The Hurlingham Club counts Kate Middleton among its members but guests won’t even know who the fashion brand is until nearer the time
The Hurlingham Club in South Fulham spans 42 acres of landscaped grounds by the River Thames(Image: Julian Finney/Getty Images)
An exclusive West London private members’ club has been given the go-ahead to host a 1,500-person one-off event for a confidential “high-end fashion brand”.
The Hurlingham Club in South Fulham has kept the identity of the company under wraps, with the event invite-only and attendees not to know the location until nearer the time.
The club, which reportedly counts Kate Middleton as a member, had to apply to Hammersmith and Fulham Council for a bespoke timed premises for the event, due in part to the planned capacity. Councillors green-lit the application at a Licensing Sub-Committee on Tuesday night (February 24). The Hurlingham Club was approached for comment.
The Hurlingham Club is a well-known private institution set across 42 acres of landscaped grounds by the River Thames.
Princess Kate is reportedly a member of The Hurlingham Club(Image: JAIMI JOY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
According to paperwork supporting a planning application earlier this year, it is recognised as “one of the world’s finest private member clubs” and since opening in 1869 has offered croquet and tennis lawns, botanical gardens and has a stately Georgian Clubhouse for members. It is considered the birthplace of polo.
The club’s original proposal requested permission to host an event on June 16/17 from 4pm until 1.30am. Two objections were submitted, with the additional noise and activity on a Tuesday evening the key points of concern.
One of the objectors, representing a nearby residential block, wrote: “Surely this level of disruption should not be encouraged.”
In a letter subsequently filed by legal firm Keystone Law on behalf of The Hurlingham Club it was written the proposal had been amended so licensable activities would end by 11pm, with the premises to close half an hour later.
The submission added that the event is to be on behalf of a “high-end fashion brand”, and that “as the invitees will not know the location of the event until nearer the time, the name of the host company is being kept confidential”.
An estimated 80 per cent of the guests are to arrive by boat, with the remaining to do so via car, reducing the build-up of vehicles ahead of the event starting.
The impacts of the noise from the event are also to be monitored, and any actions taken to tackle issues that arise will be recorded.
Responding to the objectors’ case that the club is looking to profit from the event, the letter stated: “As is generally the case, this application has been made with a view to profit. Whilst the applicant is in a privileged position of having healthy membership numbers, the large clubhouse and substantial grounds are very expensive to maintain and the hosting of events is essential in ensuring its survival. This need to generate funds is always balanced by the applicant’s primary objective of being a ‘good neighbour’. It does not want to damage the relationship it has built with local residents over decades for a quick financial gain.”
Neither of the two objectors attended Tuesday night’s Licensing Sub-Committee meeting, at which councillors opted to approve the submission.
Members queried the scale of the planned event and any potential disturbance it may cause. While unable to reveal the fashion brand behind the evening, Niall McCann, from Keystone Law, told the sub-committee: “It is a long-standing, mature brand. It’s not a new sort of start-up…hip, TikTok-style brand.”
He separately said the client has hired a West End venue for attendees to head to later in the evening, who it is anticipated will leave in a staggered manner via chauffeur and taxi.
Piers Wilson, Chief Finance Officer at The Hurlingham Club, also revealed the expectation is that 1,200 people will attend over the evening. The application was granted in full.
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