98-569: The Clarence Club , formerly known as the Literary Union Club, was a gentlemen's club founded in 1826, as a socially exclusive dining society that met in Conduit Street , Mayfair , by the poet Thomas Campbell , with the objective of the facilitation of social connections between those with an interest in the arts, philosophy, finance, trade, business, and science. Most of its members were English, but, originally, it included
196-473: A British official who had converted to Islam and was serving as a senior adviser to King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia . For several hours, Ben Gurion and Philby held informal talks there on a draft treaty between the Zionist movement and an Arab Federation headed by Ibn Saud. However, they did not reach agreement on the details. In 1972, members were permitted to invite women to the coffee room for dinner and to
294-452: A central staircase that is "distinctly Egyptian in flavour". Burton made himself responsible for the design of as many of the decorative features of the club as possible, including the clock-cases and the pendant light-fittings. When the clubhouse was completed in April 1830, the members of the club committee stated, [They] are bound to express their entire satisfaction at the manner in which
392-545: A club required member approval and payment. Thus, a club was dependent on class and vice versa. Historian Robert Morris proposed that clubs were "part of the power nexus of capitalism , and essential to the continuity of elite dominance of society." Several private members' clubs for women were established in the late 19th century; among them the Alexandra Club , and the self-consciously progressive Pioneer Club . Women also set about establishing their own clubs in
490-485: A clubhouse of 22 stories and a worldwide membership of over 11,000, is the largest traditional gentlemen's club in the world. Membership in the Yale Club is restricted to alumni, faculty, and full-time graduate students of Yale University, and the club has included women among its members since 1969. While class requirements relaxed gradually throughout the 19th and 20th centuries and, from the 1970s onwards; "relics of
588-611: A contemporary private members' club with the business facilities of an office. It was for this reason that the Institute of Directors acquired one of the older clubhouses in Pall Mall as more business-friendly. Clubs in Ireland include two prominent Dublin social clubs, each having both male and female members, a range of facilities and events, and a wide network of reciprocal clubs: The Kildare Street and University Club (formed on
686-399: A family environment. A gentleman's club offered an escape. Men's clubs were also a place for gossip. The clubs were designed for communication and the sharing of information. By gossiping, bonds were created which were used to confirm social and gender boundaries. Gossiping helped confirm a man's identity, both in his community and within society at large. It was often used as a tool to climb
784-502: A formal dining room, a bar, a library, a billiard room , and one or more parlours for reading, gaming, or socializing. Many clubs also contain guest rooms and fitness amenities. Some are associated mainly with sports, and some regularly hold other events such as formal dinners. The original clubs were established in the West End of London . Today, the area of St James's is still sometimes called "clubland". Clubs took over some parts of
882-529: A larger Billiards Room with two tables. Early in 1914, the Committee passed a resolution allowing members to invite guests (then limited to two male guests) to dinner in the evening and in the Drawing Room afterwards. Previously, only members could eat in the club. Smoking had been strictly forbidden in the club, except in rooms designated for the purpose, until in 1924 it was allowed after 1.30 pm in
980-406: A man's domestic needs. They were places to relieve stress and worries. They provided for emotional and practical needs. They provided spaces such as dining halls, a library, entertainment and game rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms and washrooms, and a study. In many ways, they resembled a home. Clubs had separate entrances for tradesmen and servants, which were usually located on the side of the building that
1078-582: A new ladies annexe was constructed under the garden, incorporating the former billiards room. It was opened in September 1961 with a separate entrance from Waterloo Place, which has an appropriate quotation in Greek from Homer's Odyssey above the door. As related in the memoirs of David Ben Gurion , Israel 's first Prime Minister, on 18 May 1937 he met at the Athenaeum Club with St John Philby ,
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#17327762397661176-487: A significant core of members of Scottish descent. It is notable for its prohibition, then radical, of the extension of membership to any member of the press. In 1829, it occupied premises in Regent Street , renamed itself the Literary Union Club, and revised its membership statutes to make it less exclusive. It had over 700 members by 1831. After membership became too numerous, it subsequently renamed itself again, as
1274-458: A suite of bedrooms. The Athenaeum was founded in 1824 at the instigation of John Wilson Croker , then Secretary to the Admiralty, who was largely responsible for the organisation and early development of the club. In 1823, Croker wrote to Sir Humphry Davy, I will take the opportunity of repeating the proposition I have made to you about a club for literary and scientific men and followers of
