Sheffield’s Private Members’ Clubs: Mulberry, Sheffield Club, Dore and Nether Edge; Who Can Join and What Does It Cost?

Sheffield has a surprisingly varied collection of private members’ clubs, ranging from an exclusive new city-centre establishment charging £1,500 a year to traditional social clubs where membership revolves around a quiet drink, snooker and familiar company.

The arrival of the Mulberry Club on George Street in summer 2026 has brought renewed attention to an institution more commonly associated with London: the private members’ club.

But Sheffield already has a long history of private clubs. The Sheffield Club traces its origins to 1843, while smaller establishments in Dore and Nether Edge continue to offer more traditional forms of membership.

The differences are considerable. Some clubs are designed around fine dining, business connections and hospitality. Others focus on community, recreation and regular social gatherings. Membership fees, eligibility and facilities vary accordingly.

What are private members’ clubs?

A private members’ club is an establishment or association in which access to some or all facilities is reserved for members and their permitted guests.

Unlike an ordinary pub or restaurant, joining may require an application, approval by a committee, nomination by an existing member or payment of a subscription.

The term covers a broad range of establishments, including social clubs, working men’s clubs, sports associations and exclusive dining clubs.

Sheffield has considerably more of these than might initially be expected.

The Sheffield and District branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) identifies 109 private members’ clubs across its area under its definition, although this includes sports and recreational clubs rather than exclusively social establishments.

Four clubs illustrate the considerable differences within that tradition.

The Mulberry Club: Sheffield’s newest luxury members’ house

35 George Street, Sheffield, S1 2PF

The Mulberry Club is Sheffield’s most recent addition to the private members’ club scene.

Established in 2026 by Oliver Keane, the club occupies a restored Grade II-listed former bank in the city centre’s Arts Quarter.

The building has been converted into an extensive members’ house with several distinct spaces for dining, entertainment, private meetings and socialising.

Its main restaurant, the Gallery, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. There is also Peacock’s Bar, a more intimate dining and conversation space known as the Snug, a full-size snooker room and a dedicated Louis Roederer Champagne Lounge within one of the building’s former bank vaults.

The Upper House occupies the second floor and includes a substantial dining kitchen, private entertaining space and four double bedrooms available to members and their guests.

Mulberry is designed around a particular kind of social environment. Members are encouraged to put their phones away, photography is prohibited and conversation takes priority over entertainment and publicity.

The club also offers private dining, meetings and events, with food and drink available throughout the day.

Its published membership prices are substantial by Sheffield standards:

Individual membership, aged 35 and over: £1,500 annually
Associate membership, under 35: £1,200 annually
Household membership: £2,500 annually for two people at the same address
Corporate membership: Price on application

Monthly payment options are available.

The club operates an application process rather than automatic enrolment. Applicants are asked about their interests, professional background, other club memberships and what they hope to contribute to the establishment.

Mulberry says it places greater importance on applicants’ interests, curiosity and character than their occupation or status.

The establishment received considerable local attention before opening.

In July, The Sheffield Tribune interviewed Keane about the project and its ambitions. He argued that Sheffield had room for a private members’ establishment offering the kind of experience more commonly found in larger cities.

For people seeking a contemporary, fully equipped private members’ club with dining, hospitality and opportunities to meet other members, Mulberry appears to offer the most comprehensive range of facilities among the four establishments examined here.

The Sheffield Club: A private institution dating back to 1843

Tapton Hall, Shore Lane, Sheffield, S10 3BU

The Sheffield Club is considerably older than Mulberry.

Originally established in 1843, it belongs to the tradition of gentlemen’s clubs that developed during the nineteenth century among professional men, merchants and other members of urban society.

The club’s historical account recalls seven men agreeing to establish a larger institution after an earlier group had met informally for lunch and conversation.

Its activities remain recognisably traditional.

The club currently describes itself as based at Tapton Hall in Fulwood, where members have access to private bar and dining facilities.

Members meet for lunch on Fridays, alongside special events and social occasions throughout the year.

Traditional celebrations include St George’s Day, Trafalgar Day and New Year lunches.

The club also organises gatherings for younger professionals, business members and their guests.

One of its most distinctive benefits is its network of reciprocal clubs.

These arrangements allow Sheffield Club members to request introductions to participating private clubs elsewhere in Britain, subject to the receiving establishment’s conditions.

The list published by the club includes the Royal Scots Club in Edinburgh, the City University Club in London, the Nottingham Club and the Northern Counties Club in Newcastle.

Such arrangements can be particularly useful for members travelling for work or leisure who want access to established club facilities outside Sheffield.

Membership is also remarkably inexpensive compared with Mulberry.

The club’s published membership page lists:

Full annual membership: £50
Retired members and those over 60: £25 annually
One-off entrance fee: £55

These are the figures published on its website; prospective members should confirm them before applying, as the membership page contains older information concerning its search for premises.

Applications require support from existing members. The club accepts both men and women.

Despite its nineteenth-century origins, the Sheffield Club continues to position itself as a meeting place for both established members and working professionals.

For someone more interested in organised lunches, traditional social occasions and reciprocal club access than daily restaurant and lounge facilities, it offers a very different proposition from Mulberry.

Dore Club: An old-fashioned gentlemen’s social club

Townhead Road, Dore, Sheffield, S17 3GA

The Dore Club is another example of Sheffield’s private club tradition, although it is much closer in character to a traditional village social club than to Mulberry.

Situated in former farm buildings on Townhead Road, the establishment has a large bar, separate lounge, snooker table and parking facilities.

Its regular activities include quizzes, snooker competitions and a golf society.

The club also organises larger occasions, including a classic car show, Dore Gala Open Day, Bonfire Night celebrations and an annual dinner dance.

