Art World
Hauser and Wirth Founders Will Open a New Outpost of Their Famed Groucho Club
The surprising new rural location will provide a hub for creatives working in northern cities like Manchester and Leeds.
by
Jo Lawson-Tancred
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The Groucho Club, which is owned by Hauser & Wirth co-founders Iwan and Manuela Wirth, will open a new countryside outpost near Wakefield, Yorkshire in northern England. The club and hotel will be housed in the 300-year-old manor house Bretton Hall, which sits on the same parkland estate as Yorkshire Sculpture Park. It is expected to start welcoming visitors in 2026.
A private member’s club founded in 1985, The Groucho was acquired by the Wirths’ hospitality venture Artfarm in 2022 for £40 million ($51 million). The building on Dean Street has three bars, two restaurants, four event rooms, and 20 bedrooms. Members of the club usually come from the creative industries, including media, arts, and entertainment. Celebrity members have included Lily Allen, Noel Gallagher, Kate Moss, Damien Hirst, and Tracey Emin.
Given its status as a Soho institution, the depths of west Yorkshire is not an obvious choice for The Groucho’s expansion. Several hours away from London, it may provide a more local hub for creatives living in northern cities like Leeds, Liverpool, and Manchester. The new club will allow non-members to book hotel rooms and will make use of the extra space at Bretton Hall to initiate a new program of talks and performances.
While fees for the Groucho amount to £1,500 ($1,910) each year (with discounts for younger members), it has not yet been announced if these numbers will be different for the northern outpost.
Cascade Bridge and Weir, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Bretton Hall, Wakefield, 2015. Photo by English Heritage/Getty Images
Bretton Hall was designed by Sir William Wentworth in around 1720 but was sold by its private owners to the local West Riding County Council in 1947. Between 2001 and 2007, it was used as a campus by the University of Leeds but was converted into a hotel and offices in 2013. The building is Grade II-listed, meaning it is protected as a piece of England’s cultural heritage.
Other hospitality venues owned by Artfarm include The Audley in London’s Mayfair, The Fife Arms hotel in Braemar, Scotland, and Manuela restaurant in Los Angeles.