1372-483: A washroom. In 1936 the club took a lease of 6 Carlton Gardens, once Gladstone's house, as a ladies annexe with a dining room and drawing room (where members could invite female guests). This was closed during the Second World War and thereafter (although reopened) it lost its former popularity. The lease expired in 1961 and was not renewed. The Crown refused consent for a new building above the ground, and so
1470-546: A weekly basis, and, at each meeting, a member would present a paper, or make a speech, that would be discussed by the other members. Eminent merchants and businessmen were also accepted, but all journalists and press reporters were prohibited from joining. The founders were members of an exclusive dining club that had met in Conduit Street, Mayfair, since 1826, which had decided to expand by revising its membership statutes to make it less exclusive. The reformed Club, termed
1568-747: Is a continuous balustrade on the first floor, with an outstanding but costly frieze, designed by Decimus Burton and executed by John Henning, a leading sculptor of the day, which is a copy of the marbles from the Parthenon in Athens (" The Elgin Marbles ", now in the British Museum ), depicting the Panathenaic procession, copied from the Parthenon . Croker, who was much involved in the building of
1666-479: Is a private members' club in London, founded in 1824. It is primarily a club for men and women with intellectual interests, and particularly (but not exclusively) for those who have attained some distinction in science, engineering, literature or the arts. Humphry Davy and Michael Faraday were the first chairman and secretary and 51 Nobel Laureates have been members. The clubhouse is located at 107 Pall Mall at
1764-399: Is a statue of the classical goddess of wisdom, Athena , from whom the club derives its name. The bas-relief frieze is a copy of the frieze of the Parthenon in Athens. The club's facilities include an extensive library, a dining room known as the coffee room, a Morning Room, a drawing room on the first floor, a restored smoking room (smoking is no longer permitted) on the upper floor, and
1862-716: Is in resemblance to ancient Greece' (Campbell). However, associated societies were established only in Paris and Vienna . Each member of the Glasgow Campbell Club was granted an honorary place in the Literary Union Club. It was suggested that the members of the Club would distinguish themselves with a peculiar evening waistcoat, which would be worn, in public, with evening wear. By 1831, the Club had between 700 and 800 members and become so popular that nine out of every ten proposed candidates were blackballed. In addition to
1960-543: Is replaced by an aristocracy of ballot. Frederick Lewis Allen showed how this process operated in the case of the nine "Lords of Creation" who were listed in the New York Social Register as of 1905: 'The nine men who were listed [in the Social Register] were recorded as belonging to 9.4 clubs apiece,' wrote Allen. 'Though only two of them, J. P. Morgan and Cornelius Vanderbilt III , belonged to
2058-590: Is the oldest extant fox hunting club in North America. The Golden Square Mile is home to several of Montreal's clubs, including Club Saint-James, which was founded in 1857. At the end of the nineteenth century, twenty of its most influential members felt that the St James was becoming 'too overcrowded' and founded the smaller Mount Royal Club in 1899. Overnight it became the city's most prestigious club, and in 1918, Lord Birkenhead commented that it "is one of
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#17327762397662156-747: The Athenaeum Club , London due to a disagreement with other members of the same: accordingly, the Literary Union Club was described as ‘a sort of Junior Athenaeum’. It was intended that there would be a branch of new Literary Union Society in each of the major provincial towns and cities of the British Empire and in each capital city of Western Europe each of which would send delegates to the Parent Club in London, thereby creating an international Britannic Literary and Scientific Union, based in London, that would ‘bring […] England nearer than she
2254-563: The British Empire : in particular, Australia , India , Ireland , Pakistan , and Bangladesh . There are also many clubs in major American cities, especially the older ones. The gentlemen’s club in Moscow (Angliyskoye sobranie, rus. Английское собрание), founded approximately in 1772, was the centre of noble social and political life in the 18th-19th centuries, and largely determined public opinion. A gentleman's club typically contains
2352-700: The Knickerbocker Club , in 1933 the grandsons of six of them did. The following progress is characteristic: John D. Rockefeller, Union League Club; John D. Rockefeller, Jr., University Club ; John D. Rockefeller 3rd, Knickerbocker Club . Thus is the American aristocracy recruited.' The oldest existing American clubs date to the 18th century; the five oldest are the South River Club in Annapolis, Maryland (founded c. 1690/1700 ),
2450-544: The Knickerbocker Club , the citadel of Patrician families (indeed, both already belonged to old prominent families at the time), Stillman and Harriman joined these two in the membership of the almost equally fashionable Union Club ; Baker joined these four in the membership of the Metropolitan Club of New York (Magnificent, but easier of access to new wealth); John D. Rockefeller, William Rockefeller, and Rogers, along with Morgan and Baker were listed as members of
