VENTNOR Arts Club doesn’t shout too loudly about itself — and that restraint is part of its character and allure.
On Ventnor High Street, the former NatWest bank that plays home to the club, looks almost anonymous among the shops — its low-key, carved stone logo giving little away.
It does not announce itself as a cultural hub — but it hints.
Even in the evenings, with its softly-lit frontage, the club remains tantalisingly below the radar.
Step inside on a weeknight, however, and the atmosphere is a long way from the building’s financial past.
Glasses clink at the bar, low conversation hums through the room, and a small audience settles into deep leather seats, ready to watch anything from independent cinema and streamed Royal Ballet performances, to live musical or even comedy performances, without the inconvenience or expense of crossing The Solent.
The building itself, developed for a substantial six-figure sum, sets the tone.
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Managed by Wendy Barton, with a dedicated team behind her, Ventnor Arts Club occupies a 1920s bank — carefully reworked into an intimate, Art Deco-influenced lounge and screening room.
The result feels closer to a private living room, or 'gentleman's club', than a conventional public venue.
Its branding is deliberately low key.
Inside, warm lighting replaces institutional brightness, with the design playing gently on the contrast between the building’s establishment past, and its life as a contemporary arts space.
The club is owned and directed by Bonchurch resident and brand strategist, Stephen Izatt.
Stephen did the conversion in 2012.
"I was out buying some bread and saw a 'for sale' sign on the former bank," he said.
"I felt it had potential, position and would be easy to get to by private and public transport."
He also saw something familiar in the building’s proportions.
"The institutional look of the building is like a scaled down version of some of the London clubs around Pall Mall," he adds.
From the beginning, Stephen’s ambition went beyond simply opening another venue.
"I wanted to create a place where people of like-mind could meet, work and socialise — particularly in the evenings — enjoying music, film, talks and live broadcasts people would otherwise find difficult to access."
His career running London-based agency Thinkfarm, which has worked with major cultural brands, such as The O2 and Scala Radio, shaped his understanding of how "environment influences experience".
Film quickly became central to the club’s identity.
A high definition projector and surround sound system are used regularly for screenings and special events, hosted by Ventnor Film Society. The society focuses on world cinema and films unlikely to reach multiplexes.
Alongside film are satellite broadcasts, that connect Ventnor directly to some of the world’s biggest stages, including productions from the National Theatre, Royal Opera House, Royal Ballet and New York’s Metropolitan Opera.
"Watching it in our room, with a glass of good wine (in real glasses), amongst friends, is just a lovely experience," Stephen said.
Audiences that were once hesitant, have become regulars, with many screenings now selling out.
The venue is also used for one-off events as part of Ventnor Fringe.
Community groups, such as a bridge club, use the space too — reinforcing Stephen’s insistence the club should not feel exclusive.
"One of the things I was clear about was we needed to create a safe place, where people feel they can come alone and meet others if they wish," Stephen explains.
Ventnor Arts Club also has reciprocal arrangements with some other clubs — The Union and The Snail Club in London's Soho, and in Dublin and Glasgow — which allows its members to visit those clubs when they travel to these cities and vice versa.
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