If you find yourself wandering London’s Mount Street this week – past the windows of its glitzy boutiques, filled with mannequins and pastry boxes tied with ribbons – Your curiosity might be piqued by an interesting new discovery. On the corner of South Audley Street sits an unusually spacious outdoor terrace (the largest in Mayfair, it turns out) adorned with manicured miniature hedges and shaded by elegant dark blue awnings Shaded from the sun, glimpses of diners huddled delicately inside arranged plates of Cornish crab ravioli and prawn-stuffed zucchini flowers.
But what element is most likely to catch your attention? A pair of German Shepherds guarding the entrance—on closer inspection, they are bronze sculptures.
Photography by Milo Brown
This might be the first playful dog-related detail you see upon arriving at the newly renovated clubhouse at The George Club, but it certainly won’t be the last. Breeze through the entrance area, and you’re likely to be greeted by George, the resident dachshund – a nod to the club’s namesake dog, bred by London nightlife maverick Mark Birley . Birley founded the Mayfair establishment on 2007, but his club portfolio, including the lavishly designed and star-studded Annabel’s, was lost to hotel tycoon Richard Caring on 2007. In turn, Caring not only oversaw George’s month-long renovation, but also designed it with his wife, Patricia.
David Hockney, whose impressive collection of work once hung on the walls of the original club, is now delighted to have found a new home in the space, while guests As we descend the gilded spiral staircase to the basement, notice a massive sculptural mural of a hound’s face by artist Jill Berelowitz. If any real-life tail wag decided to head to the club on a Saturday night, they’d find their needs met with just as much fussiness as any of their human counterparts—including a snack menu curated just for them including, yes, “dogs.” caviar”.
Although remodeling Significant – even expanding the size of the club by a third through a connection to the adjacent building – but it retains all the old-world convivial charm of the original building. Really, it felt less like a bar or restaurant and more like a (admittedly, very rich) friend’s living room. The ground floor is centered around an imposing bar of solid bronze that continues the navy blue line on the terrace, through painted and paneled dark blue walls, and gleaming burnt-gold glass tiles on the ceiling and walls – a stylish sophistication The ornaments are offset by a more whimsical touch in Hockney’s artwork.
Carings The goal was to gently update the original’s design code, while also giving it more of the moment, in keeping with their ambition to attract more creative types of clubs. “What we’re building is a re-imagined version of George,” says Patricia, whose take on the recurring environment ranges from old-school members to more future-oriented minds from the worlds of art, tech and finance. Still, she added, “George’s spirit will live on no matter what we do – because at the heart of George is tradition, family and tradition.”
The club should encompass all these different aspects as a fully open day and night space (terraces even will remain open until 1am), which is largely intentional; a new private dining area, for example, will see its Hockney-lined walls host private conversations and culinary experiences alongside the usual intimate dinners . The food also exemplifies the project’s fusion of past and present, with many of the menu’s go-to dishes from previous menus taking on more contemporary forms: poached seafood 2007 a la plancha 2001 or grilled on a charcoal grill, as well as an emphasis on organic and sustainably produced products and a wine list with an impressive range of biodynamic wines. “It’s been a challenge, but we want our members to enjoy it as much as we do,” Patricia said.