2548-1261: The Mississippi River are The Pacific Club in Honolulu (1851); the Pacific-Union Club (1852), Olympic Club (1860), and the Concordia-Argonaut Club (founded 1864), all in San Francisco; and the Arlington Club in Portland, Oregon (1867). Today, gentlemen's clubs in the United States remain more prevalent in older cities, especially those on the East Coast . Only twelve American cities have five or more existing clubs: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. New York City contains more than any other American city. The Yale Club of New York City , comprising
2646-558: The Royal Thames Yacht Club and the Royal Ocean Racing Club ) have a specific character that places them outside the mainstream, while other clubs have sacrificed their individuality for the commercial purpose of attracting enough members, regardless of their common interests. (See article at club for a further discussion of these distinctions.) The oldest gentleman's club in London is White's, which
2744-851: The Schuylkill Fishing Company in Andalusia, Pennsylvania (1732), the Old Colony Club in Plymouth, Massachusetts (1769), the Philadelphia Club (1834), and the Union Club of the City of New York (founded 1836). The Boston Club of New Orleans, named after Boston (card game) and not the city, is the oldest southern club, and third oldest "city club", founded in 1841. The five oldest existing clubs west of
2842-583: The Union League Club (the stronghold of Republican respectability); seven of the group belonged to the New York Yacht Club . Morgan belonged to nineteen clubs in all; Vanderbilt, to fifteen; Harriman, to fourteen.' Allen then goes on to show how the descendants of these financial giants were assimilated into the upper class : 'By way of footnote, it may be added that although in that year [1905] only two of our ten financiers belonged to
2940-504: The 21st century, numerous new private women's clubs had formed in support of previously male-dominated pursuits, including professional affiliations and business networking . In 2023, The Daily Telegraph reports that an "[A]bsolutely chilling" discordance around admitting women to men-only clubs persisted in the UK, as the SFGate also reports in the U.S. Membership is by election after
3038-574: The Athenaeum, with 14 men present, was held at the rooms of the Royal Society on 16 February 1824. A Committee was formed, the names being proposed by Croker, who wrote that "all depends on having a committee with a great many good names and a few working hands". A smaller sub-committee was appointed with full powers to do what was necessary to establish the club. It was resolved that there should be 400 members, of whom 300 were to be appointed by
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3136-950: The Brisbane Club, United Services Club and the Tattersalls Club (unrelated to the identically named club in Sydney). Adelaide has the Adelaide Club and the Naval, Military and Air Force Club of South Australia. Perth has the Western Australian Club and the Weld Club . Hobart has the Tasmanian Club and the Athenaeum Club. The Launceston Club is located in the northern city of Launceston Athenaeum Club, London The Athenaeum
3234-514: The Burtons. 51 members of the club have won the Nobel Prize, including at least one in each category of the prize. Theodore Hook in the early years of the club (of which he was a member) commenced his light-hearted verse description of the London clubs with these lines: There's first the Athenaeum Club; so wise there's not a man of it That has not sense enough for six (in fact that is
3332-538: The Clarence Club, occupied 12 Waterloo Place, Pall Mall and limited its membership to 600. It was dissolved in April 1834. Campbell's Literary Association of the Friends of Poland , founded in 1831, took most of its membership from the Clarence Club. The Literary Union Club was founded in 1829, by the poet Thomas Campbell , as a conversazione society for the arts, science, and literature. Members convened on
3430-1025: The Commonwealth Club, the Kelvin Club, the Newcastle Club, the Royal Automobile Club, the Tattersalls Club in Sydney and the Union, University and Schools Club allow women to enjoy full membership. Sydney has the Australian Club , the Royal Automobile Club of Australia , the Tattersalls Club and the Union, University & Schools Club . The City Tattersalls Club , which named itself after
3528-823: The Faculty Club associated with the University of Toronto , the Arts and Letters Club , and a number of other clubs. Other Ontario cities have their clubs: the Rideau Club at Ottawa; the Hamilton Club; the Frontenac Club at Kingston , and The Waterloo Club by letters patent. The Halifax Club was founded in 1862. The Union Club (Saint John) in Saint John, New Brunswick was founded in 1884 through
3626-504: The Literary Union Club, is variously reported to have had a maximum of 400 or 500 members, and was planned as, "an attempt to restore that state of society which existed in the latter part of the seventeenth and during the greater portion of the eighteenth century ; when all who loved to dabble in ink, sought the coffee-houses frequented by the literary lions of the day, and derived as much amusement from their conversations as they had instructions from their writings." The first meeting of
3724-720: The Tattersalls Club, no longer has exclusive membership criteria. Newcastle has the Newcastle Club. Melbourne has the Melbourne Club , the Alexandra Club, the Athenaeum Club (named after its counterpart in London), the Australian Club (unrelated to the identically named club in Sydney), the Kelvin Club and the Savage Club . Geelong has The Geelong Club . Brisbane has the Queensland Club ,
