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26-599: British Club may refer to: British Club (Bangkok) , a social club in Thailand British Club (football) , a football club in Mexico See also [ edit ] Gentlemen's club , a type of social club originally set up by men from Britain's upper classes, of which many in the British colonies bore the name British Club List of football clubs in

52-693: A gentlemen's club in the style commonly found across the British Empire (which did not include Siam—as Thailand was then known—though its sphere of influence extended over the country), and admitted as its members directors and senior managers of some British companies and diplomats with the British Legation. Non-British individuals could be elected to become honorary members, and some facilities were open to ladies belonging to members' families. The club's membership gradually grew, to about 100 members by 1908, prompting plans for relocation to

78-547: A charity fair, first held at the club in 1948, which was the precursor to the annual Ploenchit Fair , held at the British Embassy since 1957. With the relocation of the war memorial from the embassy in 2019, the club now also serves as the site of the embassy's annual Remembrance Day service. 13°43′36″N 100°31′25″E  /  13.72667°N 100.52361°E  / 13.72667; 100.52361 Siam Electricity Company The company's first inception

104-562: A more expansive site, which was realised, further down the road on the south side, with a purpose-built clubhouse, in 1910. The land was initially rented, until 1914 when ownership was gifted to the club by King Vajiravudh (Rama VI). In 1919, the club acquired the adjacent Bangkok Lawn Tennis Club, previously owned by the Siam Electricity Company , expanding its land footprint to the present day's 8.75 rai (14,000 m ; 3.46 acres). The club continued to grow throughout

130-454: A new, separate club. They formed the first committee on 24 April, and the club opened on 6 July the same year. The club originally occupied premises on the north side of Surawong Road (then known as Suriwongse), at what is now the corner of Maha Set Road, not far from Surawong's junction with Charoen Krung Road , then the commercial heart of the Bang Rak expatriate neighbourhood. It was

156-534: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages British Club (Bangkok) The British Club is an expatriates' social club in Bangkok , Thailand . It was founded as a British gentlemen's club in 1903, and established in its current location on Surawong Road in 1910. The club's operations were disrupted by the Second World War , after which it

182-555: The 1997 financial crisis , and from increased competition in the 2000s, prompting it to re-orientate its positioning, first (unsuccessfully) in 2006 as a family-friendly establishment, then in 2011 as "the social, sports and cultural centre for the English-speaking community in Bangkok". It launched an annual membership programme in 2010, which was successful in boosting its membership numbers and bolstering its finances. When

208-747: The ASA Architectural Conservation Award in 2006, and is listed as an unregistered ancient monument by the Fine Arts Department . It is among several historic buildings in Bang Rak District, and neighbours the neoclassical Neilson Hays Library . The club offers sporting facilities, including swimming pools, tennis and squash courts, cricket practice nets, a fitness centre, and a multi-purpose court used for hockey, five-a-side football and indoor-rules cricket. Snooker, pool and darts are available at

234-536: The British Embassy sold its grounds on Phloen Chit Road in 2019, a war memorial, which had been erected there in 1923, was relocated to the British Club and unveiled on 29 August. The British Club is situated off Surawong Road, with its main entrance served by Soi Si Lom 18, an alleyway branching off the parallel Si Lom Road . The original clubhouse, which continues to serve as the main building,

260-513: The Metropolitan Electricity Authority in 1958. The company's original building is being restored and converted into a museum. The Siam Electricity Company was first founded in 1889 by a group of royals and nobles, headed by Prince Thongthaem Thavalyawongse , who made a request to King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) for a thirty-year monopoly on what would be the country's first electric power station. Siam Electricity

286-538: The United Kingdom Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title British Club . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=British_Club&oldid=1035977605 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

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312-583: The business to American L.E. Bennet, who sold the rights to a Danish group, headed by Andreas du Plessis de Richelieu , the following year. The Danes incorporated a new company in Copenhagen, also known as Siam Electricity Company (and alternatively as the Electricity Company Limited), and revived the business and had the concession term extended to 1950. Under the management of Aage Westenholz  [ da ] , electrification

338-575: The club grounds and detained most of its members. The club's archival documents up until then were all destroyed. Following the war, Victor Jacques , who had been a brigadier in the British Army and returned to Thailand representing the Special Operations Executive , called together previous club members to re-establish the club, and became the first chairman of its new formation. He was able to reclaim club ownership of

364-518: The following decades, and it became a major hub of British social life in Bangkok. Activities were mainly centred around the bar, especially at lunchtime on Saturdays. A monthly cinema club was also held. However, operations were disrupted when the Second World War reached Thailand in 1941. On 9 December, Japanese forces, following the country's declaration of war against the British Empire and its invasion of Malaya and Thailand , commandeered

