Private members' club

Last updated

1920 cartoon of The Arts Club, a private members' club founded in London by Charles Dickens The Arts Club and its members (1920) (14770778484).jpg
1920 cartoon of The Arts Club, a private members' club founded in London by Charles Dickens

Private members' clubs are organisations which provide social and other facilities to members who typically pay a membership fee for access and use. Most are owned and controlled by their members even to this day. Some were originally elitist gentlemen's clubs to which members first had to be elected; others are more modern commercial establishments with no class or gender bar, typically offering food, drink, comfortable surroundings, venue hire and business facilities, in return for members paying subscription or membership fees.

Contents

History

The first gentlemen's clubs, mostly established in the West End of London from the late 17th century onwards, were highly exclusive, offering aristocratic and wealthy men a refuge from work and family. The eligibility of potential members depended on their class and gender, with women banned from joining any of them. Early clubs also provided an environment for gambling, illegal outside of members-only establishments. Individuals needed to be formally proposed for membership, and candidates were subject to election by committees which scrutinised individuals' character and suitability. [1]

Several private members' clubs for women were established in the late 19th century; among them the Alexandra Club, [2] the Ladies' Institute, the Ladies' Athenaeum and the University Women's Club. Many of the traditional gentlemen's clubs now allow women as members, though a few, including the Garrick Club in London's Covent Garden, still refuse women membership. [1]

More modern but otherwise similar private members' clubs have since been established. Most of these, however, are for-profit commercial enterprises neither owned nor controlled by members. London examples include the Groucho Club (established in 1985), [3] Soho House (1995) [4] and Home House (1998); [5] similar clubs operate in other cities and countries: for example, the CORE Club was established in New York City in 2005. [6] These typically offer memberships by subscription and are owned and run as commercial concerns. They offer similar facilities such as food, drink, comfortable surroundings, venue hire and in many cases accommodation. Mobile working (using phone and email) had put pressure on traditional London clubs, some of which discouraged use of mobiles and laptops, or discussion of business matters. By contrast, business-oriented private members' clubs combine the style, food and drink of a contemporary private members' club with the business facilities of a serviced office or coworking space.

Examples

Notable examples of private members' clubs include:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Club (organization)</span> Association of people united by a common interest or goal

A club is an association of people united by a common interest or goal. A service club, for example, exists for voluntary or charitable activities. There are clubs devoted to hobbies and sports, social activities clubs, political and religious clubs, and so forth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bar (establishment)</span> Establishment serving alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises

A bar, also known as a saloon, a tavern or tippling house, or sometimes as a pub or club, is a retail business establishment that serves alcoholic beverages, such as beer, wine, liquor, cocktails, and other beverages such as mineral water and soft drinks. Bars often also sell snack foods, such as crisps or peanuts, for consumption on their premises. Some types of bars, such as pubs, may also serve food from a restaurant menu. The term "bar" refers to the countertop where drinks are prepared and served, and by extension to the overall premises.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Groucho Club</span> Private members club in Soho, London

The Groucho Club is a private members' club formed in 1985 located on Dean Street in London's Soho. Its members are mostly drawn from the publishing, media, entertainment and arts industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Country club</span> Private club typically offering recreational sports and entertainment facilities

A country club is a privately owned club, often with a membership quota and admittance by invitation or sponsorship, that generally offers both a variety of recreational sports and facilities for dining and entertaining. Typical athletic offerings are golf, tennis, and swimming. Where golf is the principal or sole sporting activity, and especially outside of the United States and Canada, it is common for a country club to be referred to simply as a golf club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gentlemen's club</span> Members-only private club

A gentlemen's club is a private social club of a type originally set up by men from Britain's upper classes in the 18th and succeeding centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strip club</span> Sexual entertainment venue

A strip club is a venue where strippers provide adult entertainment, predominantly in the form of striptease or other erotic dances. Strip clubs typically adopt a nightclub or bar style, and can also adopt a theatre or cabaret-style. American-style strip clubs began to appear outside North America after World War II, arriving in Asia in the late 1980s and Europe in 1978, where they competed against the local English and French styles of striptease and erotic performances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airport lounge</span> Air travel amenity

An airport lounge is a facility operated at many airports. Airport lounges offer, for selected passengers, comforts beyond those afforded in the airport terminal itself, such as more comfortable seating, quieter environments, and often better access to customer service representatives. Other accommodations may include private meeting rooms, telephones, wireless internet access and other business services, along with provisions to enhance passenger comfort, such as free drinks, snacks, magazines, and showers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muriel Belcher</span> English nightclub owner

