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, however both folded after only a few years.
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.
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