32-622: The Colony Room Club was a private members' drinking club at 41 Dean Street , Soho , London. It was founded and presided over by Muriel Belcher from its inception in 1948 until her death in 1979. The artist Francis Bacon was a founder and lifelong member, and the club attracted a mixture of Soho's low-lifes and its alcoholic, artistic elite, including George Melly , Jeffrey Bernard and Lucian Freud . Visiting non-members included many names from aristocratic, political and artistic circles, including Princess Margaret , William Burroughs , David Bowie and Henri Cartier-Bresson . The club attracted
64-460: A centre of the creative and advertising industries including film and video editing facilities; this was especially true from the 1960s to the 1990s. There have been many music and theatre venues on the street, including the Soho Theatre , which presents new plays and stand-up comedy. The celebrated Gargoyle Club ran for 27 years in the upper floors at number 69, an address that also housed
96-466: A daughter of writer Jocasta Innes and whose Spitalfields kitchen became a late night meeting point for Compston, Will Hodgkinson and many other creatives. This in turn led to renting a room at the next door house of Architect Sir Richard MacCormac . In 1993, he opened a gallery at 44a Charlotte Road, Shoreditch , the first gallery to open in what was then a slightly run-down part of east London. European Dadaist manifestos, 20th century propaganda and
128-426: A fondness for insulting banter". George Melly said of her, "Muriel was a benevolent witch, who managed to draw in all London's talent up those filthy stairs. She was like a great cook, working with the ingredients of people and drink. And she loved money." After Belcher's death in 1979, the club was passed to her long-time barman Ian Board (known as "Ida"), who held it until his death in 1994. Brian Patten described
160-581: A humorous caricature of England which came to be known as John Bull . Furniture maker William Hean lived at 17 Dean Street between 1827 and 1845. Karl Marx lived at 28 Dean Street between 1851 and 1856, above what is now the Hart Brothers restaurant Quo Vadis . The Marxes shared their house in Dean Street with Italian teachers and a cook and were very poor while living in the street. Their rooms were described by one visitor as being in "One of
192-760: A knack for attracting or discovering interesting and colourful people, and the patronage of men such as George Melly and Francis Bacon helped to establish the Colony Room Club's close-knit community. Bacon's friend Lady Rose McLaren was a habituée of the club in her London days. According to the Museum of London website, "The Colony Room was one of many drinking clubs in Soho. The autocratic and temperamental owner Muriel Belcher created an ambiance which suited those who thought of themselves as misfits or outsiders". Belcher has been described as "an imperious lesbian with
224-405: A large Michael Andrews painting, which Wojas argued were under his control. The sale raised £40,000. Wojas's actions triggered furious opposition from some members who believed that the assets belonged to the members, and took Wojas to court to freeze the proceeds of the auction. A new governing committee was elected, amidst scenes of conflict between pro- and anti-Wojas factions. A campaign to keep
256-671: A picnic in Hoxton Square ( The Hanging Picnic ). Compston's lasting legacy to Shoreditch was celebrated by a revival of A Fete Worse Than Death in 2014. His archive is held by the Tate Gallery . In 1996, at the age of 25, Compston died as the result of taking ether at his gallery in Charlotte Road, which was also his home. His coffin was painted with a William Morris pattern by Gary Hume and Gavin Turk. His funeral
288-400: A promotional device, Wojas persuaded famous members, including Kate Moss and Sam Taylor-Wood to serve drinks from behind the bar. Hirst explained that the attraction of the club was "because artists like drinking". In 2008, Wojas announced that financial pressure would result in his not renewing the lease of the club, and it would have to close. He auctioned off some works of art, including
320-477: A week to bring in friends and rich patrons. The club was located in a tiny first-floor room in Dean Street , Soho , and was notorious for its decor as well as its clientele. Originally smartly decorated in a colonial style, it was repainted in the 1950s; its green walls became famous. Members described the staircase that led to the establishment as foul-smelling and flanked by dustbins, and talked of "going up
352-417: A western entrance to the new Crossrail station at Tottenham Court Road , which would have a major impact on the area. From north to south: 51°30′50″N 0°07′58″W / 51.51389°N 0.13278°W / 51.51389; -0.13278 Joshua Compston Joshua Richard Compston (1 June 1970 – 5 March 1996) was a London curator whose company Factual Nonsense was closely associated with
