The historic House of St Barnabas site in central London is at “serious risk”, the Charity Commission has said, as it investigates concerns months after a new custodian took over the venue.
Explorers Club (Soho) was appointed sole trustee in February of a charity called the House of St Barnabas-In-Soho (SBIS), which owns the site.
It replaced the linked charity the House of St Barnabas, established in 1862, which is in the process of being dissolved due to financial troubles.
Now, SBIS is being investigated by the commission after the regulator received a report alleging that the charity had fallen victim to fraud.
Its central London property, a grade I Georgian building on 1 Greek Street, reportedly had a loan secured against it fraudulently with the creditor now seeking repayment.
The commission confirmed that it received a serious incident report last month from SBIS, which disputed the loan.
It stated that the loan appears not to have been repaid, adding that it now has concerns the Greek Street building, is at “serious risk”.
Police alerted
The Explorers Club (Soho), a firm, entered into a licence in early 2026 with another private company the Explorers Club (London) Limited, the commission stated.
This allowed the Explorers Club (London) Limited to run a private members club at the Greek Street premises and collect fees.
“The licence fee would generate income for the charity and allow it to continue operating,” the commission added.
On the Explorers Club (Soho)’s website, the company states that its computer systems were hacked on 21 October and “evidential records” deleted.
The Explorers Club (Soho) said it reported the matter to the Metropolitan Police that day, with the commission engaging on 26 October.
On 29 October, the commission opened its statutory inquiry to investigate the concerns raised.
Commission to investigate loan
The commission said that it will investigate whether governance arrangements were fit for purpose, including oversight of the licence agreement.
It will also probe the decision-making around financial arrangements including loans, and whether charitable property is at risk.
Stephen Boxall, the Explorer Club (Soho) director, stated on the firm’s website: “Our immediate priority is to protect the charity’s interests.
“We intend to cooperate with necessary safety and preservation measures while obtaining advice on the financing and receivership position.”
When appointed as SBIS trustee, the Explorers Club (Soho) vowed to work with homelessness charities Crisis and Centrepoint as well as the King’s Trust to “honour the house’s charitable legacy”.
The intention was for these organisations to deliver hospitality training, mentoring programmes, workshops and specialist support to homeless beneficiaries, while hosting fundraising events at the property.
