List of members' clubs in London
Appearance
(Redirected from List of London's Gentleman's clubs)
This is an incomplete list of private members' clubs with physical premises in London, United Kingdom, including those that no longer exist or have merged, with an additional section on those that appear in fiction. Historically most of these clubs were gentlemen's clubs with membership restricted to men. More recently,[when?] a number of women-only clubs have been formed.
Extant clubs
[edit]Name | Est. | Location | Located Since | Affiliation | Admission of women |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
67 Pall Mall | 2015 | 67 Pall Mall | 2015 | Wine and food | Since beginning |
AllBright[1][2][3] | 2018 | 24–26 Maddox Street, Mayfair | 2019 | Business | No male members[4][5] |
Alpine Club | 1857 | 55–56 Charlotte Road, Shoreditch | 1991 | Mountaineering | Since 1975 |
Annabel's | 1963 | 46 Berkeley Square | 2018 | Social | Admitted |
Army and Navy Club | 1837 | 36–39 Pall Mall | 1963 | Army and Navy officers | Since 1995 |
Arts Club | 1863 | 40 Dover Street | 1896 | The arts, literature, science | Since 1946 |
The Athenaeum | 1824 | 107 Pall Mall | 1830 | The sciences, law, medicine, arts, literature, and the Church | Since 2002 |
Authors' Club | 1891 | 1 Whitehall Place, sharing the premises of the National Liberal Club | 2014 | Literature | Since 1971 |
Bath & Racquets Club | 1989 | 49 Brook's Mews, W1K 4EB | 1989 | Sports | No women members |
Beefsteak Club | 1876 | 9 Irving Street, near Leicester Square | 1876 | Aristocratic; Social; Tory | No women members |
Boodle's | 1762 | 28 St James's Street | 1782 | Aristocratic; Tory | No women members |
The Bridge | 2012 | 73–81 Southwark Bridge Road | 2012 | Sport | No male members |
Brooks's | 1764 | 60 St James's Street | 1778 | Aristocratic; Whig | No women members |
Buck's Club | 1919 | 18 Clifford Street, Mayfair | 1919 | Social | No women members |
Caledonian Club | 1891 | 9 Halkin Street, Belgravia | 1946 | Scottish | Since 2011 |
Canning Club (formerly the Argentine Club) | 1911 (renamed 1948) | 4 St James's Square, sharing the premises of the Naval and Military Club | 1999 | Social; Latin America, Spain, Portugal | Admitted |
Carlton Club | 1832 | 69 St James's Street | 1943 | Political; Tory, latterly Conservative | Since 2008 |
Cavalry and Guards Club (the merged Cavalry Club and Guards Club) | 1810 (Guards' Club); 1890 (Cavalry Club); 1976 (merged club) | 127 Piccadilly | 1908 | Cavalry and Guards, latterly officers of other British Army regiments | No women members |
Chelsea Arts Club | 1891 | 143 Old Church Street, Chelsea | 1990 | The arts | Since 1976 |
City Livery Club | 1914 | Bell Wharf Lane, Upper Thames Street, sharing the premises of the Little Ship Club | 2023 | The City | Admitted |
City of London Club | 1832 | 19 Old Broad Street, London | 1834 | City professions | Since 2011 |
City University Club | 1895 | 42 Crutched Friars | 2018 | The City, Oxbridge graduates | Since 1994 |
Civil Service Club | 1953 | 13-15 Great Scotland Yard | 1953 | Civil Service and Diplomatic Service | Since beginning |
East India Club (in full: The East India, Devonshire, Sports and Public Schools' Club) | 1849 | 16 St James's Square | 1866 | Originally for East India Company, since 1972 merger with the Public Schools' Club primarily aligned with public schools | No women members but female members of reciprocal clubs have full use the club[6] |
Eccentric Club | 2008 | Currently seeking new premises | Social; eccentricity and philanthropy | Since 1984 (former club) | |
English-Speaking Union | 1918 | Dartmouth House, 37 Charles Street | 1926 | Philanthropy | Admitted |
Farmers Club | 1842 | 3 Whitehall Court | 1942 | Agriculture and landowning | Since beginning |
Flyfishers' Club | 1884 | 69 Brook Street, sharing the premises of the Savile Club | 1995 | Flyfishing | Since 2024 |
Garrick Club | 1831 | 15 Garrick Street, Covent Garden | 1864 | The arts and theatre | Since 2024 |
George | 2001 | 87-88 Mount Street, London | 2001 | Social | Admitted |