The bar opens every evening, with a range of beers, cask ales, whiskies and gins.

The club’s own description emphasises a quiet and peaceful environment where members can enjoy conversation and familiar company.

Its membership rules are unusually traditional.

According to the rules published on its website, membership is restricted to gentlemen aged 18 and over.

The rules also limit the club to 200 ordinary and life members.

Prospective members must be proposed and seconded by existing members who know them personally. Applications are considered by the management committee, with candidate details displayed on the club noticeboard for 14 days before consideration.

The published rules allow members to introduce up to two visitors per day, subject to restrictions on repeat visits.

Women and other non-members can attend certain public events and may attend as guests where permitted, but the club’s membership rules themselves remain expressly male-only. CAMRA’s April 2026 venue survey also describes Dore Club as a men-only private members’ club.

Membership prices are not published on the club’s main public pages. Its rules leave entrance fees and annual subscriptions to the management committee.

The club’s emphasis is largely recreational and social. Its premises, activities and membership structure reflect the older tradition of neighbourhood and village clubs, rather than the business-oriented or hospitality-led approach found elsewhere.

For someone seeking a regular local meeting place, particularly for drinks, snooker or established social activities, Dore Club represents a more conventional club experience.

Nether Edge Club: A community-focused members’ club

2 Moncrieffe Road, Nether Edge, Sheffield, S7 1HR

Nether Edge Club occupies another part of Sheffield’s traditional private club landscape.

Located on Moncrieffe Road, it operates as a members’ social club with bar facilities, games and rooms available for private functions.

Unlike the city’s more exclusive hospitality establishments, Nether Edge Club also serves as a venue for local organisations and community activities.

The Nether Edge Women’s Institute, for example, holds its regular meetings at the club.

The venue has also hosted readings, community gatherings and other local events.

During September’s Nether Edge Festival, the club hosted a literary event featuring author Angela Lamont, demonstrating its continued use as a neighbourhood meeting space.

Local venue listings describe snooker and pool facilities, games and an outdoor area.

CAMRA’s listing says new members are welcome and that function rooms are available for hire by the public.

The club is generally listed as opening on Friday evenings, Saturday afternoons and evenings, and Sunday afternoons, although prospective visitors should check directly before attending.

Its current membership subscription and joining requirements could not be independently established from publicly available information.

The published contact details are 0114 255 0675 and enquiries@netheredgeclub.co.uk.

Nether Edge Club is distinct from Nether Edge Bowling Club, which operates separately on Nether Edge Road.

Although Nether Edge Club belongs to an older tradition of social clubs, the available information does not establish that it is exclusively or predominantly aimed at older members.

Its community activities and venue-hire arrangements suggest a broader role in neighbourhood life.

How much does membership cost at Sheffield’s private clubs?

The difference in published subscriptions is considerable.

Club	Published annual membership	Application
Mulberry Club	£1,200 under 35; £1,500 aged 35+	Individual application and approval
Sheffield Club	£50 standard; £25 retired or over 60	Support from existing members
Dore Club	Not publicly specified	Two existing members must nominate applicant
Nether Edge Club	Not publicly confirmed	Enquire directly

The Sheffield Club also publishes a £55 one-off entrance fee. Mulberry offers household membership for £2,500 annually.

All figures reflect publicly available information in October 2026 and may change.

Membership fees alone do not make a direct comparison possible. The clubs offer different facilities, opening arrangements and forms of access.

A member using Mulberry regularly for breakfast, dining, meetings and entertaining would be purchasing a substantially different service from someone attending an occasional Sheffield Club lunch.

Similarly, membership of Dore or Nether Edge may primarily provide access to an established social environment rather than a collection of hospitality services.

Which is the best private members’ club in Sheffield?

There is no objective answer, although Mulberry offers the broadest advertised range of dedicated hospitality facilities among the four.

Its combination of dining, bars, private rooms, overnight accommodation and entertainment is particularly unusual in Sheffield.

It is also the most expensive of the establishments whose fees are publicly available.

The Sheffield Club arguably has the strongest historical identity and a distinctive benefit in its reciprocal relationships with clubs around Britain. Its published subscription is also far lower.

Dore Club is a more traditional social institution, centred on local membership and recreation, with formal nomination requirements and male-only membership rules.

Nether Edge Club provides a comparatively community-oriented setting, with local groups, social activities and rooms for events.

The decision therefore depends heavily on what someone wants from membership.

A business owner looking for somewhere to entertain clients may find Mulberry’s facilities attractive. Someone interested in traditional lunches and meeting other professionals might prefer the Sheffield Club. A person seeking a quiet, familiar neighbourhood bar may be better suited to one of the older social clubs.

Does Sheffield have a future for exclusive private members’ clubs?

The opening of Mulberry raises an interesting question about Sheffield’s changing hospitality market.

The city’s private-club tradition is well established. What remains less tested is the market for a large, dedicated members’ house charging four-figure annual subscriptions.

Mulberry’s model relies on attracting people who consider its setting, facilities and social opportunities valuable enough to pay a substantial recurring fee.

Its founder has expressed confidence that Sheffield can support such an establishment, but the club’s long-term commercial performance remains to be seen.

The Sheffield Club, meanwhile, has demonstrated that a private association can continue for generations with a comparatively modest subscription and an emphasis on organised gatherings.

Dore and Nether Edge illustrate another model, in which membership is closely connected with local social life and established community relationships.

These different approaches reflect the breadth of private membership itself.

In a city more commonly associated with independent pubs, working men’s clubs and an informal social culture, Sheffield now has examples ranging from exclusive fine dining to traditional neighbourhood recreation.

The growing visibility of the Mulberry Club may attract new interest in membership, but Sheffield’s older institutions demonstrate that the private members’ club is hardly a new arrival.