3822-631: The United States have at least one traditional gentlemen's club, many of which have reciprocal relationships with older clubs in London, with each other, and with other gentlemen's clubs around the world. In American English , the term "gentlemen's club" is commonly used euphemistically by strip clubs . As a result, traditional gentlemen's clubs often are called "men's clubs" or "city clubs" (as opposed to country clubs ) or simply as "private social clubs" or "private clubs". Christopher Doob explains in his book Social Inequality and Social Stratification in U.S. Society : The most exclusive social clubs are in
3920-445: The admissions committee's standards for values and behavior. Old money prevails over new money as the Rockefeller family experience suggests. John D. Rockefeller , the family founder and the nation's first billionaire, joined the Union League Club , a fairly respectable but not top-level club; John D. Rockefeller, Jr. , belonged to the University Club , a step up from his father; and finally his son John D. Rockefeller, III , reached
4018-420: The advent of mobile working (using phone and email) has placed pressures on the traditional London clubs which frown on, and often ban, the use of mobiles and discourage laptops, indeed any discussion of business matters or 'work related papers'. A new breed of business-oriented private members' clubs, exemplified by One Alfred Place and Eight in London or the Gild in Barcelona, combines the style, food and drink of
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4116-416: The age of exclusion" reported SFGate in the United States in 2004 "seem to be in no danger of going the way of other 19th century institutions." At Montreal, the Beaver Club was founded in 1785. Every year, some of its members travelled back to England to sell their furs, where they established the Canada Club in 1810; it still meets twice yearly as a dining club. The Montreal Hunt Club, founded in 1826,
4214-643: The armed forces, or the same school or university. Thus the growth of clubs gives some indication of what was considered a respectable part of the "Establishment" at the time. By the late 19th century, any man with a credible claim to the status of "gentleman" was eventually able to find a club willing to admit him, unless his character was objectionable in some way or he was "unclubbable" (a word first used by F. Burney). This newly expanded category of English society came to include professionals who had to earn their income, such as doctors and lawyers. Most gentlemen belonged to only one club, which closely corresponded with
4312-404: The arts". This rule has always been a special feature of the club and, with the addition of the words "or for public service", remains in force today. Ordinary members were elected by ballot (until 1935). The Duke of Wellington was a founding member of the club and the stone installed at his request to assist him in mounting his horse can still be seen on the pavement outside the front porch. After
4410-538: The best clubs I know in the New World, with the indefinable atmosphere about it of a good London club". In 1908 the University Club (McGill University), affiliated with McGill , opened. The Forest and Stream was formed by Frank Stephen and some of his gentlemen friends and associates on 27 November 1884 at a meeting held at the St. Lawrence Hall in Montreal. The club's original founders were Andrew Allan, James Bryce Allan, Hugh Montagu Allan, Louis Joseph Forget, Hartland St. Claire MacDougall, Hugh Paton, and Frank Stephen. It
4508-402: The centre of London where men could relax, mix with their friends, play parlour games , get a meal, and in some clubs stay overnight. Expatriates, when staying in England, could use their clubs, as with the East India Club or the Oriental Club , as a base. They allowed upper- and upper-middle-class men with modest incomes to spend their time in grand surroundings. The richer clubs were built by
4606-445: The club a private space and attempted to control the spread of information from the outside. Under no circumstance was the club to be depressing or too involved in the pains of reality. Whether from "the streets, the courts, Parliament , or the Stock Exchange ," the chaotic nature of work life was put on hold. Young bachelors and other members were in many ways shielded from the true problems of society, especially female ones. While it
4704-417: The club could be represented as " homosocial domesticity". Similar to male coffeehouses of the Ottoman Empire , the clubs were a home away from home. They were alternative, competing spaces in the sense that it had some similarities with the traditional home. One of the key attractions of these clubs was their private, often exclusive, nature. They were getaways from the tight, restrictive role expected from
4802-424: The club, only the wealth and importance of the club and its amenities was displayed instead of their possibly inferior possessions or structures at home. In English clubs, this domesticity was particularly emphasized. These clubs, primarily in London, were usually very "quiet" and their members were well-behaved: again pointing to the calm familiarity of the household. In addition, club staff were tasked with keeping
