You might still wake up with a fuzzy head after a night out at the private members’ club of The House of St Barnabas, but at least your conscience will be a bit clearer knowing you have made a contribution to the not-for-profit’s work helping the homeless of London get back into employment. It also happens to be one of the coolest venues in London if food, drink, art, design and music are your thing. Which of course they are…
The charity has been doing good work at its headquarters on the corner of Greek Street and Soho Square since 1846, but the building dates back to the 1740s and boasts one of the most impressive period interiors still in existence. Irish architect and designer Grainne Weber has helped create the gorgeous Georgian look at the club, and if the place wasn’t already visually stunning enough, The Collective, curated by Katie Heller of Patch London, will be showcasing a revolving roster of work by art superstars – think Emin, Deller, Rankin etc. Music lovers are well looked-after here too; living legend Andrew Weatherall has chosen St Barnabas as his only London residency, and there is a more intimate gig space in the chapel – Beth Orton popped in recently. Add into the mix one of the finest private gardens in Soho, and you have one incredible arrangement. It’ll cost you £600 a year to be a part of it, and they won’t let any old riff-raff onto the books, but both the cause and the venue is worth every penny and more.