390-469: The indoor bars. The club also features restaurants, lounge areas, and function rooms available for business and social events. It has over 400 reciprocal clubs in 60 countries. The British Club is closely oriented towards the British community in Thailand, and has ties with several community organizations, who are allowed regular use of the club grounds. The club was one of the original co-organizers of

416-419: The numerous nearby mills for fuel, and distributed along several streets in the city: Tri Phet , Ban Mo , Sanam Chai and Bamrung Mueang going north, and Charoen Krung , Yaowarat and Sampheng to the southeast. The power was used solely for lighting, mainly of the streets, royal residences and government offices, plus handful of nobles' and foreigners' residences, meaning that most of the revenue came from

442-751: The premises, which had been erroneously given to the YMCA, as its land deeds had been mortgaged to the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank and survived the war. The latter half of the twentieth century saw the introduction of new amenities including a swimming pool, squash courts, kitchens, and a fitness centre. The club also saw its membership requirements changing, first in 1975 to accept Australians, New Zealanders and Canadians as full ("ordinary") members and allowing other nationalities to be invited as associate members, then in 1986 to allow women to become members in their own right. The club suffered from loss of members following

468-456: The royal government. The initial operations met with many obstacles, including unreliability, ballooning costs due to reliance on hired Western engineers, fuel shortages, and theft of electric cables. The company went bankrupt in 1892, after three years of operation, and the royal government took over its operations, albeit rather unwillingly as it continued to operate at a loss. In 1897, the government granted an extendable ten-year concession for

494-457: Was built in 1910 to designs by an unknown, probably British, architect. It is a two-storey masonry building, in the Georgian style , with an arched portico entryway and stucco-decorated classical pediment marking the centre of its symmetrical façade. The building was damaged during World War II, requiring extensive repairs, and the interior has been several times renovated. The building received

520-491: Was established as a private company; though the majority of its shares were held by the Crown, its operations were independent of the royal government of Siam, as Thailand was then known. Its generating station was located on the grounds of Wat Ratchaburana , which was also known as Wat Liap, leading the factory to also become known as Wat Liap Power Plant. Electricity was generated by steam engine , mainly using rice husks from

546-509: Was extended north to Dusit Palace and southeast to the Chinese and Western business districts (now Chinatown and Bang Rak ), where private businesses quickly adopted its use. The company provided electricity for Bangkok's first tram line , which had been electrified in 1893, and acquired the line in 1900. By 1908, it operated half the city's tram lines, and also provided the city with street-watering and firefighting services. The company

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572-694: Was in 1889, but it struggled and went bankrupt within a few years. In 1898, a Danish company of the same name was granted a concession for its operations, and the business prospered under the new company. The availability of electricity was expanded throughout the city, as were tram services. The plant was heavily damaged by Allied bombing towards the end of World War II , but was repaired and continued to operate for almost two more decades. The company, which had been renamed Thai Electric Corporation Limited in 1939, operated until 1950, when its concession ended and its operations were nationalized as Bangkok Electric Works . The state enterprise in turn became merged into

598-653: Was re-established. Today, the club features several sporting facilities, as well as dining services and function rooms in the original clubhouse, which has been recognized as an award-winning historic building, and is one of several historic buildings in Bang Rak District . The British Club was founded in 1903, when, following a dispute, a group of British members of the United Club —then the main social club for Western expatriates in Bangkok—broke away to form

624-551: Was set up as a state enterprise in 1950. Electricity demand in Bangkok as well as throughout the country surged during the post-war period, prompting the government to redevelop the country's energy infrastructure. Bangkok Electric Works was merged with the Public Works Department's Electrical Division (the operator of Sam Sen Power Plant) to become the Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) in 1958. Wat Liap Power Plant ceased operations soon afterward, as it

650-535: Was the company renamed to Thai Electric Corporation Limited. During World War II , when Thailand allied with Japan , Bangkok was subject to Allied bombing raids , and the two power plants were bombed and disabled in April 1945, leaving the city in darkness. Wat Liap Power Plant was brought back online after two months, and continued to operate under the company until the end of 1949, when its concession expired. The operations were taken over by Bangkok Electric Works, which

676-509: Was very successful, and its capital expanded sevenfold within ten years of operation. The company was sold to a Belgian group in 1913, and was joined in the market by the government-owned Sam Sen Power Plant in 1914. Siam Electricity became responsible for providing electricity south of Bang Lamphu Canal in the east side of the city, and south of Khlong Bangkok Noi in the Thonburi side. When Siam changed its name to Thailand in 1939, so

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