4900-481: The clubhouse was first lit by electricity, supplied by its own two generators in the basement until connected to a public supply in 1896. The interior of the clubhouse was extensively redecorated in the early 1890s to designs by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema and Sir Edward Poynter , both members of the club. The morning room decoration (by Poynter) remains largely unchanged. An electric lift was installed in 1900, replacing an earlier hydraulic lift. The 3rd principal storey
4998-525: The clubhouse, was determined that it should have the frieze, despite the cost, and resisted pressure from some members (in those pre-refrigeration days) that an ice-house be part of the scheme; leading some wit to compose the rhyme: I'm John Wilson Croker, I do as I please. Instead of an Ice-House I give you a... Frieze! The frieze was executed by John Henning at a cost of £1,300. Building works commenced in 1827 and were completed by 1830. The statue of Pallas Athene by Edward Hodges Baily , which stands above
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#17327762397665096-434: The committee and the remainder elected by ballot. Sir Humphry Davy became the first chairman of the club and Michael Faraday the first secretary. Faraday soon found that he could not spare the time required and resigned, though he remained a member of the club. The total number of members was increased to 1,000 by December 1824. By May 1824 temporary premises had been rented at 12 Waterloo Place, which had been constructed by
5194-405: The company of club member James Burton, the pre-eminent London property developer , whose son Decimus Burton , then 24 years old, was commissioned to design a permanent clubhouse. A site was chosen on the north side of Pall Mall East but was found to be too small. The next proposed site was on the east side of Trafalgar Square, but then the government decided to demolish Carlton House and develop
5292-405: The completion of the building there was a cash deficit of some £20,000 and in 1832 it was decided to bring in 200 supernumerary members, half selected by the committee and half elected by the club. This restored the finances for the time being, but additional expenditure was soon required to improve the ventilation of the clubhouse and because of recurrent troubles with the gas lighting (it was one of
5390-420: The corner of Waterloo Place. It was designed by Decimus Burton in the Neoclassical style , and built by the company of Decimus's father, James Burton , the pre-eminent London property developer. Decimus was described by architectural scholar Guy Williams as "the designer and prime member of the Athenaeum, one of London's grandest gentlemens' [ sic ] clubs". The clubhouse has a Doric portico , above which
5488-433: The demolition of no inconsiderable quantity of crockery, with other goods and chattels belonging to the club. One leading performer in the scene is said to have been a popular poet. Such behaviour led the members of the Athenaeum Club to satirically describe the Literary Union Club as 'anything but Literary or United' and led the periodical The Age to describe the Literary Union Club as a Club whose meetings were convened on
5586-433: The drawing room afterwards. Later, they were also allowed as guests to lunch. In 2002 the members voted by a large majority to admit women as members on the same terms in all respects as men. After the club relocated to its present clubhouse, two members to be admitted were Decimus Burton , the architect of the clubhouse, and his father, James Burton, the pre-eminent London property developer , whose company had constructed
5684-415: The drawing room and in 1928 throughout the club, except in the coffee room (as the main dining room is still designated) and the south library. In 1927/28 a fourth storey was built to provide bedrooms for members and the third floor, which had previously held staff bedrooms, was adapted to provide members' bedrooms. At the same time a large part of the third floor smoking room was converted into bedrooms and
5782-479: The fine arts. The fashionable and military clubs... have spoiled all the coffee houses and taverns so that the artist, or mere literary man... are in a much worse position. Croker suggested 30 names for the club's organising committee, including the Earl of Aberdeen, the Earl of Ashburnham, Earl Spencer, Lord Palmerston, Sir Thomas Lawrence, Francis Chantrey, and Robert Smirke the Younger: all of those invited, except Richard Payne Knight, accepted. The first meeting of
5880-459: The first buildings to be lit by gas) and it was decided in 1838 to increase the permitted number of members to 1,200, which made it necessary to elect a further 40 members. These became known as the "Forty Thieves" and comprised some very distinguished men including Charles Dickens and Charles Darwin. The number of members was still 1,200 when Humphry Ward published his history of the club in 1926, but has subsequently been increased to 2,000. There
5978-409: The first time to live at their club for two or three years before they could afford to rent a house or flat. Gentleman's clubs were private places that were designed to allow men to relax and create friendships with other men. In the 19th and 20th centuries, clubs were regarded as a central part of elite men's lives. They provided everything a regular home would have. Clubs were created and designed for
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#17327762397666076-411: The general acceptation of the term, may be regarded as one of the earliest offshoots of man's habitual gregariousness and social inclination." An increasing number of clubs were influenced by their members' interests in politics, literature, sport, art, automobiles, travel, particular countries, or some other pursuit. In other cases, the connection between the members was membership in the same branch of
