The Century Club, London
The Century Club site visit date 13th April 2022
A door in a wall with a brass plaque and a buzzer. 61-63 Shaftsbury Avenue. Very discreet, behind which lies a private members club, opened in 2001, named after the 100 stairs within the club (but with lifts from the ground floor to where ever you want to go within the club), is The Century Club.
The club was originally built as the flagship Ford motor car showroom with the expansive spaces above used to design and build sets for nearby theatres and as recording studios and it still has that feel to it.
Ever Changing Art
Artwork, some not for the shy (but which can be removed to honour the more feint hearted … rush, rush, rush before it’s changed, to try and identify the prime ministers and presidents currently depicted in naked glory in an image in the Cocktail Lounge, which may not be there for long) almost gallery-like, covers a lot of the wall space in the public areas starting from the moment you walk through the entrance where you’ll find cloakrooms and stairs (and lifts) up to the reception desk.
For information on the current artists on display click here.
The Rooftop Terrace
The largest rooftop terrace in Soho, max x 200, x 150/160 undercover.
Up another short flight of stairs and you’ll find the members lounge to the left and, to the right the Cocktail Bar (available for private hire), up a further flight of stairs to the Green Room, and up to the very top you find the Rooftop. What a treat!
Let’s start at the top!
The Rooftop Terrace
The Century Club has the largest open top private hire spare in Soho with a maximum capacity of 200 guests, x 150/160 under cover.
Just to the left of the entrance to the Rooftop Terrace is a staircase giving access to the members smoking area but any private event on the rooftop is exactly that, private and not dependant on the weather.
A retractable roof allows for the British Summer not to put paid to any event, with our unimaginable, ever changeable weather, whilst there are also awnings that can be pulled over the empty clear skies to provide cover and shade too.
The Rooftop Terrace comes complete with fairy lights, foliage, a bar, a DJ booth, amazing views, an outside terrace, a glitter ball, and an amazing catering offerings from vegan to vegetarian, to everything to satisfy pescatarians to the carnal meat eaters.
The outer terrace offers views over London and the ability to offer a smoking area to your group, it can accommodate a maximum of x 80 standing when fully opened. (There is a doorway about half way down the back wall that leads up/down to the Green Room and is offered to events in that function space. In that case screening will be placed to hide the smaller half of this outdoor space reducing the terrace to x 50 maximum standing for events in the Rooftop Terrace.)
Entertainment-wise you can have a DJ, live band, or link your Spotify account to the PA System. The music feed to the outside terrace needs to be switched off at 9.30/10pm but can continue in the Rooftop Terrace space.
The Green Room
(Maximum 100 for dinner, lunch or theatre style, 50 boardroom style)
The Green Room
For a more formal dinner or meeting the Century Club has their Green Room, one floor down.
This room has natural daylight, its own bar within the walk way/corridor to the main function space. It has a private stair case up to the outside terrace (offering space for approximately 20/30, 1/3 of the whole space when the Rooftop Terrace is in use), and access to four smaller meeting rooms.
The Compton (10 boardroom), the Shaftesbury (16 boardroom), the Broadwick (10 boardroom) and the Wardour (22 boardroom) all have natural daylight. They are only accessible via the Green Room, and each comes with its own TV, fridge and, of course, WiFi.
The Green Room itself can accommodate 100 for lunch, dinner, or theatre style, 50 boardroom style and can be used in conjunction with the Cocktail Lounge for refreshments, registration, lunch, etc.
The Cocktail Lounge
The Cocktail Lounge, with its own piano and bar, can seat 40 theatre style, for dining or boardroom style, x 80 for a standing reception or pre-dinner drinks (combined with the Green Room for dinner) and has natural daylight.
In all the main areas, the Rooftop Terrace, the Green Room and the Cocktail Lounge there are lovely views over Shaftesbury Avenue to the front and St Anne’s Church courtyard to the rear.
I’ve visited the Century Club twice in two weeks and felt at home straight away.
What a lovely place to hold a meeting, grab something to eat or sip on a cocktail or two with a piano being played in the background.
For more information or to check availability, contact us.
