panning Shoreditch to Bank and Moorgate to Tower Hill, the Square Mile is home to some of the best private members’ clubs the capital has to offer. Boasting benefits ranging from sophisticated pool parties and invite-only poker nights to networking events, business talks and tasting menus, whether you’re looking for something traditional or trendy, fitness-focused or fine wine-led, these members’ clubs in the City of London will have you covered from morning ’til midnight – and everything in between
Shoreditch House
Set in a converted warehouse, Shoreditch House was one of the first private members’ clubs to reclaim the Square Mile from the strictly suited and booted. With its rooftop pool boasting views across the City and East End, Tom Dixon-designed interiors and a who’s who of punters from the worlds of media, fashion, art and culture, it was considered a brave and edgy choice back in 2007, and very much set the tone for the area’s vast cultural regeneration.
The Fifth Floor and rooftop restaurants, Pen Yen and Tigre Tacos, are open from morning until late, while Shoreditch Health Club offers complete wellbeing for members, with a fully-equipped gym, daily classes, and personal training, alongside spa treatments and grooming. With its ethos of bringing creative people from around the world together, there are a range of different membership tiers available, from local house and full Soho House membership to a Cities Without Houses option perfect for frequent fliers. If you’re working or living anywhere with an East London postcode, showing your face here really is de rigueur, dahhling.
Membership fees: £1,200 per year for single house membership, plus a joining fee of £550
Ebor Street, E1 6AW, sohohouse.com
Eight Club
With two private members’ clubs in Bank and Moorgate, plus its top-tier gym and wellness centre Core, Eight Club has you covered across EC2 and EC3 with its selection of smart and elegant lounges, restaurants, bars and meeting rooms, as well as its range of social and networking events. The terraces at Eight Moorgate wrap around two floors for idyllic views of the City, while its outstanding Quartier restaurant serves a range of innovative international dishes from seared masala scallops to roast pork fillet.
Eight Bank raises the bar with its in-house cinema and evening-only Blind Bee members’ lounge, which plays host to a series of live music events. Join the poker or golf societies for an added dimension, or kick back with a whisky around the Brunswick Champion Pool Tables. Designed for mixing business and pleasure, membership covers access to all three outposts, and grants entry for up to three guests per member at the two main clubs. Eight Mile, anyone?
Membership fees: £1,750 per year plus a £75 joining fee
Eight Moorgate, 1 Dysart Street, EC2A 2BX; Eight Bank, 1 Change Alley, EC3V 3ND, eightclub.co.uk
The Walbrook Club
The City’s only family-run private members’ club, The Walbrook townhouse started life as a family office for prominent property developer Rudolph Palumbo and his son Lord Peter Palumbo, and has since evolved into a discreet, elegant, and welcoming club for men and women of all ages. Each painting, picture and stick of furniture has a story behind it: the interiors are by the late, great Mark Birley of the original Mark’s Club, Harry’s Bar and Annabel’s, while the kitchens were once run by legendary chef Albert Roux of Le Gavroche.
Retaining its old-school charm and charisma, members are encouraged to ‘dress-up, not down’, with jackets and blazers mandatory. Open to applicants ‘who are sociable and aspirational’, with a quarter of members under the age of 25 – and a growing overseas contingent – members can enjoy a range of guest speaker events spanning the likes of the Chairman of Lloyd’s of London, the Director of the Natural History Museum, and the photographer Rankin. There are also a range of membership options including individual, corporate, overseas, and junior. Old Boys Club this isn’t.
Membership fees: Undisclosed, but rumoured to be around £1,000 per year
37a Walbrook, EC4N 8BS, walbrook-club.co.uk
Ten Trinity Square Private Club
Set within the Four Seasons Hotel – itself a reincarnation of the former headquarters of the Port of London Authority at Ten Trinity Square – this private members’ club is centred around culture, good food and fine wine. If you’re looking to know more about your grape varieties (or just appreciate getting merry on the good stuff), it boasts a Château Latour tasting room; the first location to which the famed first-growth estate from Pauillac, in France’s Médoc wine region, has given its name outside its own vineyards, offering a dining and discovery experience available only to members and their guests.
Comprising a series of lavish yet discreet rooms, ideal for conversation and relaxation, there is also a roster of exclusive events, concerts, and forums, as well as impeccable food, created by recently appointed head chef Alex Tzatzos. The spa within the hotel, which members have full access to, offers extensive facilities complete with indoor swimming pool, vitality pool, sauna, hammam, steam room and state-of-the-art fitness centre. Trust us, you might never want to leave.
Membership fees: £3,000 per year
10 Trinity Square, EC3N 4AJ, tentrinitysquare.com
Ned’s Club at The Ned
Undoubtedly one of the coolest clubs in town, you can’t help but be wowed by The Ned hotel’s grand entrance and range of bars, restaurants, and facilities. Ned’s Club welcomes professionals to meet, work and let their hair down, with members gaining access to everything the club has to offer, from a rooftop pool and terraces to a late-night bar in the original bank vault, as well as the gym and spa.
There’s also a calendar bursting with monthly events, from rowdy rooftop pool parties to cocktail masterclasses and talks, plus VIP treatment and benefits when using the ground floor restaurants and bedrooms. Ned’s Club membership also gives access to Ned’s Club globally, which includes the latest New York outpost. If you’re not ready to take the plunge fully, a Ned Friends membership gets you access to members-only spaces and events. Friends with benefits indeed.
Membership fees: £3,150 per year plus a £1,000 joining fee
27 Poultry, EC2R 8AJ, thened.com
Read more: The best members’ clubs in Mayfair
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