Groucho Club | 1985 | 45 Dean Street, London, W1D 4QB | 1985 | Media | Admitted |
Harry's Bar | 1979 | 26 South Audley Street | 1979 | Social | Admitted |
Home House | 1998 | 20-21 Portman Square, London, W1H 6LW | 1998 | Social; eccentricity and philanthropy | Admitted |
Honourable Artillery Company | 1537 | Armoury House, City Road, EC1Y 2BQ | 1735 | Serving and veteran members of the British Army regiment and Police Special Constabulary of the same name | Admitted |
The House of KOKO[7] | 2022 | 74 Crowndale Road, Camden | 2022 | Music; art | Admitted |
Hurlingham Club | 1869 | Ranelagh Gardens, Fulham | 1869 | Sports; tennis and crocquet | Admitted |
Ivy Club | 2008 | 9 West Street, WC2H 9NE | 2008 | Social, Theatre, Arts | Since beginning |
Lansdowne Club | 1935 | 9 Fitzmaurice Place, Berkeley Square | 1935 | Social | Since beginning |
Little Ship Club | 1926 | Bell Wharf Lane, London EC4R 3TB | 1962 | Yachting | Admitted |
London Sketch Club | 1898 | 7 Dilke Street, Chelsea | 1957 | Sketch artists | No women members |
Mark's Club | 1972 | 46 Charles Street, Mayfair | 1972 | Social | Admitted |
Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) | 1787 | Lord's, St John's Wood | 1814 | Cricket and Real tennis; formerly headquarters of ICC | Since 1998 |
National Liberal Club (NLC) | 1882 | 1 Whitehall Place | 1887 | Political; Liberal | Since 1967 |
Naval and Military Club | 1862 | 4 St James's Square | 1999 | Originally officers in the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and the British Army | Since 1966 |
Den Norske Klub | 1887 | 4 St James's Square, sharing the premises of the Naval and Military Club | 1999 | Norway | Since 1982 |
Oriental Club | 1824 | Stratford House, Stratford Place | 1962 | Founded for members of the East India Company; now social | Since 2010 |
Oxford and Cambridge Club (called the United Oxford and Cambridge Club, 1971–2001) | 1821 (United University Club); 1830 (Oxford and Cambridge Club); 1971 (merged club) | 71–76 Pall Mall | 1837 | Members of Oxford and Cambridge Universities | Since 1996 |
Portland Club (formerly the Stratford Club until 1825) | 1815 (circa) | 36–39 Pall Mall, sharing the premises of the Army & Navy Club | 1990s | Cards | No women members |
Pratt's | 1857 | 14 Park Place, St James's | 1857 | Aristocratic; Tory | Since 2023 |
Queen's Club | 1886 | Palliser Road, West Kensington | 1892 | Sports | Admitted |
Reform Club | 1836 | 103–105 Pall Mall | 1841 | Originally political (Liberal), now social. Members still sign a declaration agreeing to the principles of the 1832 Reform Act. | Since 1981 |
Roehampton Club | 1901 | Roehampton Lane, Roehampton | 1901 (site); 1960s (buildings) | Sports | Admitted |
Royal Air Force Club | 1918 | 128 Piccadilly | 1922 | RAF officers | Admitted |
Royal Automobile Club | 1897 | 89–91 Pall Mall | 1911 | Social and automobile enthusiasts | Since 1998 |
Royal Ocean Racing Club | 1925 | 20 St James's Place, St James's Street | 1942 | Yachting enthusiasts | Admitted |
Royal Over-Seas League (formerly the Over-Seas Club) | 1910 | 4 Park Place, St James's | 1921 | Commonwealth citizens, affiliate membership available for other nationalities; music and the arts; travellers. | Since beginning |
Royal Society of Medicine | 1805 | 1 Wimpole Street | 1910 | Medical practitioners | Admitted |
Royal Thames Yacht Club | 1775 | 60 Knightsbridge | 1952 | Yachting enthusiasts | First recorded 1874 |
Savage Club | 1857 | Currently seeking new premises | The arts, science and the law | No women members | |
Savile Club | 1868 | 69 Brook Street | 1927 | Conviviality, from the arts to the sciences | No women members but female members of reciprocal clubs have full use the club[8] |
The Sloane Club | 1922 (Initially as the Service Women’s Club, then The Helena Club) | 52 Lower Sloane St, Chelsea | 1922 | Social | Only women members originally, male members admitted in 1976 |
