Private members' club

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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 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 - until May 2024 - the Garrick Club in London's Covent Garden, [3] 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), [4] Soho House (1995) [5] and Home House (1998); [6] similar clubs operate in other cities and countries: for example, the CORE Club was established in New York City in 2005. [7] 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:

See also

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

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

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

The Garrick Club is a private members' club in London, founded in 1831. It is one of the oldest members' clubs in the world. Its 1,500 members include at least 160 senior legal professionals and members of the judiciary including King's Counsel (KCs), Supreme Court and Court of Appeals judges, at least 10 serving members of parliament (MPs) and dozens of members of the House of Lords, many heads of public institutions alongside many actors, members of the arts, and businessmen. The Garrick was a gentlemen's club with membership restricted exclusively to men. However, in May 2024 the club voted to allow women to be members.

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

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<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.

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<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. Gentleman, Amelia (7 May 2024). "Garrick Club votes to accept female members for first time". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  4. Sophie Leris (21 May 2010). "The Groucho Club: a home for hellraisers – Life & Style – London Evening Standard". Standard. Retrieved 28 April 2014.
  5. Wong, Pamela (18 April 2017). "Members Only: Soho House Joins High-End Hotel, Condos In DUMBO – BKLYNER". BKLYNER. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
  6. "About us", homehouse.co.uk. Accessed 21 January 2019
  7. James Tarmy (20 January 2022). "Is New York's Romance With Social Clubs Merely a Pandemic Love Affair?". Bloomberg News . Retrieved 1 October 2022.