Cavalry and Guards Club

Last updated

Cavalry and Guards Club
Formation1810 (Guards Club);
1890 (Cavalry Club);
1976 (merged club)
(Clubhouse occupied since 1908)
Type Gentlemen's club
Purpose Cavalry and Guards officers
Location
Website cavgds.co.uk

The Cavalry and Guards Club is a London gentlemen's club, at 127 Piccadilly, situated next to the RAF Club.

Contents

History

The club has three foundation dates:

When the Cavalry Club first occupied the site in 1890, it was a proprietary club owned by an officer in the 20th Hussars, but five years later, ownership passed into the hands of its members and it became a members' club. They raised the funds to build an entirely new clubhouse, which was completed on the site in 1908. The work was carried out by the architect's firm Mewes and Davies. [1]

Edward VIII was known to spend a great deal of time in the Cavalry Club premises in the 1920s and 1930s, when he was Prince of Wales. King Abdullah of Jordan, the Sultan of Brunei and Prince William have also been members. [4]

Club interior in 2014 Cavalry & Guards Club (14396920161).jpg
Club interior in 2014

The club narrowly avoided closure in 1987, when its landlord sold the premises on to a property developer, who planned to convert the building into apartments. This was averted through the membership raising the capital to buy the property for the club. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pall Mall, London</span> Street in Central London

Pall Mall is a street in the St James's area of the City of Westminster, Central London. It connects St James's Street to Trafalgar Square and is a section of the regional A4 road. The street's name is derived from pall-mall, a ball game played there during the 17th century, which in turn is derived from the Italian pallamaglio, literally "ball-mallet".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Arts Club</span> London private members club

The Arts Club is a London private members' club in Dover Street, Mayfair, founded in 1863 by Charles Dickens, Anthony Trollope, and Lord Leighton among others. It remains a meeting place for men and women involved in the creative arts either professionally or as patrons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval and Military Club</span> Private members club in London, England

The Naval and Military Club, known informally as The In & Out, is a private members' club located in St James's Square, London. It was founded in 1862 for officers of the Navy and Army. It now also accepts female members, and members who have not served in the armed forces, but continues to observe service traditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St James's Street</span> Street in the St Jamess area of the City of Westminster in London

St James's Street is the principal street in the district of St James's, central London. It runs from Piccadilly downhill to St James's Palace and Pall Mall. The main gatehouse of the Palace is at the southern end of the road; in the 17th century, Clarendon House faced down the street across Piccadilly from the site of what is now Albemarle Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cambridge House</span> Townhouse in Piccadilly, London, England

Cambridge House is a Grade I listed former townhouse in central London, England. It sits on the northern side of Piccadilly at number 94, in the fashionable district of Mayfair. As of 2021, the property is being converted into a luxury hotel and seven residences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dover Street</span>

Dover Street is a street in Mayfair, London. The street is notable for its Georgian architecture as well as the location of historic London clubs and hotels, which have been frequented by world leaders and historic figures in the arts. It also hosts a number of contemporary art galleries. An equestrian sculpture by Elisabeth Frink stands on the junction of Dover Street and Piccadilly, opposite the Ritz Hotel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Den Norske Klub</span>

Den Norske Klub is a social club based in London. It was founded on 17 May 1887. Its members are Norwegians living in London or Britons with a connection to or interest in Norway. It is the oldest club of its kind in the UK and is still an important meeting place for the Norwegian community in London.

The Guards Club, established in 1810, was a London Gentlemen's club for officers of the Guards Division, originally defined by the club as being the Coldstream Guards, Grenadier Guards or Scots Guards, traditionally the most socially elite section of the British Army. Officers of the Welsh and Irish Guards were not able to join until the second half of the 20th century. Its clubhouse at 70 Pall Mall was the first to be built on that street, which later became noted for its high concentration of clubs; earlier clubs had been focused on the adjoining St James's Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St James's Club</span>

The St James's Club was a London gentlemen's club which operated between 1857 and 1978. It was founded by two leading diplomats and its members continued to be largely diplomats and authors. It was first established in Charles Street and moved to 106 Piccadilly by 1868. In the final quarter of the twentieth century many gentlemen’s clubs of London suffered from declining membership, and in 1978 the St James's Club merged with Brooks's Club and vacated its premises.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canning Club</span>

The Canning Club is a gentlemen's club based in London, formerly named the Argentine Club, founded in 1911, and is for those with a particular link to, or special interest in, Argentina and other Latin American countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Room Club</span> Club in London

The Green Room Club was a London-based club, primarily for actors, but also for lovers of theatre, arts and music. It was established in 1877 in a restaurant in Piccadilly Circus, and moved to premises on Adam Street in 1955, where it remained until its closure in 2004.

The Junior Constitutional Club was a political London gentlemen's club founded in 1887, and located at 101 Piccadilly. It was aligned to the Conservative party, with members having to pledge support. Heavy over-subscription for the Constitutional Club which had opened in 1883 led to the creation of a further mass-membership Conservative club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burlington Fine Arts Club</span>

The Burlington Fine Arts Club was a London gentlemen's club based at 17 Savile Row.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cavalry Club</span>

The Cavalry Club was a London gentlemen's club, which was established in 1890. In 1975, it merged with the Guards' Club, and became the Cavalry and Guards Club, which still exists today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City of London Club</span>

The City of London Club was established in 1832 and is the oldest of the gentlemen's clubs based in the City of London. Its Italian Palladian-style building was designed by English architect Philip Hardwick. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was its royal patron.

The Junior Naval and Military Club was a short-lived London gentlemen's club, which existed between 1870 and 1879.

The American Club was a London gentlemen's club, now dissolved. It was established to provide a centre for London's growing expatriate American community, with the inaugural meeting being held at the Savoy Hotel on 21 October 1918.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Public Schools Club</span> Former London gentlemens club

The Public Schools Club is a former London gentlemen's club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Badminton Club</span>

The Badminton Club is a former London gentlemen's club. According to the 8th Duke of Beaufort in his book Driving (1889), the club was founded in 1875 at 100 Piccadilly by a sporting doctor called Hurman. According to the Duke, "this was a thorough coaching establishment, having all the year round a coach, a brake, a team or two... capital stabling and coach-houses, as well as chambers and bedrooms kept for the use of members".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Masons' Hall, London</span> Freemasonry headquarters

Mark Masons' Hall in London is the headquarters of The Grand Lodge of Mark Master Masons of England and Wales, which is also responsible for the Royal Ark Mariner degree. It is located in 86 St James's Street in the central London district of St James's, opposite St James's Palace. While Freemasons' Hall is the headquarters of the United Grand Lodge of England and the Supreme Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of England, Mark Masons' Hall is the home of several other important appendant orders of Freemasonry in England and Wales.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "A Brief History of the Building and the Club". Cavalry and Guards Club. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  2. Sources give various dates for foundation of the club. See Guards' Club for further details.
  3. "The interior of the Cavalry Club in Piccadilly, showing the second floor lobby". Historic England. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  4. "16 of the best private members' clubs in Mayfair". Luxury London. Retrieved 5 November 2020.

51°30′15″N0°08′54″W / 51.5043°N 0.1482°W / 51.5043; -0.1482