Muriel Belcher (1908–1979) was an English nightclub owner and artist's model who founded and managed the private drinking club The Colony Room. The club opened in 1948 at 41 Dean Street, Soho, London and became known as "Muriel's". Its long term popularity amongst London's bohemians lasted for 60 years and is widely credited to the exclusivity resulting from Belcher's charisma, strong personality and daunting door policy as "a tough, sharp-tongued veteran of the Soho drinking club scene".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Colony Room Club</span> Private members drinking club in Soho, London (1948–2008)

The Colony Room Club was a private members' drinking club at 41 Dean Street, Soho, London. It was founded and presided over by Muriel Belcher from its inception in 1948 until her death in 1979.

<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">Social club</span> Group of people or place where they meet

A social club may be a group of people or the place where they meet, generally formed around a common interest, occupation or activity. Examples include book discussion clubs, chess clubs, country clubs, final clubs, fishing clubs, gaming clubs, women's clubs, gentlemen's clubs, hunting clubs, military officers' clubs, political clubs, religious clubs, science clubs and university clubs. The term can also refer to a criminal headquarters, such as the Ravenite Social Club or the Cage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annabel's</span> Private members club in Mayfair, London

Annabel's is a private members club at 46 Berkeley Square in Mayfair, London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soho House (club)</span> UK chain of hotels and clubs

Soho House is a global hotel chain and group of private members' clubs. Membership is selective and members are drawn mainly from the media, arts and fashion industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nippon Club (Manhattan)</span> Private social club in New York City

The Nippon Club of New York City is a private social club on 57th Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, founded in 1905 by Jōkichi Takamine for Japanese Americans and Japanese nationals. The only Japanese traditional gentlemen's club in the United States, the Nippon Club's dual purpose is to help enhance the unity of the Japanese community in New York City and to help develop evolving relationships with the American people. Over the course of its first century, the Nippon Club has fostered ongoing business and cultural relationships through various events, workshops, cultural classes and athletic events.

Nicholas Keith Arthur Jones, is an English restaurateur and club proprietor. He is the owner of the Babington House hotel and health club and founder and former chief executive of Soho House UK Ltd, which specialises in luxury private members' club venues with restaurants, cinemas, health spas and bedrooms, with some aspects open to the public. Jones retains a minority shareholding (10%) in the Soho House group.

The Western Australian Club is a defunct social club founded in 1893 in Perth, Western Australia. Named Exchange Club until 1897 and then West Australian Club until 1979, it ceased operating in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sällskapet (club)</span>

Sällskapet is an exclusive gentlemen's club in Stockholm, Sweden, providing private member facilities to a constitutionally limited number of members, and their invited guests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bath & Racquets Club</span> Private members gym and squash club in Mayfair, London

The Bath & Racquets Club is a private members gym and squash club at 49 Brook's Mews in London's Mayfair district. The club has 300 members and is the most expensive private gym club in London. It was established by Mark Birley in 1989. Birley sold the club with his four other Mayfair clubs, Annabel's, Harry's Bar, Mark's Club, and George, to Richard Caring in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George (club)</span> Club in London

George is a private members club at 87-88 Mount Street in London's Mayfair district. It was established by Mark Birley in 2001. Birley sold the club with his four other Mayfair clubs, Annabel's, Mark's Club, Harry's Bar, and the Bath & Racquets Club, to Richard Caring in 2007. The club is dog friendly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry's Bar (London)</span> Restaurant in London, England

Harry's Bar is a private members dining club at 26 South Audley Street in London's Mayfair district.

References

  1. 1 2 Annabelle, Spranklen; Annabel, Sampson (17 January 2022). "The 18 most glamorous private members' clubs in London to join now". Tatler. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  2. David Doughan; Peter Gordon (2013). Dictionary of British Women's Organisations 1825–1960. Abingdon: Routledge. p. 12. ISBN   978-1136897702.
  3. Sophie Leris (21 May 2010). "The Groucho Club: a home for hellraisers – Life & Style – London Evening Standard". Standard. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  4. Wong, Pamela (18 April 2017). "Members Only: Soho House Joins High-End Hotel, Condos In DUMBO – BKLYNER". BKLYNER. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  5. "About us", homehouse.co.uk. Accessed 21 January 2019
  6. James Tarmy (20 January 2022). "Is New York's Romance With Social Clubs Merely a Pandemic Love Affair?". Bloomberg News . Retrieved 1 October 2022.