Inside the £100m king of clubs - Britain's new high society hotspot  (2024)

A very posh playground

It is the nation’s most famous private members’ club. Since it was opened by entrepreneur Mark Birley in 1963, it has welcomed a host of aristocratic and flamboyant revellers.

But all eyes are now on Annabel’s lavish reopening this week following a £100 million makeover to end all makeovers.

The landmark – so extravagantly styled it has been dubbed ‘extreme maximalism’ – is the vision of colourful restaurateur Richard Caring, 69, who bought it from Birley in 2007.

The tycoon, worth £700 million, made his fortune in the clothing trade. He has presided over three pre-opening parties – styled ‘Legacy dinners’ – where his right-hand man Ali Spencer-Churchill, the grandson of the 10th Duke of Marlborough, persuaded the eligible (and the desirable) to become members.

He even went to New York and asked investment banks if they wanted to pay £1 million for a corporate membership. Two have accepted, and they get to pick six of their star bankers for lifetime memberships.

Even by the extravagant standards of London nightlife, the new club dwarfs anything else in terms of sheer extravagance.

No one has seen anything like it – not least Caring’s rival Robin Birley, whose 5 Hertford Street club next door will almost seem modest in comparison.

Grand entrance

Acquired from the Abu Dhabi-owned Berkeley Square Estates by Richard Caring in 2016, the stately Georgian townhouse building sits above ground, just two doors down from the original club space.

A grand 7ft-long green felt carpet leads guests from the Mayfair street up to a newly polished front door guarded by its doorman, Victor. His double-breasted cashmere wool uniform was designed personally by Caring with Savile Row-trained designer Mehm Ali.

Victor, left, is one of a small army of discreet ‘greeting staff’ whose invaluable knowledge of the clientele comes from years of working with Caring’s guests.

So keenly have the staff been drilled that some say they are able to discern between the wives and mistresses of members – and are careful always to greet them with the appropriate title.

Victor is one of a small army of discreet ‘greeting staff’ whose invaluable knowledge of the clientele comes from years of working with Caring’s guests.

So keenly have the staff been drilled that some say they are able to discern between the wives and mistresses of members – and are careful always to greet them with the appropriate title.

Picture perfect

A Picasso painting rarely plays second fiddle to the wallpaper - but guests at one of the club's 'legacy' diner parties last week reported that a £20 million portrait by the artist hanging in the hallway is barely noticeable among all the other finery.

Nestled behind the silver chrome David Gill-designed front desk, the 1937 portrait of Picasso's mistress would be the piece de resistance in any other establishment, but here it competes with expensive (and bespoke) green silk wallpaper, hundreds of handmade Rococo plaster fruits and flowers and two floor-to-ceiling Russian crystal chandeliers.

The best bar none

The expansive Georgian townhouse, over four floors, was re-imagined by Swedish architect Martin Brudnizki.

The walls in the dining room, styled in a Garden of Eden theme, are covered in bespoke de Gournay wallpaper featuring hand-printed birds of paradise and gold leaf, and the walls are set off by 3,000 LED lights inside 17 antique brass-finished palm trees.

One dining room boasts more than 9,000 ceramic and diamante flowers set into wall panels, and is accessed via the grand cantilevered central staircase – the largest in Europe.

One of club’s seven bars features ten silver elephant heads propping up the shelves, while another bar leads out to an arboretum courtyard.

But the jewel in its crown has to be the uber-exclusive club at its heart. Accessible by just 100 members, the secret room features a blue crystal floor and solid-silver bar.

A £23,000Chateau Latour anyone?

GUESTS at last night’s Legacy dinner were treated to crab, foie gras, and truffle risotto courtesy of executive chef Julien Jouhannaud.

Appointed last year from New York’s Le Bilboquet, he also formerly served under three-Michelin star Alain Ducasse.

The discerning Annabel’s diner can choose from four different restaurants including a French-style brasserie under the outdoor tree canopy, with a £81 cote du boeuf and Royal Beluga Imperial caviar on the menu, at £2,250 for 250g.

There is also an Asian-inspired dining room and a Mexican restaurant, with the largest collection of tequila and mescal, left, in the world.

Or you could blow £23,150 on a double magnum of Chateau Latour 1982.

If you're feeling flush...

Forget spending a penny – the ladies’ lavatories at Annabel’s must have cost a fortune.

There are four elegant pink onyx crystal sinks with bronze swan mixer-taps, pictured right – but they are overshadowed by an exquisite ceiling display of 5,000 silk pink and white blooms.

If that doesn’t leave you feeling flush, the men’s bathrooms are equally esoteric. An 8ft wicker bear props up the full-length mirror, while paw prints scatter the floor.

Paws for thought indeed.

The in-crowd

Meremortals need not apply – in fact, even within the ultra-exclusive club there is a strict hierarchy.

This foot-long silver key was sent to the first 100 people invited to become members, though even it doesn’t unlock the most exclusive bar of all – the Art Bar.

That is closed to anyone who isn’t a ‘Legacy member’ – the term used for the 100 people who pay £150,000 for their membership.

These Legacy members also have access to Carling’s three other clubs – Harry’s, George and Mark’s – and must have gone through a strict vetting and interview process undertaken by Ali Spencer-Churchill.

Ali said: ‘Richard and I invited guests to be Legacy members and I visited each one at their home to interview those who accepted.’

When the previous incarnation of Annabel’s closed, all 7,500 members were asked to reapply, and only about half were accepted as new members.

Those who made the cut will only have to fork out a £3,500 membership fee.

Party animals

If it's a jungle out there, then the refurbished exoticism of Annabel’s must be a highly cultivated zoo.

The lavish garden themes feature an array of colourful beasts and birds as an integral part of the decor, from golden dragons, a life-sized bronze gorilla, and a 5ft winged unicorn painted with real gold leaf and suspended in a hot-air balloon above the main staircase.

The stair carpet features playful monkeys running upwards, while the Garden of Eden nightclub in the basem*nt features a tangle of elephants and snakes on the floor, as cheetah and zebra prints adorn soft furnishings.

But for its most exotic creatures, look no further than the club’s exclusive membership which has historically included blue-bloods such as Princess Beatrice, film director Guy Ritchie, and Liz Hurley’s ex-husband Arun Nayar.

A recent party hosted by Vogue saw a procession of suitably flamboyant guests including Rita Ora, Kate Moss and Leonardo DiCaprio. In the past, it has hosted Princess Diana, US President Richard Nixon and Frank Sinatra