarm and Hauser & Wirth supported the decision to head north before venturing to America.
Located in Yorkshire Sculpture Park, the Grade II listed building will be converted into a hotel and club as a project in partnership with retail investor Rushbound group.
The country estate had 380,000 visits in 2022, and the park has received various awards, including the Culture Award and Visitor Attraction of the Year.
Venters told the Guardian how he believes there is a “civic duty” for the public and private sectors to ensure there is “a very healthy cultural and economic country in all parts of the UK”.
The Groucho Club was the brainchild of a group of publishers, including Carmen Callil, Ed Victor and Liz Calder and literary agent Michael Sissons, who wanted a comfortable, intimate and stylish place to meet, work and socialise.
It was also once known as Gennaro’s, an Italian restaurant where royalty dined with opera stars, but had fallen into disrepair years before it became The Groucho Club.
Other luxury clubs have also moved to the north of England, including Sessions Arts Club, which opened a new retreat near Inverness, and Soho House, which is opening in Manchester.
Ewan Venters, CEO of Artfarm and Hauser & Wirth supported the decision to head north before venturing to America
Venters told the Guardian how he believes there is a “civic duty” for the public and private sectors to ensure there is “a very healthy cultural and economic country in all parts of the UK”. Pictured: Damien Lewis, an actor and musician, in The Groucho in 2005
The Groucho Club was the brainchild of a group of publishers, including Carmen Callil, Ed Victor and Liz Calder and literary agent Michael Sissons, who wanted a comfortable, intimate and stylish place to meet, work and socialise. Pictured: Denise Welch left the club in 2004
Other luxury clubs have also moved to the north of England, including Sessions Arts Club, which opened a new retreat near Inverness, and Soho House, which is opening in Manchester. Pictured: Chelsea Clinton on a night out when she visited The Groucho Club in 2001
Sir. Venters said the new site is different to Soho Houses and hopes the history of the 500-acre park will help draw members from London to explore Yorkshire’s green spaces.
He hopes the next move will attract members from Manchester and nearby Leeds, and Mr Venters added there is no specific demographic being considered for the venue.
Sir. Venters said: “Yorkshire couldn’t be more multicultural and diverse, so it would be wrong to pick a hole and say it’s a 30 to 50-year-old person working in the creative industries.”
The Groucho Club was sold in 2022 for £40m to Iwan and Manuela Wirth, whose company Artfarm owns world-renowned contemporary art gallery Hauser & Wirth and venues such as Roth Bar & Grill in Bruton, Somerset.
When it was sold, Mr Venters promised to return to the “eclectic appeal and maverick ethos” that appealed to the likes of Queen’s Freddie Mercury and Liza Minnelli.
Before the sale, it was reported that some members felt the venue had ‘lost its unique feel’ as it opened up its membership to corporate city types.