The Establishment (club)

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The Establishment was a short-lived London nightclub which opened in October 1961, at 18 Greek Street, Soho and was famous in retrospect for satire although actually more notable at the time for jazz and other events. It was founded by Peter Cook and Nicholas Luard, both of whom were also important in the history of the magazine Private Eye.

The venue allowed the opportunity for budding comedians and satirists to perform new material in a nightclub setting. Some who appeared included Lenny Bruce, Barry Humphries (as Edna Everage), and musically, The Dudley Moore Trio.

A second club was established in New York in 1963. However, both folded after only a few years. The Establishment in London closed in 1964.

In March 2008, the club was renamed Zebrano's but after a small group of Peter Cook devotees pressured the management for some recognition of the old clubs importance in Satire, the owners agreed to replace The Establishment in writing above the door. 2008 also sees a campaign underway to get a Blue Plaque put onto the building, Westminster Council permitting.. There is also now a monthly comedy spot called The Disestablishment Club which aims to bring back the live entertainment side of things to the venue.

The Establishment was referenced in the book Stop-Time by author Frank Conroy. The book is a semi-autobiographical account of Conroy's own life, and he mentions getting drunk at The Establishment, and then racing his car home to his apartment outside London while he was living in England with his wife in the 60's. The Establishmnt also featured briefly in the semi-fictional Peter Cook and Dudley Moore biopic, Not Only But Always. A Cardiff-based arts group the Establishment (with a lower case 't') formed in December 2005, admitted taking their name from the 1960s club. Ironically, this group was even more shortlived than its namesake.