Huge London club popular with massive superstars including Lady Gaga and Adele threatened with closure after 45 years

IT is one of the most famous nightclubs in the world, with everyone from Miley Cyrus to Adele and Boy George to Freddie Mercury coming through its doors.

But iconic venue Heaven in central London is now on the brink of closure forever after a security guard working there was charged with raping a woman who had been denied entry.

Earlier this month, Westminster Council suspended the venue’s licence for 28 days as a police probe was launched, following the alleged attack on November 1.

The Met Police has said the nightclub is the biggest crime generator in the borough, with 109 crime reports in the last 16 months, 16 of those being sexual assaults.

But Jeremy Joseph, who has owned and run the club since 2010, has warned Heaven may “not survive” even the 28 day closure because of mounting costs.

Its future is now on a knife edge, meaning it could shut down for good after 45 years.

Heaven, situated in the arches under Charing Cross station, launched in 1979 and is now one of the longest-running gay nightclubs in Europe.

It has been the beating heart of London’s hedonistic nightlife, with an estimated 7,000 punters going there every week.

Cher debuted her smash hit Believe at the venue in 1998 during a star-studded night attended by everyone from Dame Judi Dench and Graham Norton.

It was where Kylie Minogue chose to celebrate the release of her 2018 album Golden – which became her first No1 in eight years – and where Britney Spears marked her 27th birthday.

In the Eighties, Boy George was said to go there “almost every night” and Queen’s Freddie loved it so much that he even wore a vest emblazoned with the venue’s name during a string of performances on the band’s 1986 Magic tour.

However, its future is precarious, with a hearing on its future due to take place next week.

The accused security guard, Morenikeji Adewole, 47, is now on remand in prison and the company he worked for has been sacked and replaced by a new firm.

But a hearing was told that when the female victim attempted to report the attack, other staff allegedly ignored her.

A spokesperson for Westminster council insisted the club’s suspension was “necessary to prevent serious crime and protect the public.”

At a hearing this week, where an appeal on the licence suspension was denied, Mr Joseph vowed to bring in more security guards with a refreshed code of conduct, introduce new body cameras for all security staff and expand the club’s welfare team.

It follows another incident in May where three security guards were sacked after allegedly violently assaulting a man outside the venue who they believed had a knife.

The team at the venue claims to have repeatedly begged the police for support in the area but have been denied, despite ten police officers regularly on patrol in nearby Soho.

London’s former Night Czar Amy Lame has claimed that the temporary closure of the venue represents “institutional homophobia and legally questionable interpretation of licensing regulations.”

Mr Joseph has said he has had to pay the club’s quarterly rent bill of £211,000 despite being closed and has “a responsibility to over 80 staff who we employ, who will be out of work if you close us.”

He added: “Heaven is fighting for its life at the moment.”

It is one of the last major nightclubs in central London, amid mounting costs, decreasing footfall and stricter regulations.

But there are fears that conditions placed on the venue in order for it to reopen could limit it so much that it still results in closure.

Reputation damaged

Many fear council bosses are eager to see Heaven go, as it puts pressure on an already squeezed police force.

It follows a worrying trend in nightlife, with the Night Time Industries Association stating that the UK has lost 37 percent of its nightclubs since March 2020, with the rate of closures accelerating.

Last month, the nearby 1,700-capacity nightclub Tiger Tiger, which was Heaven’s only similarly sized venue in the borough, closed its doors after 26 years.

Even if Heaven does manage to survive the suspension and legal repercussions, its reputation has undoubtedly been damaged by the actions of its security staff.

In fact, away from the glitz and glamour of the performers inside, the venue’s security has become one of the overshadowing characteristics of Heaven in recent years.

On TripAdvisor, it has received 667 “terrible” one-star ratings, compared to just 65 “excellent” five-star reviews – with much of the criticism aimed at the security detail.

In 2019, hit comedian Rosie Jones, who has cerebral palsy, said she was refused entry because staff on the door believed she was drunk, despite explaining her condition.

She later received an apology and was invited back as a guest.

I do feel like I have a duty to the club.

Jeremy Joseph

Over the past 15 years, Lady Gaga, Dua Lipa, The Pussycat Dolls, Little Mix, Rita Ora and Ellie Goulding have sung there and Adele went on a night out at Heaven in 2022 when she ended up pole dancing – years after singing there as an up-and-coming singer-songwriter.

For many acts, it has been the place to go to launch singles and albums, making it a staple for pop fans.

Even One Direction played one of their first shows there, when, during the heyday of The X Factor, all of the eliminated acts would take to the famous stage a week after being voted off.

But Mr Joseph got in trouble in January 2011 when they performed there, when he tweeted calling for straight, female fans to stay away from the G-A-Y club night there.

As well as its hugely popular weekend club nights which often sees the queue stretching for hundreds of metres, it has gained notoriety for its Thursday evening club night, Porn Idol.

It involves members of the public stripping on stage and being judged by drag queens and special guests, with Stormy Daniels and Kerry Katona being among those who have given their verdicts over the years.

It has attracted millions of people into the venue and in 2022, Met Police officers were urged to stop taking part in the contest, where punters could win a cash prize.

LGBT+ history

An email sent to a West End policing unit by an officer said: “It makes it awkward for the staff at the location to then have to deal with you when you are next on shift attending the venue to carry out official duties.”

In recent years, Heaven has hosted world famous drag queens and helped boost the popularity of so many that RuPaul launched a UK version of Drag Race on the BBC.

It has a poignant significance in LGBT+ history, as Terrence Higgins worked there as a DJ before he became one of the first people to die of an AIDS-related illness in the UK in 1982 – going on to help thousands when the Terrence Higgins Trust was launched in his memory.

Writer Russell T Davies said it was a “no-brainer” to include Heaven in his influential Channel 4 gay drama It’s A Sin.

He said: “How could I not? This is gay London in the Eighties. Heaven was compulsory.”

Richard Branson bought Heaven for £500,000 in 1982 and it went on to become a huge part of the rave scene in the 1990s.

Mr Joseph acquired the venue from him and has helped cement its legacy in British nightlife.

In 2021 he said: “I do feel like I have a duty to the club.

“It’s been a real struggle to survive in this pandemic because the overheads are just astronomical. There are moments where I might feel like I want to walk out, but obviously I can’t.

“Heaven isn’t just a venue, it’s a piece of LGBT history, which is why it’s so important to fight for its survival.”