6174-429: The guest flow could be more easily controlled than at the home. Members' social status was marked by the prestige of the club, but within it, the lines were blurred. Prominent guests could be invited to dinner or to lounge at the club over the house. Staff would monitor these guests and their arrival for the members and, as employees of the members, could personally tailor the experience. Thus, by holding important events at
6272-433: The initial distinguished members, numerous men of little distinction in the arts, science, or literature, had been admitted. As a consequence of this, in 1831, the Literary Union Club renamed itself the Clarence Club, expelled some of its previous members, and limited its membership to 600. The new club was governed by an Executive Committee of 100, led by the Chair, Campbell. However, the new, reduced, maximum number of members
6370-449: The juice of the grateful grape', the 1831 Annual Ball of the Club was described thus: On the occasion last annual ball, before the dissolution [prior to its renaming as Clarence Club], to the servants of the club, several members happened, like Tam O'Shanter, to become 'o'er all the ills of life victorious,' by an undue devotion to the juice of the grateful grape. They danced with the maids with an energy which would have done no discredit to
6468-420: The late 19th century, such as the Ladies' Institute, and the Ladies' Athenaeum. They proved quite popular at the time, but only one London-based club, The University Women's Club , has survived to this day as a single-sex establishment. Traditionally barred from full membership in existing clubs of similar interest, and somewhat mobilized by the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in the United States; by
6566-731: The merger of Kildare Street Club ( traditionally Conservative ) with The Dublin University Club ( academic )) and The St Stephen's Green Hibernian Club (similarly formed when the St Stephen's Green Club ( Whig ) merged with The Hibernian United Services Club ( military )). A number of other, specialist clubs flourish in Dublin such as The Royal Irish Automobile Club (R.I.A.C) on Dawson Street, Established in 1901, The United Arts Club, Royal Irish Academy , Royal Dublin Society , Yacht Clubs (The Royal Irish , The National , and The Royal St George ) of Dún Laoghaire, The Hibernian Catch Club ( catch music ), and The Friendly Brothers of St Patrick ( originally anti-duelling ). Most major cities in
6664-414: The merger of two earlier clubs, and the Fredericton Garrison Club was founded in 1969 by associate members of the area headquarters officers' mess. The Manitoba Club is Western Canada's oldest club, founded in 1874 at Winnipeg. The Union Club of British Columbia was founded in 1879 in Victoria. The Vancouver Club was founded in 1889. Australia has a number of gentlemen's clubs. Of those listed below,
6762-465: The network analysis perspective by Maria Zozaya. Today, establishments based on the concept of the traditional gentlemen's clubs exist throughout the world, predominantly in Commonwealth countries and the United States. Many clubs offer reciprocal hospitality to other clubs' members when travelling abroad. There are perhaps some 25 traditional London gentlemen's clubs of particular note, from The Arts Club to White's . A few estimable clubs (such as
6860-409: The new Literary Union Club occurred at Campbell's residence at 10 Seymour Street, Connaught Square , the second at the residence, in Soho Square , of Henry William Pickersgill , R.A., who was admitted as a member. The Club took premises at old Athenaeum House, Regent Street, in 1829, and later moved to 12 Waterloo Place, Pall Mall . Its initial membership consisted of a core of gentlemen who had left
6958-407: The new clubhouse to Decimus's design. The cast of the Apollo Belvedere positioned in the recess at the top of the principal staircase at the Athenaeum was a gift to the club from Decimus. There is a photographic portrait of Decimus, taken in 1873, preserved at the club, and the club retains some furniture designed by Decimus. Another early member was Sir Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood , a close friend of
7056-592: The oldest cities – Boston, New York City, and Philadelphia. Others, which are well respected, have developed in such major cities as Pittsburgh, Chicago, and San Francisco. The most exclusive social clubs are two in New York City – the Links and the Knickerbocker (Allen 1987, 25) Personal wealth has never been the sole basis for attaining membership in exclusive clubs. The individual and family must meet
7154-540: The pinnacle with his acceptance into the Knickerbocker Club (Baltzell 1989, 340). E. Digby Baltzell , sociologist of the WASP establishment, explains in his book Philadelphia Gentlemen: The Making of a National Upper Class : The circulation of elites in America and the assimilation of new men of power and influence into the upper class takes place primarily through the medium of urban clubdom. Aristocracy of birth
7252-607: The plan of it); The very waiters answer you with eloquence Socratical, And always place the knives and forks in order mathematical. In 1853, Charles Manby Smith noted the importance of the club: "from having been wise enough to join the grocer's Plum-pudding Club, they shall end by becoming prosperous enough to join the Whittington Club, or the Gresham Club , or the Athenaeum Club, or the Travellers' Club ; or
