51°30′53″N 0°7′29″W / 51.51472°N 0.12472°W The Hospital Club, later renamed the H Club, was a members' club for people in the creative industries in London, England. It housed a television studio (h Studio), recording studio, screening room, live performance space, restaurant, lounges and gallery over seven floors.
The club was located at 24 Endell Street, Covent Garden, on the site of an 18th-century hospital. It was founded in 2004 by the Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and the musician Dave Stewart of Eurythmics.
In 2017, the Hospital Club opened a second location in the former Redbury Hotel in Hollywood, California.[1] In 2020, both clubs closed permanently due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and other "extenuating circumstances".
History
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The Hospital Club was founded in 2004 by the Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, through his investment company Vulcan Inc., and the musician Dave Stewart of Eurythmics.[2]
For many years the building was home to St Paul's Hospital, first established in 1749.
- 1749 — British Lying-In Hospital opened at 24 Endell Street[3]
- 1913 — British Lying-In Hospital closed[3]
- 1923 — St Paul's Hospital moves from Red Lion Square to 24 Endell Street[4]
- 1992 — St Paul's Hospital closed[4]
- 1996 — Building purchased by Paul Allen, planning submitted. Local objections to development mean the project stalls for a number of years while a compromise with residents is worked out[2]
- 2004 — Private members' club, restaurant and recording studio open[5]
- 2017 — the Hospital Club opens a second location in the former Redbury Hotel in Hollywood, California.[1]
- 2020 — The club closed permanently due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and other "extenuating circumstances".[6]
- 2021 — The contents of the London club were sold at auction on 15 September.[7]
Food hygiene ratings
editIn 2014, the club received a zero rating for food hygiene after an inspection found mice feces in kitchens, prompting worries of cross-contamination.[8] In 2015, the Hospital Club received a five-star rating by the Foods Standard Agency.[9]
Television studio (h Studio)
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The venue's 2,700 square feet (250 m2)[10] television studio is located two floors below ground level, and when it opened in 2003 was the first high-definition television studio in the UK. A grid height of 4.4 metres (14 ft) and a size of 61 feet x 44 feet, roughly equivalent to that of Television Centre's TC2, means it was well used for programme production.[11]
The studio can accommodate an audience of approximately 250 people sitting or standing.[12] The sound production room was upgraded in conjunction with Solid State Logic.[13] In summer 2023 it was announced that the studio would be re-opening [14] after an extensive refit. Celebro Studios have taken over the running of the studio site and are to install a second smaller podcasting and streaming studio on the site.[15]
In media
editThe Hospital Club was used by the rock band Radiohead to record parts of their 2007 album In Rainbows and the 2008 live video In Rainbows – From the Basement.[16][17]
References
edit- ^ a b Beebe, Lisa (12 July 2017). "Here's a First Look at h.Club LA, the Private Social Club Coming to Hollywood and Vine Los Angeles Magazine". Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
- ^ a b Naylor, Tony (28 February 2015). "The Hospital Club, Covent Garden, London: hotel review". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
- ^ a b "British Lying-In Hospital". Lost Hospitals of London. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
- ^ a b "St Paul's Hospital, Endell Street". Lost Hospitals of London. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
- ^ "Meet Sue Walter at The Hospital Club". 26 September 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
- ^ "h Club London to close permanently". The Stage. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
- ^ "h Wyles Hardy Auction". 15 September 2021.
- ^ "Celebrity club gets zero ratings from hygiene inspectors". The Times, 16 September 2014, p. 22.
- ^ The Hospital Group. Food Standards Agency, 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
- ^ "TV & Music Studios". thehospitalclub. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
- ^ "The Hospital Club Studio". tv studio history. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
- ^ "The Studio @ The Hospital Club". Hire Space. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
- ^ "The Hospital Club Moves to SSL System T". Solid State Logic. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
- ^ "The Hospital Club to reopen". tv studio history. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ "Celebro Studios take over lease at Hclub". Celebro Studios. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ Paytress, Mark (1 January 2008). "Chasing Rainbows". Mojo.
- ^ "Radiohead to Stream 2008 Live 'In Rainbows' Film". SPIN. 4 June 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
External links
edit- Studio Website - Celebro @hclub [1]
Media related to The Hospital Club at Wikimedia Commons