Popular with royalty, including Prince Harry, and celebrities alike, such as Bob Geldof and the stars of Made In Chelsea, 151 was the basement nightclub on London’s King’s Road known for its famous clientele and fire engine red doors.
The venue has been closed since the Covid pandemic shutdown, with club founder Giorgio Burlo retiring after nearly 40 years as custodian of the society’s secrets.
However, 151 will reopen in the new year, thanks to a nightclub veteran behind some of the royals’ favorite bars, the Daily Mail’s Richard Eden revealed this week.
Piers Adam, 60, who was best man when his friend Guy Ritchie married Madonna, will relaunch the club in February. “London is the largest city in the world and the King’s Road is the artery of fashion and style,” he told Eden.
‘151 has a special place in my heart, as it does for many other Londoners, and I can’t wait to reopen it. We want people to feel like they don’t need to go to the West End to have a great night out.’
George Michael is known to have been refused entry to the venue, which featured the slogan “I’d Rather Be at 151”, because he was wearing an earring, even though men sporting jewelery or tattoos were banned from entering the club.
The club’s opening night in 1985 was attended by the so-called ‘Seducer of the Valleys’, Baronet Sir Dai Llewellyn, who became a regular, as did Princess Diana’s former lover, James Hewitt.
Socialite Tara Palmer-Tomkinson “lived there,” Giorgio reflected, while Bob Geldof held “a lot of parties” at the club, “including his 50th.”
Popular with royalty, including Prince Harry (pictured leaving Maddox nightclub in 2011), and celebrities alike, including Bob Geldof and the stars of Made In Chelsea, 151 was the basement nightclub on London’s King’s Road Known for its famous clientele and red fire doors
Last year, he told Eden about his royal patrons: ‘Harry came several times. He walked, he talked to people. William was serious. He was sitting there, in a corner. He behaved like a Prince; like someone who would one day be king.
Another royal, not normally associated with late night shenanigans, appeared. “Prince Edward came,” Giorgio recalled, adding that he was accompanied by “an entourage” of friends.
On the night of his visit, the paparazzi were after Harry and Giorgio suggested that the Prince could escape their attention by leaving 151 through a fire escape at the back.
The ruse certainly worked for Harry, but Giorgio’s thoughtful gesture had an unintended consequence.
The following day, a health and safety officer from Kensington and Chelsea council arrived at the club to check its rear exit and, to his dismay, Giorgio was ordered to resurface the entire area at a cost of £1,200.
“Apparently, there was concern that Prince Harry might trip and hurt himself next time,” Giorgio told the Daily Mail in 2013.
“I couldn’t believe it, especially since shortly afterwards Harry was sent to Afghanistan, where, of course, there was a greater chance of him getting really hurt!”
Giorgio, however, insisted at the time: ‘I don’t blame the city council. The man (from health and safety) was very friendly and polite and has a job to do. I agreed with him that the start was a bit uneven.
The venue has been closed since the Covid pandemic shutdown, with club founder Giorgio Burlo retiring after nearly 40 years as custodian of the society’s secrets. In the photo, Prince William and Kate in April 2007 leaving Boujis nightclub.
Socialite Tara Palmer-Tomkinson (pictured at Tramp nightclub in 1998) “lived there”, Giorgio reflected.
Bob Geldof (pictured arriving at a party at 151) had “many parties” at the club, “including his 50th.”
‘But it was a big surprise when he turned up the next day after Harry was reported to have left through the back exit. I guess they saw a report about it and just came.
‘I resurfaced the entire area, although we rarely use the back exit because it’s actually a fire escape. But I thought the Prince and his friends would appreciate leaving that way because there were four paparazzi photographers waiting outside the front.
‘Of course, I can see the irony in all this. I did him a favor and ended up having to pay for the repairs. I don’t care, but I haven’t seen him since.
The club was not only prized by royalty, but also became a favorite of Made In Chelsea stars such as Binky Felstead.
“I treat it like a second home,” Binky said previously. “If I’m not getting enough attention or I’ve had too much to drink, I just take off my heels and go to sleep.”
Speaking about what it was like inside the club, a 151 guest told Femail: ‘I remember being there the first time and you went down the basement stairs and they took you to the door.
“It was very dark inside but the music was very good, and when I walked in I saw Jerry Hall smoking and she was with some friends. It was such a cool place that no one batted an eye at Jerry’s presence.”
Its closure caused consternation among devotees, with one writing: “I feel like a part of me is missing.”
Made In Chelsea star Ollie Locke attends a launch party for his new book ‘Laid in Chelsea: My Life Uncovered’ aged 151 in 2013.
Binky Felstead, Ollie Locke and Francesca Hull turned 151 in 2013
Piers Adam’s partner in his 151 company is Marc Burton, 40, with whom he worked at Mahiki and Whiskey Mist in Mayfair.
With his friend Guy Pelly, Burton opened Tonteria, a Mexican-themed nightclub in Sloane Square where Harry was a regular.
Tonteria, known for hosting some of the capital’s wildest nights, regularly featured dancers dressed in bondage-style lingerie. A bottle of tequila cost £5,000, and VIP customers could have their drinks delivered to their table on a toy train.
Such was Harry’s affection for the club that he visited on a Monday, Thursday and Saturday for a week in 2014.
At a World Cup party, Burton allegedly snatched phones from two excitable young Chelsea men who had dared to point them in Harry’s direction as he walked past them to join his entourage of friends in the small VIP room.
The girls ended up crying and were eventually given their phones back, but only after the blurry photos were deleted.