Now any punter can get their own table at Annabel’s
Nightclub frequented by supermodels, rock stars and royalty is auctioning off its fixtures and fittings
FOR decades, Annabel’s was one of London’s most exclusive nightclubs, frequented by the rich, famous and well-connected.
Now, anyone could get a table. But patrons concerned that standards have dropped need not worry – the late-night haunt is simply putting its original fixtures and fittings up for sale at Christie’s.
A table with eight chairs and place settings – including plates, cutlery, wine glasses, napkins and a toast rack – is priced at £1,000 to £1,500.
Also among the 250 auction lots is the red velvet corner sofa, famously favoured by Nineties supermodels Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss. It is expected to be sold for between £2,000 and £4,000.
It is not only furniture used by stars such as The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and Leonardo Dicaprio that bidders can get their hands on, but the bathroom doors and urinals.
Because of its secretive nature, the club, founded in 1963, was a favourite of the Royal family. It is rumoured to be the only nightclub ever visited by The Queen, and was also where Sarah Ferguson, then the future Duchess of York, and Diana, Princess of Wales, gatecrashed Prince Andrew’s stag night disguised as policewomen.
But even members of the public not planning to bid at the auction will be allowed a rare glimpse during the preview Nov 16-20, which will take place in the original basement site at 44 Berkeley Square.
The basement officially closed its doors in February, before the club reopened two doors down, filling four opulent storeys, with members greeted by a £50m Picasso.
Richard Caring, the businessman who bought Annabel’s in 2007, said he thought the founder, Mark Birley, would be “extremely upset” about him flogging off the interiors of the private club.
“He would probably scream at me the way he screamed at me the first time I met him,” he told the Financial Times. “But I think after a short period of time, and his experience of what we’ve done with the name – I still see it as Mark Birley’s legacy. I hope we’ll continue it for another 50 years – I think he’d be proud.”
Orlando Rock, Christie’s UK chairman, said: “Everyone has a story to tell about Annabel’s, the iconic and visionary London nightclub founded by Mark Birley over half a century ago. Emerging from the ashes of London’s post-war gloom, Annabel’s became synonymous with glamorous sophistication, epitomising the heady cocktail where old and new worlds collided.”
The auction takes place on Nov 20.