Some of Our Members
Army & Navy Club
Founded in August 1837, the Club was formed to meet the needs of the many army officers wanting to join a Service Club, most of which were already full. The great Duke of Wellington said he would become neither a patron nor a Member unless membership was also offered to officers of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. Hence, the "Army Club" became the Army and Navy Club. It acquired its famous nickname when Captain William “Billy” Higginson Duff, a colourful character, was offended by the spartan nature of the fare offered to him on returning from a spree. He described the Club as a “Rag and Famish affair” (a great insult, since the “Rag and Famish” was a squalid gaming house). The Members were amused rather than insulted by this and formed a “Rag and Famish” dining club. The name was gradually adopted as the Club’s nickname, eventually being reduced to “The Rag”.
The Athenaeum Club
The Athenaeum was founded in 1824 as a meeting place for men who enjoy the life of the mind, so it is hardly surprising that its library should feature so prominently throughout the first floor of its magnificent Decimus Burton designed Clubhouse. It’s membership consists primarily of professionals concerned with science, engineering and medicine, together with lawyers, writers, artists, clergymen, civil servants and academics of all disciplines; their wide interests are reflected the library which houses some 80,000 books.
The Commonwealth Secretariat
The Commonwealth is an association of 53 independent states consulting and co-operating in the common interests of their peoples and in the promotion of international understanding. The association does not have a written constitution, but it does have a series of agreements setting out its beliefs and objectives. These Declarations or Statements were issued at various Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings. The first fundamental statement of core beliefs is the 'Declaration of Commonwealth Principles' which was issued at the 1971 summit in Singapore. The Commonwealth Secretariat, established in 1965 is the main intergovernmental agency of the Commonwealth, facilitating consultation and co-operation among member governments and countries.
The East India Club
The East India Club, in the heart of London’s Club-land, has a long tradition as a gentleman’s home from home. Founded in the middle of the 19th century, its original members were “the servants of the East India Company and Commissioned Officers of Her Majesty’s Army and Navy”. The legacy of those early members, home on furlough from far flung lands continues today. As a private club, only open to members and their guests, the Club still provides a refuge and meeting place for busy young men and their more seasoned seniors. Since those early days, the Club has amalgamated with the Devonshire, the Sports and the Public Schools Clubs and also welcomed members of the Eccentric Club. The amalgam has been a happy one, possibly because together, as their titles suggest, the component parts reflect the very best diversity of English tradition. The Club retains its international dimension through its reciprocal arrangements with similar clubs throughout the world
The Garrick Club
A theatrical library was constituted in the founding principles of the Garrick Club in 1831. Today it serves not only its membership but is also available to scholars by appointment. It is particularly strong on eighteenth and nineteenth century theatre history and its holdings include thousands of playbills, engravings, prompt copies and manuscripts. The Club is also home to what is perhaps the largest collection of British theatrical portraiture including numerous masterpieces of the genre. On-line catalogues are available on its website.
The London Library
The Naval & Military Club
The Naval & Military Club was established in 1862 by a party of officers from The Buffs, to meet demand for another Service Club in central London. Starting from a furnished house in Clifford Street with 150 members, it quickly expanded in size and popularity and moved premises, first to Hanover Square and then, in 1866, to Cambridge House in Piccadilly. Here it acquired the nickname The In & Out, from the famous lettering found on the gateposts to guide London cabbies in and out of the Club. The move to 4 St James’s Square took place in 1999. The Library reflects the Club’s history with a collection of books on naval and military subjects, plus the collections of the Canning Club and Den Norske Club, with Latin American and Norwegian interests.
The Reform Club
The Reform Club was founded in 1836, in Pall Mall.The founders commissioned a leading architect of the day, Charles Barry, to build an imposing and palatial clubhouse. Membership was restricted to those who pledged support for the Great Reform Act of 1832, and the many MPs and Whig peers among the early members developed the Club as the political headquarters of the Liberal Party.The Reform Club is no longer associated with any particular political party, and now serves a purely social function.
The Royal Automobile Club
The Royal Automobile Club is a private members' club steeped in the history and tradition of automobilism and motor sport. Originally the Automobile Club of Great Britain & Ireland, it celebrated its centenary in 1997. It was awarded its royal appellation by King Edward VII in 1907. Two clubhouses, the one in London's Pall Mall possessing probably the premier motoring library in the country, and the other one nestling amid the green countryside of Epsom, provide excellent banqueting, dining, accommodation and sporting facilities. Members of the Club can enjoy too reciprocal arrangements with approximately 60 other gentlemen's clubs from around the world.
The Travellers Club
The Travellers Club was founded in 1819 and moved to its present purpose-built clubhouse, designed by Charles Barry, in 1832. The intention of its founders was to provide a meeting place for gentlemen who had travelled abroad, their foreign visitors and diplomats posted in London who might enjoy the privilege of using the Club. Its library contains a wealth of travelogues and journals from across the centuries.