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#1732800896948384-474: A young boy, gave a recital at 21 Dean Street. Admiral Nelson stayed in Dean Street the day before setting sail for the Battle of Trafalgar . He spent the night drawing up his final battleplans, including the masterstroke of painting identifiable gold and black checks on the ships. He is said to have spent the early part of the evening at a nearby undertakers selecting the coffin he would like to be buried in were
416-527: The Arts and Crafts Movement were influences in his creation of the Factual Nonsense brand and concept of social philosophy. The name of the gallery and art movement was taken from the title of a painting 'Factual Nonsense' by David Taborn, whose work 'A Guide For The Perplexed' was also used by Compston as the title for the gallery inaugural exhibition. As well as working with many of the artists of
448-564: The Courtauld Institute of Art . At Camberwell, Compston was the contemporary of Darren Coffield , who later became his biographer. At the Courtauld he soon became frustrated that the academic lecturing staff were taking insufficient interest in the work of living artists, and that as a result students were ignorant of major figures in 20th century art. Traditionally, students at the Courtauld had been taught in rooms hung with
480-615: The YBA movement, including Gavin Turk , Tracey Emin , Sarah Lucas , Angus Fairhurst and Damien Hirst , Compston's main collaborator was the printer Thomas Shaw, with whom he created numerous Factual Nonsense posters, prints and other printed matter. Compston organised events in Shoreditch as a part of his deliberate vision: to shape an artistic community and to create an urban regeneration, both of which became his legacy. The events included two summer fetes ( A Fete Worse Than Death ), and
512-507: The Young British Artists in the 1990s. In 1948, Muriel Belcher secured a 3pm-to-11pm drinking licence for The Colony Room Club as a private members club (public houses had to close at 2.30pm). The room was operated by Belcher from that year until her death in 1979. Francis Bacon was a founding member, walking in the day after it opened. He was "adopted" by Belcher who called him "Daughter", and gave him free drinks and £10
544-707: The Collection/Biennial include Mel Bochner , Damien Hirst , Howard Hodgkin , Michael Landy , Del LaGrace Volcano , Gilbert and George , Genesis P-Orridge and Martha Rosler . He graduated from the Courtauld in 1992. At this time, he was associated with the American gallerist Maureen Paley . Joshua Compston first worked in commercial galleries when he became David Taborn’s agent, curating Taborn’s show at Gallery 202, Notting Hill Gate in 1989. [1] Joshua Compston's initial exposure to pre YBA Shoreditch happened partly by accident, due to an infatuation with
576-442: The Colony Room Club as "a small urinal full of fractious old geezers bitching about each other". For Molly Parkin , the club was "a character-building glorious hellhole. Everyone left their careers at the roadside before clambering the stairs and plunging into questionable behaviour". Clive Jennings says of regular clientele such as Jeffrey Barnard that "the lethal triangle of The French , The Coach & Horses and The Colony were
608-463: The Colony must not be forgotten." Wojas kept the keys to the club and closed the Colony Room Club at the end of 2008. Dick Bradsell was working as barman at the time of closure. In his epitaph for the Colony Room Club, novelist Will Self argued against the view that the closure demonstrated that "the old Soho is being killed off by smoking bans and other sanitising measures. The truth is that there
640-512: The battle not to go according to plan, which proved to be time well spent, for he died in the battle despite leading the British fleet to victory. Charles Dickens was also a regular on Dean Street when he was a young actor enthusiastically participating in amateur productions at Fanny Kelly's Royalty Theatre at number 73–74. In 1845 he starred in an adaptation of Ben Jonson 's Every Man in his Humour , which met mixed reviews; Dickens' acting
672-444: The club open was fronted by dandy and artist Sebastian Horsley , attempting to secure the use of the premises in the future. According to Horsley: "it has been a vibrant, unique and historical drinking den for artists, writers, musicians, actors and their acolytes. There is nowhere else like it in the world." He also said: "The Colony is a living work of art, it's a tragedy what's happening. From Bacon to Beckett , Rimbaud to Rotten ,
