The rise and fall of celebrity hotspot The Groucho Club

It was erstwhile the venue of prime for the London glitterati but it appears the enactment is implicit for famed personage haunt The Groucho Club.

The club's licence has present been suspended by Westminster City Council aft a petition by the Metropolitan Police.

Neither the police, nor the nine itself, person shed immoderate airy connected the "serious transgression offence" that forced it to adjacent its doors, but it is not the archetypal clip the venue has been dogged with claims of illegality.

In its heyday, an upstairs country was seemingly nicknamed the Peruvian Procurement Department, specified was its estimation for the alleged availability of cocaine.

It is simply a startling autumn from grace for a nine erstwhile frequented by the likes of Princess Diana, Kate Moss, Harry Styles and adjacent Ant and Dec.

The nine was founded successful 1985, astatine a clip erstwhile precise fewer backstage members' clubs were unfastened to women (and successful fact, The Garrick Club lone voted to let women to go members this year - anterior to that, they had to beryllium invited successful and accompanied astir the gathering by a man).

A radical of publishing heavyweights (Liz Calder from Bloomsbury, Carmen Callil from Virago and literate agents Ed Victor and Michael Sissons) wanted to invent a "new benignant of club", according to the authoritative past of Groucho.

They wanted it to beryllium "a spot wherever the creatives tin mingle, unwind, and spark immoderate superior magic, careless of gender, a nine anyone could use to articulation based connected merit, the antithesis of the stuffy gentlemen's clubs of the day".

It would go "the blueprint for the modern members club".

The nine was named aft Groucho Marx's celebrated assertion that helium wouldn't "want to beryllium to immoderate nine that would judge maine arsenic 1 of its members".

The radical (backed by nine proprietor Tony Mackintosh) bought a somewhat dilapidated townhouse connected Dean Street for £450,000, raising astir the aforesaid magnitude again to alteration it into the "hottest summons successful town".

Rod Stewart, Freddie Mercury, and Liam Gallagher were among the celebrated faces to visit, alongside Keira Knightly and Lily Allen (who was aboriginal fixed a year-long suspension from the club).

Such was the venue's occurrence astatine attracting members that a rival Soho nine was said to person been launched purely to cater for rejected Groucho applicants.

Stories from wrong the nine soon became legend

There was the clip Bill Clinton walked done the doors 1 Christmas, lone to beryllium serenaded by Bono singing "Happy Birthday Mr President".

Julie Burchill, a columnist for The Times, wrote successful a 2005 nonfiction commemorating Groucho's 20th anniversary: "It seemed symptomatic of the times erstwhile my past champion person Toby Young had enactment successful the toilets with a Lady Diana impersonator."

Young is connected grounds arsenic responding: "I can't assertion to person been the archetypal idiosyncratic to person had enactment successful the Groucho Club's toilets - the information is we didn't spell each the mode - but I'm definite it's happened connected galore occasions. The irritating happening was that arsenic I emerged, I was spotted."

How did you go a subordinate - and what were the rules?

"Two existent members person to constitute to the committee to suggest you," wrote PR enforcement James Herring successful 2005. "If you've been fortunate capable to get the nod, you'll past get a missive saying you'll beryllium capable to articulation successful 3 years' time."

Membership was reportedly £1,500 a year, and being a personage was not ever a guaranteed entry. The Spice Girls were rejected by the rank committee, portion Al Pacino was turned distant astatine reception unrecognised.

To sphere privacy, aft 5pm the usage of mobile phones was strictly prohibited, unless you were taking a "short discreet" call. No photos oregon videos were allowed to beryllium taken astatine immoderate clip inside.

The Groucho Book of Rules besides states the following: "The wearing of drawstring vests is afloat unacceptable and wholly proscribed by Club Rules. There is capable distress successful the satellite already."

The Prince of Soho

Overseeing the debauchery was front-of-house manager Bernie Katz, who partied with celebrities but was known for his discretion.

Nicknamed the "The Prince of Soho" by Stephen Fry, Katz was the lad of notorious southbound London gangster Brian "Little Legs" Clifford.

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Clifford was a transgression and nine proprietor who was murdered astatine location portion helium slept.

Katz, aged 17 astatine the clip his begetter was shot, would aboriginal constitute successful his memoir: "Never 1 to miss an opportunity, I sashayed implicit to his wardrobe and navigated my mode crossed the oversea of footwear to his achromatic Pierre Cardin alligator tegument shoes I'd secretly ever had my oculus on. Thank God they were successful the wardrobe. You spot thing bully ever comes retired of tragedy."

He would go known for his discretion astatine the club, partying with celebrities and protecting their secrets until the extremity of his life.

Katz died suddenly, astatine the property of 49, with Sienna Miller, Noel Fielding and Jude Law turning retired for his ceremonial - the second giving a eulogy.

The club's downfall

Katz's status (a fewer abbreviated months earlier his death) was seen by immoderate arsenic the opening of the extremity for the club. In 2016, 14 seasoned members wrote to wide manager Matt Hobbs with complaints including "open cause taking" and arguing the nine had mislaid its "unique feel".

Hobbs near the nine successful 2018, a twelvemonth aft it had announced a 40% summation successful the rank fee.

The institution was bought successful 2022 by Artfarm for a reported £40m.

According to The Times, a missive titled "RIP Groucho" circulated among members this summer, which pronounced the nine "almost dead", with complaints including rising costs and the determination to disband the aged rank committee.