London's Groucho Club branches out to village near Wakefield

The Yorkshire branch would be the first permanent location outside London in the club's 39-year history

One of London's most famous private members' clubs has announced plans to expand to Yorkshire.

The Groucho Club, famed for its A-list celebrity members, will open new premises at Bretton Hall near Wakefield in 2026.

The Grade II listed building, in Yorkshire Sculpture Park, will be the first permanent location outside the capital in the club's 39-year history.

Groucho Bretton will have 40 bedrooms and be open to non-members.

Established on Soho's Dean Street in 1985, The Groucho has boasted famous members including Noel Gallagher, Lord Melvyn Bragg, Rachel Weisz, Lily Allen and Stephen Fry.

The venture has been put together by Groucho owners Artfarm and Yorkshire real estate investor Rushbond Group.

The club has a star-studded membership of artists and musicians, with Noel Gallagher among the regulars

They had an agreement in place with Wakefield Council to develop the site with the support of the sculpture park.

Ewan Venters, chief executive of Artfarm, said: "This is possibly the most exciting venture in the 39-year history of The Groucho.

"We have done pop-ups at literary and music festivals in the past, but this will be the first time we have set up a permanent home outside of Soho.

"Groucho Bretton will have a life of its own, separate from the original Groucho, but equally with a uniquely eclectic style and personality rooted in both people and place."

Formerly an art college for almost 60 years, Bretton Hall had a heritage that attracted the Groucho owners to the site.

Bretton Hall's heritage as an art college for almost 60 years attracted Groucho's owners to the site

"Our plans will be respectful of these traditions while reinventing its appeal by creating modern spaces for members, new and old, locals or visitors, to work, to play, to meet, to take part in events and to help us turn Groucho Bretton into a place where everyone feels at home," Mr Venters added.

Wakefield Council leader Denise Jeffery praised the plans and said the hall would be entering "a dynamic new phase of its history".

She said: "The longstanding reputation of Bretton Hall as an innovative arts institution makes for a perfect setting for Groucho Bretton."

Sculpture Park director Clare Lilley said Groucho Bretton would "conserve and bring back to life" the 18th Century building that had lain empty for 16 years.

The Groucho Club has attracted celebrity members such as Lily Allen, Rachel Weisz and Stephen Fry

Leading the project would be Elli Jafali, who is due to take over as The Groucho's new chief executive in April.

The Groucho was founded by a group of mostly women publishers and had long been popular with musicians, writers, media figures and artists.

Damien Hirst famously put his £20,000 Turner Prize winnings behind the bar in 1992.

The club was also noted for its collection of about 150 works of art, by artists including Francis Bacon, Tracey Emin and Gavin Turk.