7350-481: The porch, was installed in the same year (the spear was added later). The total cost was £43,101 14s 8d. This exceeded the estimate by £2,226, attributed to the cost of gas fittings and furniture. The cast of the Apollo Belvedere positioned in the recess at the top of the principal staircase at the Athenaeum was a gift to the club from Decimus Burton. A statue of Demosthenes was first installed there but
7448-409: The principal performers in a Scotch Highland fling. Tired of the dance, and of 'tasting the lips' of Sally, and Mary, and Janet, and the entire sisterhood, in short, of cooks, housemaids, scullery-maids, &c., they ordered pipes and tobacco, and became so uproarious that no Irish man could have wished a more 'jolly old row.' Among the fruits of the frolic were the smashing of sundry panes of glass, and
7546-461: The promise of 'tea and toast' but concluded in 'a bear-garden of a row'. 51°30′28″N 0°07′59″W / 51.50764°N 0.13316°W / 51.50764; -0.13316 Gentlemen%27s 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. Many countries outside Britain have prominent gentlemen's clubs, mostly those associated with
7644-468: The proposers (at least two and in many clubs more), who have known the candidate for a term of years, formally nominate the person for membership. Election is by a special committee (itself elected), which may interview the candidate and which looks at any support and also objections of other members. Some top clubs still maintain distinctions which are often undefined and rarely explained to those who do not satisfy their membership requirements. After reaching
7742-517: The role occupied by coffee houses in 18th-century London . The first clubs, such as White's , Brooks's , and Boodle's , were aristocratic in flavour, and provided an environment for gambling, which was illegal outside of members-only establishments. The 19th century brought an explosion in the popularity of clubs, particularly around the 1880s. At the height of their influence in the late 19th century, London had over 400 such establishments. Club Life in London , an 1866 book, begins: "The Club in
7840-454: The same architects as the finest country houses of the time and had similar types of interiors. They were a convenient retreat for men who wished to get away from female relations, "in keeping with the separate spheres ideology according to which the man dealt with the public world, whereas women's domain was the home." Many men spent much of their lives at their club, and it was common for young, newly graduated men who had moved to London for
7938-663: The site and a portion of it was offered to the Athenaeum. The offer was accepted and a long lease was granted by the Crown. Decimus Burton was commissioned to design the clubhouse at 107 Pall Mall , at the corner of Waterloo Place . Despite his young age, Decimus Burton had already designed many notable buildings in London. Burton's clubhouse is in the Neoclassical style, with a Doric portico with paired columns, and has been described by architectural scholar Guy Williams as "a building of remarkable grace and astonishing novelty" with
8036-417: The social ladder. It revealed that a man had certain information others did not have. It was also a tool used to demonstrate a man's masculinity. It established certain gender roles. Men told stories and joked. The times and places a man told stories, gossiped, and shared information were also considered to show a man's awareness of behaviour and discretion. Clubs were places where men could gossip freely. Gossip
8134-446: The stoic gentleman. Like the home, men could act and behave in ways not usually acceptable in public society. For men who lived their lives at the club, the home lost its status as their base. Members would use this address for official documentation, mailing, and appointments. Meals, formal or informal, were provided and tastes could be catered for by the club staff. Spaces within the club were designated for these various functions, and
8232-633: The top of a long waiting list, there is a possibility of being blackballed during the process of formal election by the committee. In these circumstances, the principal proposer of such a person may be expected to resign, as he failed to withdraw his undesirable candidate. More often, the member who proposes an unsuitable candidate will be "spoken to" at a much earlier stage than this, by senior committee members, and he will withdraw his candidate to avoid embarrassment for all concerned. The clubs are owned by their members and not by an individual or corporate body. These kinds of relationships have been analyzed from
8330-452: The trade or social/political identity he felt most defined him, but a few people belonged to several. Members of the aristocracy and politicians were likely to have several clubs. The record number of memberships is believed to have been held by Earl Mountbatten , who had nineteen in the 1960s. Public entertainments, such as musical performances and the like, were not a feature of this sort of club. The clubs were, in effect, "second homes" in
8428-419: The work has been carried out by Mr. Burton. They can testify, and indeed the foregoing Accounts evince, the general accuracy of his estimates and they trust that the club at large, as well as the public, must be satisfied of his professional skill, and the beauty of his architectural designs. The original building had two principal storeys; the third and fourth were added at the end of the 19th century. There
