One of London’s most exclusive private members’ clubs and celebrity haunts was dramatically evacuated in the early hours after a major fire tore through its rooftop bar.

Kensington Roof Gardens, the legendary High Street Kensington hotspot famed for royalty, rock stars and red-carpet parties, was hit by the blaze just two years after a multi-million-pound refurbishment.

Eighty firefighters in 12 fire engines raced to the scene and battled the flames for more than two-and-a-half hours, after the alarm was raised at 12.57am on Monday.

The fire was finally brought under control by 3.36am.  

Despite the terrifying scenes — with the sky glowing bright orange and thick black smoke billowing over west London — the London Fire Brigade confirmed there were no injuries.

This morning, fire engines remained parked along High Street Kensington, hoses still attached to hydrants and stretched across pavements as crews secured the building and carried out final checks.

Derry Street was cordoned off as the emergency operation continued.

An LFB spokesperson said: “Twelve fire engines and around 80 firefighters tackled a fire at a commercial building on Kensington High Street in Kensington.

“Part of the rooftop bar area of the nine-storey building was alight. One of the Brigade’s 32-metre turntable ladders was used at the scene as an observation tower to provide the Incident Commander with an aerial view of the fire.

“The first call was received at 00.57 and Control Officers mobilised crews from Kensington, Hammersmith, Chelsea and surrounding fire stations to the scene.

The fire was under control by 03.36.”

For decades, Kensington Roof Gardens has been the place to be seen — a glittering venue that drew celebrities and high society alike.

It has welcomed Princess Diana, King Charles, and the Princess of Wales, alongside a who’s who of global stardom.

The Grade II-listed venue became famous for lavish charity galas and showbiz bashes, loved by names including Madonna, Kate Moss, Freddie Mercury, Mick Jagger, David Beckham and Idris Elba.

Perched above the city, the venue’s spectacular rooftop space — first completed in 1938 — was inspired by Spain’s Alhambra and once featured a pond with flamingos and ducks, mature trees, and even a running stream.

But that era ended when the 65,000 sq ft site was sold by Sir Richard Branson in 2021. It is now owned by Stephen Fitzpatrick, founder of OVO Energy, who reopened it as a private members’ club. Current accounts show that the club has recently posted losses of £26m.

An investigation is now underway to determine what sparked the blaze at one of London’s most famous — and most exclusive — rooftop venues.

Many messages of support were posted to The Roof Gardens’ Instagram account, including a kind note from Bridget Jones author Helen Fielding, who wrote: ‘Oh no. It’s such a lovely space and club. Get well soon. Maybe there should be a club repainting session?’

A Kensington and Chelsea Council spokesperson said: ‘We would like to thank the London Fire Brigade for their swift response to a fire at a rooftop venue off Kensington High Street in the early hours of Monday morning. We are very grateful that no one was injured and the fire has now been extinguished, and Council specialists will be supporting ongoing safety checks on the building. There may be some disruption in the area this morning while the emergency services complete their work’.

An official statement from The Roof Gardens has been posted on its website…

 

 

The Roof Gardens – Latest Statement

Around 6pm today, The Roof Gardens announced that the club is fit to re-open. Great news…