Special Forces Club | 1945 | 8 Herbert Crescent, Knightsbridge | 1945 | Members of Special Operations Executive, British intelligence and UK Special Forces; foreign special forces, intelligence agencies and senior military officers | Since beginning |
Travellers Club | 1819 | 106 Pall Mall | 1827 | Diplomats, social and business travellers | No women members |
Turf Club | 1861 | 5 Carlton House Terrace | 1965 | Aristocratic; social, equestrianism, sports & cards | No women members |
Union Jack Club | 1904 | Sandell Street, Waterloo, SE1 8UJ | 1907 | Serving or veteran enlisted HM Armed Forces personnel | Admitted |
University Women's Club (originally the University Club for Ladies) | 1887 | 2 Audley Square, Mayfair | 1921 | University graduates | No male members[5] |
Victory Services Club | 1907 | 63–79 Seymour Street, Marylebone | 1948 | All NATO Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force personnel | Admitted |
The Walbrook Club | 2000 | 37a Walbrook EC4N 8BS | 2000 | City professions | Since beginning |
White's | 1693 | 37 St James's Street | 1778 | Aristocratic; Tory | No women members or visitors |
Winchester House Club | 1892 | 10 Lower Richmond Road, Putney | 1892 | Social | Admitted |
Defunct or merged clubs
[edit]Name | Established | Clubhouse location (s) | Affiliation | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|
1920 Club | 1920 | 2 Whitehall Court | Political; Liberal | Closed in 1923 |
Albemarle Club (Ladies and Gentlemen) | 1874 | 13 Albemarle Street (from 1874); 37 Dover Street (by the 1910s); 21 Curzon Street (by the 1940s) | Social | Closed in 1941 |
Almack's Club (Ladies and Gentlemen) | 1765 | King Street, St James's (1765–1867) | Social; especially card games | Closed in 1867; a 'refounded' Almack's operated from 1908 to 1961 |
American Club | 1919 | 95 Piccadilly | American | Closed in the 1980s |
Argentine Club | 1910 | 1 Hamilton Place, near Piccadilly | Social | Later became the present-day Canning Club |
Arthur's | 1827 | 69 St James's Street | Social; non-political | Closed in 1940. Building later taken over by the Carlton Club; ironic, given its avowedly non-political membership. |
Arundel Yacht Club | 1838 | Coal Hole Tavern, Strand | Yachting enthusiasts | Renamed London Yacht Club 1845. Moved to Cowes, Isle of Wight 1882.[9] |
Bachelors' Club | 1880[10] | 106 Piccadilly | Bachelors | Closed in the late 1940s |
Badminton Club | 1875 | 100 Piccadilly | Sports; driving (horses and coaches were owned by the club) | Dissolved in 1938, as by then horse transport was becoming anachronistic; Clubhouse taken over by the Public Schools Club |
Bath Club | 1894 | 34 Dover Street (1894–1941); 74 St James's Street (1950–1959); 43 Brook Street (1959–1981) | Sports; the Dover Street club offered a swimming pool with athletic rings over it. | Original clubhouse bombed in the Blitz. Relocated club closed in 1981 – members dispersed to other Clubs including the Oriental Club |
Beaconsfield Club | 1880 | 66–68 Pall Mall (1880–1887) | Political; Conservative | Closed circa 1887/1888; Clubhouse taken over by the Unionist Club |
Beefsteak Club | 1705 | Imperial Phiz public house, Old Jewry | Social; Whig | closed 1712; current premises near Leicester Square |
Blenheim Club | 1909 | 12 St James's Square, later King Street | ? | ? |
British Empire Club | 1910 | 12 St James's Square | Facilities for Temporary Honorary Members of Visitors to the United Kingdom | ? |
Burlington Fine Arts Club | 1866 | 177 Piccadilly (1866–1869); 17 Savile Row (1869–1952) | The arts | Closed in 1952 |
Cavalry Club | 1890 | 127 Piccadilly | Cavalry officers | Merged with the Guards' Club in 1976 to form the present Cavalry and Guards Club |
Cobden Club | 1866 | ? | Political; Free Trade doctrine | Closed in the 1970s |
Cocoa Tree Club | 1746 | St James's St | Tory. Members inc Byron & Gibbon | closed 1932 |
Commonwealth Club | 1868 | 25 Northumberland Avenue | formerly headquarters of the Royal Commonwealth Society | Closed June 2013. The RCS still exists as a charity. |