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#1732800896948704-551: The club's art traditional. Monthly book readings typically occur on Mondays. The crowd remains vibrant comprising many contemporary artists, writers, actors and musicians alongside past members including Darren Coffield the author of "Tales of the Colony Room" who curates the Club. The British Museum holds a collection of prints, Colony Room Suite , depicting Muriel Belcher, Francis Bacon and Ian Board, amongst other members of
736-523: The club, made by the artist Michael Clark . Well-known members of the Colony Room Club included: 51°30′48″N 0°07′56″W / 51.5133°N 0.1322°W / 51.5133; -0.1322 Dean Street Dean Street is a street in Soho , central London , running from Oxford Street south to Shaftesbury Avenue . It crosses Old Compton Street and is linked to Frith Street by Bateman Street . In 1764 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , then
768-517: The dirty stairs". The club played an important role in Soho society. Members in Belcher's time also included Daniel Farson ; Michael Andrews ; John Deakin ; and Henrietta Moraes , whose portrait by Bacon sold for £21.3 million in February 2012. Belcher's open attitude towards sexuality attracted many gay men to the club, many of them brought there by her Jamaican girlfriend, Carmel. Belcher had
800-512: The emergence of the Young British Artists (YBAs). Compston was born in Putney . The son of a judge, he was educated at St Edward's School, Oxford . Encouraged by his parents, Compston became an enthusiastic collector of antiques and ephemera. In his adolescence, he developed a friendship with Sir Peter Blake , and would bring him gifts of found ephemera. Compston studied Art Foundation at Camberwell School of Art , followed by History of Art at
832-499: The masterworks from the history of art borrowed from the affiliated Courtauld Gallery . Taking advantage of a relocation of the school to new premises in Somerset House, and newly empty walls in seminar rooms, he leveraged the Courtauld into exhibiting the work of contemporary painters on long-term temporary loan as 'The East Wing Collection' - a practice which continues to this day as 'The East Wing Biennial'. Past exhibitors in
864-509: The nightclub Billy's in its cellars during the late 1970s. There, New Romanticism , a landmark youth movement, took root. On 10 July 2009 a fire broke out on Dean Street. Two firefighters suffered minor injuries but nobody else was hurt. The building that caught fire was gutted. The start of a dramatic change to Dean Street began in March 2010 as the demolition commenced of an entire block (Great Chapel Street and Dean Street) in preparation for
896-648: The staging points of the Dean Street shuffle, with occasional forays into other joints such as The Gargoyle or the Mandrake ;... The Groucho or Blacks". The club then passed to Ian Board's barman Michael Wojas , whom he had employed since 1981. He had the club repainted in a "rather bilious green". It became a cultural magnet for the Young British Artists group (YBAs), including Damien Hirst , Sarah Lucas , Tracey Emin and Joshua Compston , as well as musicians such as Lisa Stansfield . As
928-489: The worst, therefore one of the cheapest, quarters of London..." Three of their five children died while living here, all in infancy. Marx's collaborator Friedrich Engels also lived in an apartment at 28 Dean Street. The French House in Dean Street is a public house that was the unofficial headquarters of Charles de Gaulle and the French resistance during World War II . The street has an association with healthcare. Over
960-558: The years there have been various hospitals on the street including pioneering establishments for prevention and cure of diseases. The Royal Ear Hospital occupied number 10. An early maternity hospital was also located here and the Lock Hospital too was in Dean Street, Lock being a euphemism for venereal disease . Today there are two Sexual Health clinics on Dean Street: 56 Dean Street , and Dean Street Express at number 34, opposite Royalty Mews. Dean Street has in recent years been
992-482: Was another criterion for membership: the hardcore members were first and foremost raging alcoholics." In 2023, the Colony Room was re-birthed as the Colony Room Green in the basement of 4 Heddon Street, just off Regents Street, to significant national press coverage. For the first time the Club was open to the general public. Live jazz is held Wednesday to Saturday and a rotating public art gallery continues
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1024-431: Was said to be of debatable merit. Dickens's artistic contemporary George Cruikshank was also a resident of Dean Street and it was here that he drew the illustration for Dickens's early works. Cruikshank is perhaps best known as a cutting caricaturist with scant regard for his targets. He was once bribed £100 for his pledge not to "caricature His Majesty ( George III ) in any immoral situation." He obliged and instead created
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