The Groucho Club has chosen Wakefield in West Yorkshire as the venue for its first spinoff, which it plans to open in 2026.

Now part of Artfarm, the hospitality wing of Swiss contemporary art dealership Hauser + Wirth, the Groucho is taking over Bretton Hall, a former stately home whose 500-acre estate incorporates Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

Founded in 1985 as an arty antidote to London’s stuffy gentlemen’s clubs, Soho-based Groucho was acquired by Artfarm in 2022, joining an art-based hospitality empire that stretches from the English West Country via the Scottish Highlands to Los Angeles.

Ewan Venters, Artfarm’s CEO, has made no secret of the long-term intention to spin the Groucho out internationally. But he has been blunt about its initial foray into classic ‘Red Wall’ territory closer to home.

He said, “Why would we go to America first, why wouldn’t we go to the north of England? I wanted to avoid the Cotswolds because that doesn’t represent our membership.”

The Yorkshire Groucho will have around 60 bedrooms and host entertainment including live music, performances, art exhibitions and lectures. The club’s existing 5,000 members will be joined by new recruits drawn from the region, with both Leeds and Manchester within an hour’s journey.