Conservative Club | 1840 | 88 St James's Street (1841–1845); 74 St James's Street (1841–1950) | Political; Conservative | Merged with the Bath Club in 1950, taking on the name of the Bath Club, but moving to the Conservative Club's premises. |
Constitutional Club | 1883 | 28 Northumberland Avenue (1886–1959); 40 Pall Mall, sharing the premises of the Junior Carton Club (1962–1964); 116 Pall Mall, sharing the premises of the United Service Club (1964-late 1960s); St. James's Street (1970s) | Political; Conservative | Closed in 1979; membership merged with the St. Stephen's Club |
Cosmopolitan Club | 1852 | 30 Charles Street, Berkeley Square | Social | Closed in 1902 |
Coventry House Club | 1846 | 106 Piccadilly (1846–1854) | Social | Closed on 25 March 1854 |
Crockford's (officially known as the St James's Club) | 1823 | 50 St James's Street | Social; especially card games | Closed on 1 January 1846; clubhouse taken over by the Military, Naval and County Service Club (1849–1851), and then the Devonshire Club. Re-founded in 1928, closed in 1970. |
Devonshire Club | 1874 | 50 St James's Street | Political; initially Liberal but later largely apolitical | Closed in 1976; membership merged with the present East India Club |
Eccentric Society Club (1) | 1781 | Various addresses around Covent Garden | Social | Closed in 1846 |
Eccentric Society Club (2) | 1858 | Leicester Square | Social | Closed in 1881 |
Eccentric Club (3) | 1890 | 9 Ryder Street, St James's | Social | Closed in 1984 for refurbishment, went into liquidation in 1986; in 1985 most members were elected to the present East India Club, and still meet there to this day. In 2008 a group started an endeavour to re-establish the Eccentric Club [1] |
Eighty Club | 1880 | ? | Political; Liberal | Closed in the 1900s |
Goodenough Club | 2001 | 23 Mecklenburgh Square | Faculty club for Goodenough College (est. 1930) | ? |
Grace Belgravia[11] | 2012 | Belgravia | Female-only wellness | Closed in 2019[12] |
Green Room Club | 1877 | 10 Adelphi Terrace (1877–1883); 22 King Street, Covent Garden (1883); 20 Bedford Street, near Strand (1883–1903); 46 Leicester Square (1903–1940); Whitcomb Street, near Leicester Square (1940–1954); 8–9 Adam Street, near Strand (1955–2000) | The arts and theatre | Closed in 2000 [2] |
Gresham Club | 1843 | 1 King William Street (1844–1910s); Gresham Place (early 1910s); 15 Abchurch Lane, near King William Street (1915–1991), | The City; Merchants and bankers | Closed in 1991; members accepted into the City University Club |
Guards' Club | 1810 | 49 St. James's Street (1810–1826); 106 Pall Mall (1826–1827); 49 St James's Street (1827–1848); 70 Pall Mall (1848– ) | Officers of the Household Cavalry and Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots, Irish, and Welsh regiments of Foot Guards. | Closed in 1976, and merged with the Cavalry Club to form the present Cavalry and Guards Club |
Gun Club | Late 19th century? | ? | Pigeon hunters | Closed |
Hogarth Club | 1858 | 84 Charlotte Street, Fitzrovia | Artists | Closed in 1861 |
Irish Club | 1952 | Eaton Square, and latterly Blackfriars | Closed in 2012 | |
Isthmian Club | 1882 | 105 Piccadilly | Rowing, cricket | ? |
Jockey Club | 1750 | Pall Mall | Horse racing; primarily for racehorse owners | Still exists today, but has moved out of London to Newmarket |
Junior Athenaeum | 1864 | 116 Piccadilly | The arts, science, or the clergy | Closed |
Junior Carlton Club | 1866 | 30 Pall Mall (1868–1968); 94 Pall Mall (1968–1977) | Political; Conservative | Closed in 1977; membership merged with the present Carlton Club |
Junior Constitutional Club | 1887 | 101 Piccadilly | Political; Conservative | Closed |
Junior Naval and Military Club | 1870 | 19 Dover Street (1870–1875); 66–68 Pall Mall (1875–1979) | Army and Navy officers | The cost of the club's elaborate, purpose-built Pall Mall clubhouse bankrupted the club, and it closed in 1879. The building was then acquired by the Beaconsfield Club. |
Kennel Club | 1873 | 29a Pall Mall | Dog lovers | Still exists today as a society, but no longer provides club facilities. |
