The Alpine Club was founded in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in 1857 and is the world's first mountaineering club. The primary focus of the club is to support mountaineers who climb in the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

and the

Greater Ranges The Roof of the World or Top of the World is a metaphoric epithet or phrase used to describe the high region in the world, also known as High Asia. The term usually refers to the mountainous interior of Asia, including the Pamirs, the Himalayas, ...

of the world's mountains.

History

The Alpine Club was founded on 22 December 1857 by a group of British mountaineers at Ashley's Hotel in London. The original founders were active mountaineers in the

and instrumental in the development of alpine mountaineering during the

Golden Age of Alpinism The golden age of alpinism was the decade in mountaineering between Alfred Wills's ascent of the Wetterhorn in 1854 and Edward Whymper's ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865, during which many major peaks in the Alps saw their first ascents. Prom ...

(1854–1865). E. S. Kennedy was the first chairman of the Alpine Club but the naturalist, John Ball, was the first president. Kennedy, also the first vice-president, succeeded him as president of the club from 1860 to 1863. In 1863, the club moved its headquarters to the Metropole Hotel. The Alpine Club is specifically known for having developed early mountaineering-specific gear including a new type of rope. The goal was to engineer a strong and light rope that could be carried easily. A committee of the club tested samples from suppliers and prepared a specification in the early 1900s. The official Alpine Club Rope was then made by John Buckingham of Bloomsbury. It was made from three strands of

manila hemp Manila hemp, also known as abacá, is a type of buff-colored fiber obtained from ''Musa textilis'' (a relative of edible bananas), which is likewise called Manila hemp as well as abacá. It is mostly used for pulping for a range of uses, inclu ...

, treated to be rot proof and marked with a red thread of

worsted Worsted ( or ) is a high-quality type of wool yarn, the fabric made from this yarn, and a yarn weight category. The name derives from Worstead, a village in the English county of Norfolk. That village, together with North Walsham and Aylsham, for ...

yarn. The present Alpine Club members remain extremely active in the Alps and the

, as well as in mountain arts, literature and science. For many years it had the characteristics of a London-based Gentlemen's club, including a certain imprecision in the qualification for membership (said to have been 'A reasonable number of respectable peaks'). Until 1974, the club was strictly for men only, but in 1975, within months of membership being opened to women, a merger with the

Ladies' Alpine Club The Ladies' Alpine Club was founded in London in 1907 and was the first mountaineering club for women. It merged with the Alpine Club of Great Britain in 1975. History In December 1907 a group of ladies who were climbers in the Alps met in Lon ...

was agreed, and the Club thus gained about 150 new members.

George Band George Christopher Band (2 February 1929 – 26 August 2011) was an English mountaineer. He was the youngest climber on the 1953 British expedition to Mount Everest on which Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay made the first ascent of the mountai ...

, ''Summit: 150 Years of the Alpine Club'' (London: Collins, 2006, ), pp. 236–237 By the last quarter of the 20th century, the club had evolved into Britain's senior mountaineering club, with a clear qualification for membership, for both men and women, and an 'aspirant' grade for those working towards full membership. However, it still requires prospective members to be proposed and seconded by existing members. The club's history has been documented by

in his book ''Summit: 150 Years of the Alpine Club'', and its artists in ''The Artists of the Alpine Club'' by Peter Mallalieu.

Current activities

Though the club organizes some UK-based meets and indoor lectures, its primary focus has always tended towards mountaineering overseas. It is associated more with exploratory mountaineering than with purely technical climbing (the early club was once dismissed as doing very little climbing but "a lot of walking steeply uphill"). These higher technical standards were often to be found in offshoots such as the 'Alpine Climbing Group' (ACG), founded in 1952. The club has produced a suite of guidebooks which cover some of the more popular

Alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National Pa ...

mountaineering regions. It also holds extensive book and photo libraries as well as an archive of historical artefacts which are regularly lent out to exhibitions. Its members' activities are recounted annually in the club's publication the ''

Alpine Journal The ''Alpine Journal'' (''AJ'') is an annual publication by the Alpine Club of London. It is the oldest mountaineering journal in the world. History The magazine was first published on 2 March 1863 by the publishing house of Longman in London ...

'', the world's oldest mountaineering journal, and interim newsletters are produced during the year. The club continues to encourage and sponsor mountaineering expeditions through its membership and is specifically focused on connecting with younger mountaineers. It maintains an online "Himalayan Index" of articles about Himalayan mountaineering activities recorded in the journals, magazines and books in its library.

Presidents

*1858–1860: John Ball *1861–1863: E. S. Kennedy *1864–1865:

Alfred Wills Sir Alfred Wills (11 December 1828 – 9 August 1912) was a judge of the High Court of England and Wales and a well-known mountaineer. He was the third President of the Alpine Club, from 1863 to 1865. Early life Wills was the second son of Wi ...