8526-400: Was added to the building in 1898 after more than one earlier proposal had been rejected, largely because the members were not prepared to accept an increase in the subscription. This provided space for a large Smoking Room and other rooms including staff bedrooms. The architect was T.E. Collcutt. In 1899 the small smoking room in the basement was combined with the adjoining Billiards Room to make
8624-456: Was also a tool that led to more practical results in the outside world. There were also rules that governed gossip in the clubs. These rules governed the privacy and secrecy of members. Clubs regulated this form of communication so that it was done in a more acceptable manner. Until the 1950s, clubs were also heavily regulated in the rooms open to non-members. Most clubs contained just one room where members could dine and entertain non-members; it
8722-432: Was always a long waiting list in the 19th century and the earlier years of the 20th century. The first librarian of the Athenaeum was Spencer Hall , appointed in 1833 on the recommendation of his relative Edward Magrath, who succeeded Michael Faraday as first secretary of the club. In 1874 Henry Richard Tedder became assistant to Spencer Hall. From 1873 he had been librarian to John Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton , who
8820-524: Was an active member of the club. Hall died in 1875 and Tedder became librarian, and also secretary from 1888. He remained until retirement in 1914. Originally water was obtained from a well and St Martins pump and also (unsatisfactorily) from the Chelsea Water Works. A proper public supply was connected in 1853 and in 1855 a primitive system of mains drainage was made available, although a fully efficient system did not come until 1885. In 1886
8918-552: Was deemed to be excessively large by many of the eminent founders, many of whom, dissatisfied with Campbell's incompetent leadership, left and returned to the Athenaeum Club , London as a consequence of which the Clarence closed, in 1834. The membership of the Literary Association of the Friends of Poland , also founded, in 1831, by Campbell, was drawn mainly from the Clarence Club. Known for its 'undue devotion to
9016-423: Was definitely an escape, it was not an escape from domesticity. Men knew and enjoyed the matching elements of the home life; it was more of a transfer or alternative reality. Despite the opportunity for mobility within the club, secrecy and exclusivity supported the patriarchal authority. With the absence of female voices and set of rigid institutional structures, members created internal stability. Induction into
9114-906: Was formed with 15 shareholders and is still open today. Quebec City has the Literary and Historical Society , the Stadacona Club, and the Garrison Club, which was founded by officers of the Canadian Militia and opened to the public in 1879. The Toronto Club is the oldest in that city, founded in 1837. Others include the National Club , the Albany Club , the York Club , the University Club of Toronto,
9212-685: Was founded in 1693. Discussion of trade or business is usually not allowed in traditional gentlemen's clubs, although it may hire out its rooms to external organisations for events. Similar clubs exist in other large UK cities, such as: In London, the original gentlemen's clubs exist alongside the late 20th century private members' clubs such the Groucho Club , Soho House and Home House , which offer memberships by subscription and are owned and run as commercial concerns. All offer similar facilities such as food, drink, comfortable surroundings, venue hire and in many cases accommodation. In recent years
9310-565: Was not always the case; it was not always a place that provided privacy and comfort: perhaps because the homes of elite families often entertained guests for dinners, formal teas, entertainment, and parties. Their lives were on display, and often their lives would be reported in local papers. A gentleman's club offered an escape from this family world. Another explanation would be that men were brought up as boys in all-male environments in places like schools and sports pastimes, and they became uncomfortable when they had to share their lives with women in
9408-429: Was not easily seen by the public eye. Many clubs had waiting lists, some as long as sixteen years. There is no standard definition for what is considered a gentlemen's club. Each club differed slightly from others. In the 19th century, the family was considered one of the most important aspects of a man's life. A man's home was his property and should have been a place to satisfy most of his needs, but for elite men, this
9506-647: Was often assumed that one's entire social circle should be within the same club. Harold Macmillan was said to have taken "refuge in West End clubs ...: Pratt's , Athenaeum , Buck's , Guards , the Beefsteak , the Turf , [and] the Carlton ". Although gentlemen's clubs were originally geared towards a male audience, domestic life played a key role in their establishment and continuity. Defying classic gender norms,
9604-637: Was speedily removed and replaced by the Apollo. The statues of Venus and Diana on either side of the hall are casts of antique statues in the Louvre in Paris. The new building was complete by early 1830 and the first general meeting was held there on 30 May 1830. In the same year the rules of the club were amended by the addition of a new Rule 2, which allowed the Committee to elect each year not more than nine persons "of distinguished eminence in science, literature or
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