King of Clubs | 1798- ?1830 | Crown & Anchor; Freemasons' Tavern; Grillions; Clarendon Hotel | High Whig | ? |
Marlborough Club | 1868–1945 | 52 Pall Mall | 'a convenient and agreeable place of meeting for a Society of Gentlemen' | On 31 December 1945 the Windham, Orleans and Marlborough Clubs amalgamated to form the Marlborough-Windham Club. Rising costs and lack of candidates for admission compelled this club to close in December 1953.[13] |
Military, Naval and County Service Club | Nov. 1848 | 50 St James's Street | active & retired military officers, including East India Company, Militia and Yeomanry. | Founded as the Military and County Service Club, renamed St James's Club c.1850 and dissolved in July 1851. The club used the premises of the former Crockford's Club. Later on the premises were used by the Wellington Dining Rooms, the St George's Club and the Devonshire Club. |
The Museum Club | 1844 | Northumberland Street and then 5 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden | Literary | Dissolved 1849 and replaced with "Hooks and Eyes" and "Our Club" |
National Sporting Club | 1891 | 43 King Street, Covent Garden | Sports; Boxing | Closed |
National Union | 1887 | ? | Political; Unionist | Closed in the 1890s |
Naval Club (formerly RNVR (Auxiliary Patrol) Club (1919–1946), RNVR Club (1946–1969) | 1919 | 38 Hill Street Mayfair | Royal Navy reservists, and later all RN officers | Closed 2021 |
New Cavendish Club | 1920 | 44 Great Cumberland Place | Social | Closed in 2014 |
New University Club | 1864 | 57 St James's Street; later 6 St James's Street | Graduates of Oxford and Cambridge | Merged with the United University Club in 1938, which then merged with the Oxford and Cambridge Club in 1971. |
Nimrod | 1890s | 12 St James's Sq predated the Blenheim Club at this address | ? | Liquidated 1919 |
Palace Club | 1882 | ? | Political; Conservative | Closed in the 1900s |
Pembridge Club | 1868[14] | 1, St. Stephen's Square (renamed St. Stephen's Gardens in 1938), Westbourne Grove, Bayswater | The arts | Founded as the Notting Hill and Bayswater Club |
Portland Club | c1815 as the Stratford Club; renamed 1825. | Originally, 1 Stratford Place, then 9 St James's Square 1890–1943 | Card-playing game club | Now located within the Army & Navy Club |
Press Club | 1882 | Wine Office Court, near Fleet Street | Journalism | Clubhouse closed in 1986. Press Club still exists today as a society, but no longer offers club facilities [3] |
Primrose Club | 1886 | 4&5 Park Place, St James's Street[15] | Political; Conservative | Closed in the 1910s |
Prince's Club | 1853 | Hans Place (1853–1886); 197 Knightsbridge (1888–1940s) | Sports | Closed in the 1940s |
Public Schools Club | 1863–1868; 17 St James Place; 1909–1915; 1918–1972 | 13 Albemarle Street (1909–1913); 19 Berkeley Street (1913–1915); Curzon Street (1920–1938); 100 Piccadilly (1938–1972) | Alumni of the British public schools | Merged with the present East India Club on 1 May 1972, now providing the bulk of their membership |
Raleigh Club | Late 19th century? | Regent Street | Members had to have served a year in the armed forces, or be an existing member of another club | Closed |
Road Club | Late 19th century? | 4 Park Place, St James's | Enthusiasts for the revival of coaching | Closed |
Royal Aero Club, formerly the Aero Club (1901–1909) | 1901 | 119 Piccadilly (1901–1961); 9 Fitzmaurice Place (inside the Lansdowne Club, 1961–1968); 94 Pall Mall (inside the Junior Carlton Club, 1968–1970); 116 Pall Mall (inside the United Service Club, 1970–1977) | "the encouragement of aero-automobilism and ballooning as a sport" | Merged into the British Gliding Association in 1977 – no longer provides club facilities, although Office in Leicestershire. |
Royal Anglo-Belgian Club | 1942 | 6 Belgrave Square (1942–1978); 60 Knightsbridge (sharing premises of the Royal Thames Yacht Club, 1978–2010); 8 Northumberland Avenue (2010–2012) | Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands | Closed in 2012. |
South African & Rhodesian Officers Club | WW1 to 1920s | 48 Grosvenor Sq | ? | ? |