*1866–1868:

Leslie Stephen Sir Leslie Stephen (28 November 1832 – 22 February 1904) was an English author, critic, historian, biographer, and mountaineer, and the father of Virginia Woolf and Vanessa Bell. Life Sir Leslie Stephen came from a distinguished intellect ...

*1869–1871: William Matthews *1872–1874: William Longman *1875–1877:

Thomas Woodbine Hinchliff Thomas Woodbine Hinchliff (5 December 1825 – 8 May 1882) was an English mountaineer, traveller, and author, from 1875 to 1877 the seventh President of the Alpine Club. After qualifying as a barrister, Hinchliff abandoned the law and took to a ...

*1878–1880: Charles Matthews *1881–1883:

Thomas George Bonney Thomas George Bonney (27 July 1833 – 10 December 1923) was an English geologist, president of the Geological Society of London. Career Bonney was born in Rugeley, Staffordshire, England, the eldest son of the Reverend Thomas Bonney, headma ...

*1884–1886:

Florence Crauford Grove Florence Crauford Grove (12 March 1838 – 17 August 1902) was an English mountaineer and author, sometimes known as F. Crauford Grove. He led the first expedition to ascend the higher summit of Mount Elbrus and was at one time president of ...

*1887–1889:

Clinton Thomas Dent Clinton Thomas Dent FRCS (7 December 1850 – 26 August 1912) was an English surgeon, author and mountaineer. Early life The fourth surviving son of Thomas Dent, he was educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge. Alpinism Alongsi ...

*1890–1892:

Horace Walker Horace Walker (1838–1908) was an English mountaineer who made many notable first ascents, including Mount Elbrus and the Grandes Jorasses. Alpinism Born in 1838, Walker was the son of Liverpool lead merchant and mountaineer Francis Walker ( ...

*1893–1895:

Douglas Freshfield Douglas William Freshfield (27 April 1845 – 9 February 1934) was a British lawyer, mountaineer and author, who edited the ''Alpine Journal ''from 1872 to 1880. He was an active member of the Royal Geographical Society and the Alpine Club and ...

*1896–1898: Charles Pilkington *1899–1901: Dr James Bryce (later Viscount Bryce) *1902–1904: Sir Martin Conway (later Lord Conway of Allington) *1905–1907: George Forrest Browne,

Bishop of Bristol A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

*1908–1910: Hermann Wooley *1911–1913: W. E. Davison *1914–1916: William Pickford *1917–1919:

John Percy Farrar Captain John Percy Farrar (25 December 1857 – 18 February 1929), also known as Percy Farrar and as J. P. Farrar, was an English soldier and mountaineer. He was President of the Alpine Club from 1917 to 1919 and a member of the Mount Everest C ...

*1920–1922:

J. Norman Collie Professor John Norman Collie FRSE FRS (10 September 1859 – 1 November 1942), commonly referred to as J. Norman Collie, was an English scientist, mountaineer and explorer. Life and work He was born in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, the second of ...

*1923–1925:

Charles Granville Bruce Brigadier-General The Honourable Charles Granville Bruce, CB, MVO (7 April 1866 – 12 July 1939) was a veteran Himalayan mountaineer and leader of the second and third British expeditions to Mount Everest in 1922 and 1924. In recognition of t ...

*1926–1928: Sir George Henry Morse *1929–1931: Claude Wilson *1932–1934: Sir John Withers *1935–1937:

Edward Lisle Strutt Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Lisle Strutt, CBE, DSO (8 February 1874 – 7 July 1948) was a British soldier and mountaineer, and President of the Alpine Club from 1935 to 1938. After a distinguished military career he defended classical mountainee ...

*1938–1940: Sir Claud Schuster GCB (later Lord Schuster) *1941–1943:

Geoffrey Winthrop Young Geoffrey Winthrop Young (25 October 1876 – 8 September 1958) was a British climber, poet and educator, and author of several notable books on mountaineering. Young was born in Kensington, the middle son of Sir George Young, 3rd Baronet (see ...

*1944–1946:

Leo Amery Leopold Charles Maurice Stennett Amery, (22 November 1873 – 16 September 1955), also known as L. S. Amery, was a British Conservative Party politician and journalist. During his career, he was known for his interest in military preparedness, ...

*1947–1949:

Tom George Longstaff Tom George Longstaff (15 January 1875 – 27 June 1964) was an English doctor, explorer and mountaineer, most famous for being the first person to climb a summit of over 7,000 metres in elevation, Trisul, in the India/Pakistan Himalayas in 1907. ...

*1950–1952:

Claude Aurelius Elliott Sir Claude Aurelius Elliott OBE (27 July 1888 – 21 November 1973) was an English schoolmaster who became head master of Eton College at Windsor in Berkshire, and was later provost at the same school. An element of this later appointment is s ...

