George is a private members club at 87-88 Mount Street in London's

Mayfair Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world. ...

district. It was established by

Mark Birley Marcus Oswald Hornby Lecky Birley (29 May 1930 – 24 August 2007), known as Mark Birley, was a British entrepreneur known for his investments in the hospitality industry. Early life Mark Birley was the son of Sir Oswald Birley (1880–1952), ...

in 2001. Birley sold the club with his four other Mayfair clubs,

Annabel's Annabel's is a private members club at 46 Berkeley Square in Mayfair, London. It was opened at 44 Berkeley Square in 1963 by Mark Birley and named for his wife Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart. It was founded in the basement of the Clermont ...

Mark's Club Mark's Club is a private members' club and restaurant in Mayfair, London, UK. Established in 1972, it has hosted many fashion events and been patronised by members of the British establishment. Location The club is located in a townhouse at 46 ...

, Harry's Bar, and the

Bath & Racquets Club The Bath & Racquets Club is a private members gym and squash club at 49 Brook's Mews in London's Mayfair district. The club has 300 members and is the most expensive private gym club in London. It was established by Mark Birley in 1989. Birley s ...

, to

Richard Caring Richard Allan Caring (born 4 June 1948) is a British businessman. He initially built a business, International Clothing Designs, supplying Hong Kong-manufactured fashion to UK retailers. After surviving the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, he div ...

in 2007. The club is dog friendly.

History

George is located at 87-88 Mount Street in London's

district. George was established by

in 2001. The club is named for George Hobart, who was the head barman of

. Birley said that the name of the club was "just plain George, not George's or George's Bar". Birley described the ideal prospective member of George as "a reasonably well-heeled 35 to 40-year-old, who preferably takes out very pretty girls". He had previously opened the members clubs

in 1963 and Harry's Bar in 1979. In 2007 Birley sold his four Mayfair clubs, including George, to

for £90 million. The club is now part of the 'Birley Clubs' owned by Caring including

, Harry's Bar, and the

. George had 500 requests for membership prior to its opening. The initial membership fee was £400. Prospective members must be proposed and seconded by current members of the club. Birley stated that the club would be the last he opened, saying that "I have no intention of doing anything else, for better or for worse". George was designed to offer a more relaxed and less formal setting than Birley's previous clubs. Upon opening in 2001 the "cool section" of George was the "one farthest from the front door". Birley, Cosima von Bülow and the art dealer Harry Fane were seated there on opening day. The downstairs of George has a bar described by Birley as a "nighterie... not a nightclub. You move downstairs at the end of dinner, sit around on sofas, have a drink, and listen to a little bit of music". A red private dining room seats 12. The George Private Bar opened in the basement of George in 2005. The George Private Bar was established by Birley's son, Robin, and his sister, India Jane, who ran Birley's clubs during his ill health.

Food

The head chef upon opening was Luca dal Bosco. He had previously been at Harry's Bar under head chef Alberico Penati. Dal Bosco described the food at George as possessing the "freshness of Italian cuisine, the technique of the French, and with an English taste". Birley's great-nephew, Daniel de la Falaise, was the assistant head chef upon opening. The kitchen of George is visible to the diners and runs the length of the restaurant. The restaurant of George seats 90. There is outside seating on Mount Street.

George and dogs

The club features

David Hockney David Hockney (born 9 July 1937) is an English painter, draftsman, printmaker, stage designer, and photographer. As an important contributor to the pop art movement of the 1960s, he is considered one of the most influential British artists o ...

's sketches of his

dachshund The dachshund ( or ; German: "badger dog"), also known as the wiener dog, badger dog, and sausage dog, is a short-legged, long-bodied, hound-type dog breed. The dog may be smooth-haired, wire-haired, or long-haired, and comes in a variety of c ...

s Stanley and Boogie. Birley worried that he " adn'tgot enough" Hockney etchings for the decoration of George as the decoration of his clubs typically took "several years to get right". The club has a

bespoke The word ''bespoke'' () has evolved from a verb meaning 'to speak for something', to its contemporary usage as an adjective. Originally, the adjective ''bespoke'' described tailor-made suits and shoes. Later, it described anything commissioned t ...

menu for pet dogs. In 2020 the club hosted a number of events to raise money for dog welfare. The events were organised by the George Dog Committee; its members include

David Gandy David James Gandy (born 19 February 1980) is an English male fashion model who began his career after winning a televised model-search competition. For several years, Gandy was the lead male model for Italian designers Dolce & Gabbana who featur ...

Carole Bamford Carole Gray Bamford, Baroness Bamford, OBE ( Whitt; born 1946), is a British business person who founded the Daylesford Organic Farmshops chain and the Bamford brand of women's products. Personal life Carole Bamford (née Carole Gray Whitt) ...

, Yasmin and

Amber Le Bon Amber Rose Tamara Le Bon (born 25 August 1989) is an English fashion model. She is best known for becoming the new face of the American department store Forever 21. Biography Le Bon is the eldest of the three daughters of Duran Duran lead singer ...

and Lily Fortescue. Birley's daughter, India Jane, hosted an exhibition of her paintings, "Canines and Companions" shortly before the opening of George.

References

External links

* {{Coord, 51.5095, N, 0.1515, W, display=title 2001 establishments in England British companies established in 2001 Buildings and structures in Mayfair Gentlemen's clubs in London Restaurants established in 2001 Mount Street, London