St James's Club (Crockford's) (1) | 1823 | 50 St James's Street | ? | Closed on 1 January 1846, late the Military, Naval and County Service Club, formerly the Military and County Service Club. |
St James's Club (2) | 1857 | 106 Piccadilly | Members of the British diplomatic service, and foreign diplomats in Britain | Closed in 1978, and membership merged with Brooks' . |
St Stephen's Club | 1870 | Bridge Street, Westminster (19th century); 34 Queen Anne's Gate, near St James's Park (1962–2013) | Political; Conservative | Closed 31 December 2012 |
Sports Club | 1893 | 8 St James's Square | Sports | Merged with the present East India Club in 1938 |
Thatched House | 1865 | 85 St James Street? | Originally c19th Tory coffee house, later taken over by Civil Service Club | |
Union Club | 1800 | Trafalgar Square | Social | Closed in 1949, was then at 86 St James's Street until 1960s merging with the United Service Club; clubhouse is now Canada House |
Unionist Club | 1886 | 66–68 Pall Mall | Political; Liberal Unionist | Closed in 1892; clubhouse acquired by the New Oxford and Cambridge Club |
United Club | Late 19th century? | Charles Street, near Berkeley Square | Linked to the United Hotel, with additional facilities for members | Closed |
United Empire Club | 1904 | 101 Piccadilly | Global Reform; | Closed |
United Service Club
("The Senior") |
1815 | 116 Pall Mall | Senior officers (Major/Commander and above) in the army and navy | Closed in 1978; former clubhouse is now occupied by the Institute of Directors |
United University Club | 1821 | 1 Suffolk Street, near Pall Mall (1826–1971) | Graduates of Oxford and Cambridge | Merged with the present Oxford and Cambridge Club in 1971. Clubhouse is now the London centre of the University of Notre Dame |
Watier's | ? | 81 Piccadilly | ? | Closed |
Wellington Club | Oct 1832 | 1 Grosvenor Place; 116a Knightsbridge (1932–2016) | Social | Closed 26 June 2016 |
West Indian Club | 1898 | Howard Hotel, Norfolk Street; 4 Whitehall Court; | Social | Closed March 1971 |
Windham Club | 1828 | 106 Pall Mall (1828–1830, 1941–1946); 10 St James's Square (1830–1836); 13 St James's Square (1836–1941) | ? | Merged with Marlborough and closed [4] |
The Wing[3][16] | 2019 | 14 Great Portland Street, Fitzrovia | Social | 2020 |
York Club | Mid/late 19th century | 8 St James's Square (1886–88) | ? | Closed. Building later acquired by the Junior Travellers' Club, then the Sports Club. |
Fictional clubs
[edit]- Bagatelle Card Club – One of Colonel Sebastian Moran's clubs in the Sherlock Holmes story The Adventure of the Empty House by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
- Beargarden Club – A St James's club in Trollope's Palliser novels[17]
- Bellamy's - Guy Crouchback's club in Evelyn Waugh's novel Officers and Gentlemen
- Bellona Club – Lord Peter Wimsey's club and location of a murder in Dorothy L. Sayers novel The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club
- Billiards Club – Setting for the improbably tall tales of Jorkens, by Lord Dunsany
- Black's Club – Jack Aubrey's, Stephen Maturin's, and Sir Joseph Blaine's club in Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series of Napoleonic Wars series of seafaring novels. O'Brian also makes future monarch Prince William, Duke of Clarence a member.
- Blades Club – MI6 intelligence agency director M's club in the James Bond series of espionage novels by Ian Fleming.
- Bratt's Club – John Beaver's club in A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh; Charles Ryder’s club in “ Brideshead Revisited” by Evelyn Waugh; Colonel Charles Russell's club in two of the first three novels by William Haggard.
- Centaur Club – Francis Blake's club in Blake and Mortimer (comics) by Edgar P. Jacobs
- Craven’s – A gaming club founded by the enigmatic Derek Craven, brought to life by author Lisa Kleypas, destroyed by fire in its prime.
- Diogenes Club – Mycroft Holmes's club in the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle..