*1953–1955: Edwin Savory Herbert *1956–1958: Sir John Hunt (later Lord Hunt) *1959–1961: George Finch *1962–1964:

Howard Somervell Theodore Howard Somervell OBE, FRCS (16 April 1890 – 23 January 1975) was an English surgeon, mountaineer, painter and missionary who was a member of two expeditions to Mount Everest in the 1920s, and then spent nearly 40 years workin ...

*1965–1967: Eric Shipton *1968–1970: Charles Evans *1971–1973: A. D. M. Cox *1974–1976: John "Jack" Longland *1977–1979: Peter Lloyd *1980–1982: J. H. Emlyn Jones *1983–1985: R. R. E. Chorley *1986: A. K. Rawlinson (died in office) *1986: Lady Denise Evans *1987–1989:

*1990–1992: Lieutenant Colonel H. R. A. Streather ' Tony Streather' *1993–1995: Mike Westmacott *1996–1998: Sir Chris Bonington *1999–2001:

Doug Scott Douglas Keith Scott (29 May 19417 December 2020) was an English mountaineer, noted for being on the team that made the first ascent of the south-west face of Mount Everest on 24 September 1975. In receiving one of mountaineering's highest hon ...

*2002–2004:

Alan Blackshaw Alan Blackshaw OBE (7 April 1933 – 4 August 2011) was an English mountaineer, skier and civil servant who was President of the Alpine Club from 2001 to 2004 and President of the Ski Club of Great Britain from 1997 to 2003. Early life Blacksh ...

*2005–2007: Stephen Venables *2008–2010: Paul Braithwaite *2011–2013:

Mick Fowler Michael Fowler (born 1956) is a British rock climber, ice climber, mountaineer, and climbing author. Fowler was voted the "Mountaineers' Mountaineer" in a poll in ''The Observer'', and with Paul Ramsden, won the 2002 Piolet d'Or (or Golden Ice ...

*2014–2016: Lindsay Griffin *2017–2019: John Porter *2020–: Victor Saunders

Premises

The club's first premises were at 8 St Martin's Place,

Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster, Central London, laid out in the early 19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. At its centre is a high column bearing a statue of Admiral Nelson commemo ...

, where it rented rooms in 1858. In 1895 the club moved to 23

Savile Row Savile Row (pronounced ) is a street in Mayfair, central London. Known principally for its traditional bespoke tailoring for men, the street has had a varied history that has included accommodating the headquarters of the Royal Geographical ...

, and in June 1907, the Scottish artist

Sholto Johnstone Douglas Robert Sholto Johnstone Douglas (3 December 1871 – 10 March 1958), known as Sholto Douglas, or more formally as Sholto Johnstone Douglas, was a Scottish figurative artist, a painter chiefly of portraits and landscapes. In 1895, he stood su ...

held an exhibition of his portraits at the Club. From 1937 to 1990 the club was based at 74,

South Audley Street South Audley Street is a major shopping street in Mayfair, London.'South Audley Street: Introduction', in Survey of London: Volume 40, the Grosvenor Estate in Mayfair, Part 2 (The Buildings), ed. F H W Sheppard (London, 1980), pp. 290–291. Br ...

, in

Mayfair Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world. ...

, London. In 1936–1937, the surveying firm of Pilditch, Chadwick and Company had converted the ground floor of the building into suitable premises for the club. The club's library was at the back of the building, in what was once the picture gallery of Sir William Cuthbert Quilter. In 1990 the club sold its lease of 74, South Audley Street and briefly shared quarters with the

Ski Club of Great Britain The Ski Club of Great Britain is a recreational snow sports club, which operates on a not-for-profit basis. It was founded on 6 May 1903 during a meeting at the Café Royal in London. Until the 1960s, the Ski Club of Great Britain was responsible f ...

at 118,

Eaton Square Eaton Square is a rectangular, residential garden square in London's Belgravia district. It is the largest square in London. It is one of the three squares built by the landowning Grosvenor family when they developed the main part of Belgravia ...

. In 1991, the Alpine Club acquired the freehold of a five-storey Victorian warehouse at 55, Charlotte Road, on the edge of the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...

, and this building remains its current headquarters.HQ
at alpine-club.org.uk, accessed 3 March 2010. The club's lecture room, bunk-house, library, and archives are all housed there.

References

External links

Official websiteA fully digitized 1864 sketchbook
from an Alpine Club voyage to Switzerland and Tyrol {{DEFAULTSORT:Alpine Club (UK) 1857 establishments in the United Kingdom Sports clubs established in 1857 Alpine clubs Climbing organizations Gentlemen's clubs in London Mountaineering in the Alps Mountaineering in the United Kingdom