127:. She managed to secure a 3pm-to-11pm drinking licence for the Colony Room bar as a private members' club, whereas public houses had to close at 2:30pm. Francis Bacon was a founding member, walking in the day after it opened in 1948. He was "adopted" by Belcher as a "daughter" and allowed free drinks and £10 a week to bring in friends and rich patrons. The club gained notoriety for its décor and clientele; its bilious green walls were as famous as the club itself. In addition to its vile colour, the staircase that led to the establishment was described as foul-smelling and flanked by dustbins. The Room was operated by Belcher between opening and her death in 1979. The
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website says of the Colony Room, "The Colony Room was one of many drinking clubs in Soho. The autocratic and temperamental owner Muriel
Belcher created an ambiance which suited those who thought of themselves as misfits or outsiders."
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lasted for 60 years and is widely credited to the exclusivity resulting from
Belcher's charisma, strong personality and daunting door policy as "a tough, sharp-tongued veteran of the Soho drinking club scene".
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girlfriend, Carmel Stuart. She had a knack for attracting or discovering interesting and colourful people, and the patronage of men like
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Belcher's sexuality attracted a large number of gay men to the club, many of them brought to the club by her
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in Paris in
December 2007 for €13.7 million. Over time, the club was frequented by people such as
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Belcher was the model and muse for a number of paintings, including several single panels and
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Bacon painting sells for 13.7 million euros - ABC News (Australian
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boom in the early 1990s, before eventually closing in 2008, some 29 years after her death.
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After
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Portrait Muriel
Belcher owner manager of Colony Room drinking club also model and...
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The Colony Room: Soho's secret club beloved by
Francis Bacon and Tom Baker
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and Bacon helped to establish the Colony Room's close-knit community.
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Hello Cunty: Sotheby’s
Appropriates The Colony Room – Darren Coffield
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Muir, Robin. "A Maverick Eye". London: Thames & Hudson, 2002.
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Hitchens, Christopher. "Hitch-22", Atlantic (2011), p. 152
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Love Is the Devil: Study for a
Portrait of Francis Bacon
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Belcher had earlier run a club called the Music-box in
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