- Drones Club – Bertie Wooster's club in P. G. Wodehouse's Jeeves stories; and is also the club of several other Wodehouse characters, including Bingo Little, Gussie Fink-Nottle, Psmith, and Freddie Threepwood.
- Etheric Explorers Club – a society featured in a series of short stories and novels by Paul Marlowe.
- Egotist's Club – Lord Peter Wimsey's club in the Dorothy L. Sayers novels and short stories.
- Ffeatherstonehaugh's Club – a corrupt and hedonistic establishment commemorating the libertine values of John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, featured in the crime novel Clubbed to Death by Ruth Dudley Edwards.
- Hotch Potch Club – featured in John Galsworthy's The Forsyte Saga.
- Imperial Club – from the 1960s British television comedy series Bootsie and Snudge, starring Alfie Bass and Bill Fraser.
- Iseeum Club – another featured in John Galsworthy's The Forsyte Saga series of novels.
- Jenner’s – a gaming club founded by the rough boxer Ivo Jenner, mentioned in the works of author Lisa Kleypas, later managed by the devilish Lord St. Vincent.
- Junior Ganymede Club – Jeeves's club (for gentlemen's gentlemen) in P G Wodehouse's Jeeves stories.
- Junior Greys, Pall Mall – one of Albert Campion's clubs in Margery Allingham's detective stories.
- Marine Commando Club, Paddington – frequented by Julian and Sandy from the BBC radio comedy Round the Horne. Note that Kenneth Horne's radio alter ego, a member of the Athenaeum, described it as "not my sort of club".
- Old Bohemian Club – "Bunny" and Raffles' club in E. W. Hornung's Raffles stories.
- Pickwick Club – A club founded by Mr. Samuel Pickwick to study human nature in Charles Dickens's first novel.
- Pelican Club – Sir Galahad's (Gally's) club in P.G. Wodehouse's A Pelican at Blandings
- Progress Club – a club that "...intended to do great things for Liberal Party . . . and had in truth done little or nothing." mentioned in the novel The Prime Minister by Anthony Trollope.
- Puffin's – one of Albert Campion's clubs in Margery Allingham's detective stories.
- Royal Bathers Club – club with Victorian Turkish baths of which Major-General Clive Wynne-Candy is a member in "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp" (1943) by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.
- Senior Conservative Club – features in P.G. Wodehouse's novel Psmith in the City. Although fictional, the description of a large, Conservative-aligned club in Northumberland Avenue tallies perfectly with the real-life Constitutional Club at No.28 and Nevill's Victorian Turkish Baths at No.25 Northumberland Avenue, "twenty yards from the club's front door" (which baths were also used by Sherlock Holmes and Raffles).
- The Seraphim Club – A private club featured in Gallows Thief by Bernard Cornwell.
- Stoics' Club – George Pendyce's club in The Country House by John Galsworthy.
- The Survivor's Club – featured in the novel The Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes.
- The Tankerville Club – Featured in two Sherlock Holmes mystery detective stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
- Thackeray Club – club supposedly founded 1864 according to a bronze plaque by entrance door pictured in the musical comedy. dance movie Top Hat from 1935 starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers along with Edward Everett Horton.
- Tweedles Club – club in the movie You Must be Joking 1965, American Films Limited, starring Terry Thomas, Michael Callan, Lionel Jefferies, Denholm Elliott, Wilfrid Hyde White and Bernard Cribbins.
- Whitehall Club – the setting of the murder mystery in the novel Keep It Quiet (1935) by Richard Hull.
Gallery
[edit]-
The Garrick Club
-
The Reform Club and the Travellers Club (Left)
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]General references
[edit]- Sheppard, F. H. W., ed. (1960). "Pall Mall, North Side, Existing Buildings". Survey of London: volumes 29 and 30: St James Westminster, Part 1. Institute of Historical Research. pp. 339–345. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
- The Gentlemen's Clubs of London by Anthony Lejeune, first published 1979, most recently in 2012 by Stacey International.
References
[edit]- ^ Hanson, Kyra (25 April 2018). "Women-Only Member's Clubs: Sexist And Elitist Or A Way For Women To Get Ahead?". Londonist. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
My clients are 98% women so it's important for me to mix with other women. The women have similar personalities and it's a lovely place to catch up with friends for lunch or my hubby for drinks after work [...].
