Groucho Yorkshire: Soho's legendary members club heads north
Soho’s infamous Groucho Club — known for, among other things, banning Damien Hirst and refusing Al Pacino entry — has announced its first branch, as the private members’ club expands north to Yorkshire. It will open in 2026.
The new Groucho will be known as Groucho Bretton, named for the building it sits in, Bretton Hall in Wakefield. The Grade II*-listed building, built in 1720, sits in the heart of Wakefield’s 500-acre Yorkshire Sculpture Park. The Hall has, among other things, been a campus for Leeds University, and was home to Bretton Hall College from 1949 until 2001.
The new club will also act as a small hotel, with 40 bedrooms that will be open to non-members. Booking a room will give guests the same privileges as members for the duration of their stay.
The announcement marks the first major move for the club since it announced the appointment of its first female CEO in Elli Jafari, who joins in April, from The Standard hotel group. Jafari will oversee the Yorkshire project.
It is also the first significant change to the Groucho since Artfarm — the hospitality arm of gallerists Hauser & Wirth — bought the club for £40million in 2022.
Ewan Venters, CEO of Artfarm, said of the news: “This is possibly the most exciting venture in the 39-year history of the Groucho. We have done pop-ups at literary and music festivals in the past, but this will be the first time we have set up a permanent home outside of London’s Soho. Groucho Bretton will have a life of its own, separate from the original Groucho, but equally with a uniquely eclectic style and personality rooted in both people and place.
“The heritage of Bretton Hall is one of the factors that originally attracted us to this site, and our plans will be respectful of these traditions while reinventing its appeal by creating modern spaces for our members, new and old, locals or visitors, to work, to play, to meet, to take part in events and to help us turn Groucho Bretton into a place where everyone feels at home. We want people to feel they are part of a family and a community, not just a members’ club.” The club, which was founded in 1985 by a group of publishers and agents including Carmen Callil, Ed Victor, Liz Calder, and Michael Sissons, presently has a list of 5,000 members. Those in the early years included drinking pals Francis Bacon and journalist Jeffrey Bernard, and in later years the roll call included Kate Moss, Sienna Miller, Rachel Weisz, and Harry Styles. Today, it still somewhat maintains its reputation as a “home for hell-raisers.” Whether it still will after the move to Wakefield remains to be seen.
