Groucho Club

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 Groucho Club
Location in London
Location in England
General information
Address45 Dean Street
Town or cityLondon, W1D 4QB
CountryEngland
Coordinates51.5131°N 0.1341°W / 51.5131; -0.1341

The club has rooms on several floors, including three bars, two restaurants and 20 bedrooms available for members or their guests, a snooker room, and four event rooms available for hire.[2]

History

Dreamt up by a group of publishers[3] who wanted somewhere to meet and relax as an alternative to stuffy gentlemen's clubs, they approached Anthony Mackintosh, owner of 'The Zanzibar' – a members' bar in Covent Garden – and Restaurant 192.

Premises were found in Soho, the bohemian heart of London, and membership was drawn from those working in publishing, film, music and advertising. 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.[4][5]

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.[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 include Lily Allen, Melvyn Bragg, Stephen Fry, NEO 10Y, Noel Gallagher, Luke Pasqualino and Rachel Weisz.[8]

Art

The club has a large collection of contemporary art. The Groucho Club Collection includes works by: Gavin Turk, Marc Quinn, Ian Davenport, Gary Hume, Alison Watt, Damien Hirst, Josef O’Connor, Sir Peter Blake, Mat Collishaw, Hayden Kays, Conrad Shawcross, Polly Morgan, Jim Lambie and Stella Vine.

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. Nominations for the award are made by Groucho Club members. The winner of the award receives £10,000 in prize money, lifetime membership and a sculpture. The announcement of the winner is made at an awards ceremony held at the club.

Previous winners include:

  • The Bush Theatre (2013 Winner), Tamara Rojo, Jeremy Deller, Jack Monroe, Haifaa Al-Mansour, Matilda Tristram.
  • Danny Boyle (2012 Winner), Michael Fassbender, Pussy Riot, Grayson Perry, Noel Fielding, Deborah Curtis.
  • Nick Davies (2011 Winner), Molly Crabapple, Idris Elba, Hilary Lloyd, Caitlin Moran, Tom Watson.
  • Nell Gifford (2010 Winner), Javier De Frutos, Monte Hellman, Henry Hudson, Simon Singh, Tilda Swinton.

The Gang Show

The Groucho Club produces The Gang Show held every year at the club. Previous performers have included Chrissie Hynde, UB40, Heaven 17, Annie Lennox, Collette Cooper, Babyshambles, Rufus Hound, Michael McIntyre, Miles Kane, Professor Green, David Walliams, Texas, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Alphabeat, The Feeling, Eliza Doolittle, Nigel Kennedy, Kaiser Chiefs, David Arnold, David McAlmont, The Hoosiers, Armstrong & Miller, Howard Marks, Jessica Hynes, The Boy With Tape on His Face, Leigh Francis, and Rich Hall.

Pop ups

Ibiza

In 2012, the Groucho Club hosted a pop up in Ibiza from 16 to 28 August 2012 at Sa Talaia open to members and non-members. The pop up was to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

From 18 to 22 August 2013, the Groucho Club hosted another Ibiza pop up at a restored finca in the North of Ibiza, in San Juan.

Hay Festival

Hay-on-Wye on the Welsh border is known as the 'town of books' and every year hosts the Hay Festival. The Groucho Club was invited to set up a temporary restaurant and bar in the Medieval Hay Castle in the centre of town from 23 May to 2 June 2013. In 2014 the club popped up again at the festival from 23 May to 1 June 2014.

References
  1. Sophie Leris (21 May 2010). "The Groucho Club: a home for hellraisers – Life & Style – London Evening Standard". Standard. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  2. "Inside Story: The Groucho Club – 20 years of schmoozing and boozing – Media – News". The Independent. 2 May 2005. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  3. The Groucho Club – about the club | http://www.thegrouchoclub.com/club/about-the-club/
  4. Well, The Web. "HISTORY – Groucho Club". Groucho Club. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  5. "Groucho Marx – Wikiquote". en.wikiquote.org. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  6. Cotterill, Joseph (18 June 2015). "Groucho Club sold by private equity firm". Financial Times. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  7. "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.
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