The Capital has long been host to private places for gentlemen to stay and play. With the latest generation of clubs, the focus has shifted. It’s no longer enough just to have a great bar or dining room; the new generation of members’ clubs offers creative workspaces, personal board rooms, luxurious spa facilities, and even somewhere to store your wine.
Gentlemen, here is our pick of the top 5 new members’ clubs in London…
67 PALL MALL
If you’re serious about wine, 67 Pall Mall is the closest you can get to a vineyard in central London. The Sir Edward Lutyens’ building, in St James’s, features a members’ lounge serving food and up to 5,000 fine wines at low mark-ups, a basement space for meetings or wine tastings, and a wine library showcasing the club’s wine collection. Members can store wine in the club’s cellar, sell it to other members, or just drink it.
Best for: Wine connoisseurs, or anyone who would like to learn more about it.
Membership: £1,000/ year, plus £1,000 joining fee.
SOUTH KENSINGTON CLUB
If you like tennis and banyas, Italian food and cultural exploration, the South Kensington Club might be for you. Set on Queensberry Gardens, the main part of the club was once a music hall, while the bathhouse was Francis Bacon’s first studio. With a tea library, gym and London’s first ‘saltwater watsu pool’, the club emphasises health and adventures, aiming its offerings at ‘modern Marco Polos’.
Best for: Health-conscious, wealthy glomads.
Membership from: £325/month, plus £1,000 joining fee.
12 HAY HILL
Mayfair’s newest club is for gentlemen who do business in this part of town. It’s no surprise that with the Jersey connection (catering is by Shaun Rankin, one of Jersey’s Michelin-starred chefs) this club is set to attract people who work in finance. Facilities include serviced offices, a gym and showers; meeting rooms, formal and informal dining using Jersey produce, plus a bar and roof terrace overlooking Berkeley Square.
Best for: Anyone who knows what a hedge fund is.
Membership: £150/month, plus £500 joining fee.
Opening: Office space opened in April, the rest of the club is expected to open June 2015.
NEUEHOUSE
Born in the flatiron district of Manhattan in 2013, NeueHouse is crossing the Atlantic to open in London later this year. The club, which prides itself on only having ‘nice’ members, is taking over the Art Deco Adelphi building on The Strand. Following a £30 million renovation, the building will include studios, broadcast facilities, screening rooms and private dining for members. As a creative co-working space, NeueHouse will also have lots of desks.
Best for: Creative entrepreneurs looking for high-end desk mates.
Membership from: Rates at New York’s NeueHouse range from $200/month for evening access to $1,600/month for private office space.
Opening: Late 2015
SOHO HOUSE DEAN STREET
20 years after the first Soho House opened in Greek Street, Soho Estates are launching a new club at 76 Dean Street. The Grade II listed Georgian building, near the group’s Dean Street Townhouse, was badly damaged by a fire in 2009. After £10 million of restoration work the club will include three bars, a drawing room, courtyard, roof terrace, brasserie, and a basement screening room.
Best for: Media execs and Don Drapers on location while Soho House original is being renovated.
Membership: £800/ year, local club only, or £1,400 / year for access to all Houses.
All the clubs mentioned above are open to men and women.
By Julia Hunt
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