- ^ Hart, Anna (26 February 2019). "Women-only clubs: the future is female". Condé Nast Traveller.
In a female environment, women are more likely to speak up, talk about their successes and be a bit more open and honest about some of the challenges that they face [...].
- ^ a b Barber, Sonya (26 February 2020). "The best female-only spaces in London". Condé Nast Traveller. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
The backlash to the shape-shifting political landscape of the past two years has been thrillingly fast, fierce and female. All-women societies, clubhouses, retreats and trips are on the rise [...].
- ^ Smith, Ellie (2024). "London's Best Women's Members' Clubs To Join This year". Country & Town House. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
When members' clubs first came about, they were reserved for wealthy men. Pall Mall and St James's Street were the hub of what was known as Clubland – a cluster of venues designed exclusively for high-society men, with women outright banned. Yet, thankfully, the club scene has evolved a great deal over the years [...].
- ^ a b Derrick, Florence (30 July 2019). "Elitist or Empowering? Inside the Women-Only Private Members' Clubs". Florence Derrick. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ https://www.eastindiaclub.co.uk/membership/ Retrieved 15 October 2024
- ^ Coke, Hope (17 March 2022). "The House of KOKO: London's most thrilling new members' club is finally unveiled". Tatler. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
- ^ https://www.savileclub.co.uk/reciprocal-clubs/ Retrieved 15 October 2024
- ^ "The Club History : Royal London Yacht Club".
- ^ "The Bachelors' Club". Morning Post. England. 27 November 1880. Retrieved 31 August 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Dalamal, Malika (3 April 2013). "London's first female-only club". BBC. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
Men are strictly not allowed at anytime except for Thursday nights, when – in a reversal of the age-old tradition – they are permitted to enter the club for dinner.
- ^ Prynn, Jonathan (19 February 2019). "Health club where royalty and A-list celebs were members shuts down amid Brexit fears". Standard. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
I regret to advise the Grace Belgravia has ceased operations and the Club has closed.
- ^ "Pall Mall, North Side, Existing Buildings | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
- ^ "Notting Hill and Bayswater Club". Bayswater Chronicle. England. 24 October 1868. Retrieved 31 August 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ London Street Directory for 1902
- ^ "The Londoner: Scandal-hit women's club The Wing closes". Standard. 24 August 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
Women-only club The Wing is shutting down its London location for good after being hit by accusations of racism and bullying.
- ^ "Anthony Trollope: TV and Radio: Television: The Pallisers: Episodes 13–19". 29 November 2014. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014.
Further reading
[edit]- Anonymous (1950). Your Club. London: Whitbread.
- Anonymous (Marsh, Charles & Mackenzie, Colin) (1828). The Clubs of London. London: H. Colburn, 2 vols.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Black, Barbara (2012). A Room of His Own: A Literary-Cultural Study of Victorian Clubland. Athens, Ohio: Ohio University Press. ISBN 978-0-8214-2016-4.
- Clark, Peter (2000). British Clubs and Societies, 1580–1800: The Origins of an Associational World. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-924843-5.
- Darwin, Bernard (1943). British Clubs. London: Collins.
- Escott, T.H.S. (1914). Club Makers and Club Members. London: T. Fisher Unwin.
- Girtin, Tom (1964). The Abominable Clubman. London: Hutchinson.
- Graves, Charles (1963). Leather Armchairs: The Chivas Regal Book of London Clubs. London: Cassell.
- Lejeune, Anthony; Lewis, Malcolm (1979). The Gentlemen's Clubs of London. London: Wh Smith Pub. ISBN 0-8317-3800-6.
- Lejeune, Anthony (2012). The Gentlemen's Clubs of London. London: Stacey International. ISBN 978-1-906768-20-1.
- Milne-Smith, Amy (2011). London Clubland: A Cultural History of Gender and Class in Late-Victorian Britain. London: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-230-12076-1.
- Nevill, Ralph (1911). London Clubs: Their History & Treasures. London: Chatto & Windus.
- Thévoz, Seth Alexander (2018). Club Government: How the Early Victorian World was Ruled from London Clubs. London: I.B. Tauris/Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-1-78453-818-7.
- Thévoz, Seth Alexander (2022). Behind Closed Doors: The Secret Life of London Private Members' Clubs. London: Robinson/Little, Brown. ISBN 978-1-47214-646-5.
- Timbs, John (1866). Clubs and Club Life in London. London: J. Bentley. Link