The Army and Navy Club 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 ...

is a private members club founded in 1837, also known informally as The Rag.Main page of Army and Navy Club web site
at armynavyclub.co.uk (accessed 18 January 2008)

Foundation and membership

The club was founded by Lieutenant-General Sir Edward Barnes (1776–1838) in 1837. His proposal was to establish an Army Club, with all officers of Her Majesty's Army on full or half pay eligible for membership. However, when

The Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister of ...

was asked to be a patron, he refused unless membership was also offered to officers of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

and the

Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...

, and this was agreed. On 28 August 1837 a meeting representing the various services took place, to elect a Committee and to settle the new club's Rules. Sir Edward Barnes died on 19 March 1838, just two weeks before the first general meeting of the club. By 1851, the club was in a strong position, with sixteen hundred members and a waiting list of 834. This pressure led to the founding of the separate

Naval and Military Club The Naval and Military Club, known informally as The In & Out, is a private members' club located in St James's Square, London. It was founded in 1862 for gentlemen of the British Armed Forces. It now also accepts female members, and members ...

in 1862.

Charles Dickens Jr. reported in ''Dickens's Dictionary of London'' (1879): Charles Dickens Jr., ''Dickens's Dictionary of London'' (1879) quoted a
Victorian London – Directories – Dickens's Dictionary of London, by Charles Dickens, Jr., 1879 – "Army and Navy Club"
(accessed 18 January 2008) According to the ''

Encyclopædia Britannica The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various time ...

'' article "Club", in 1902, Membership of the Army and Navy Club is now offered also to members of Commonwealth armed services, to members' immediate families and to individuals who have no service background who are nominated and seconded by existing members. There are some female members. As of 2011, the membership subscription costs between £223 and £465 per year, with a £130 rate for younger members (under 29); there are reduced rates for spouses and a rate for family membership. There are joining fees.

Premises

Site

The club's first home was at 18,

St James's Square St James's Square is the only square in the St James's district of the City of Westminster and is a garden square. It has predominantly Georgian and Neo-Georgian architecture. For its first two hundred or so years it was one of the three or f ...

, at the north corner with King Street.'St James's Square: Army and Navy Club', in ''Survey of London'', volumes 29 and 30 (St James Westminster, Part 1 (1960)) pp. 180-186, online a
St James's Square: Army and Navy Club
at british-history.ac.uk(accessed 18 January 2008) This house was vacated by the

Oxford and Cambridge Club The Oxford and Cambridge Club is a traditional London club. Membership is largely restricted to those who are members of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, including men and women who have a degree from or who are current undergraduates ...

when it moved into its new club house in Pall Mall. A lease was taken and the club opened its doors early in 1838. In 1843, the club began to search for a site to build a purpose-built club house. In 1846, it moved to larger premises called Lichfield House, now 15, St James's Square. In 1846–1847, the club bought six adjacent freehold houses in Pall Mall,

, and George Street, at the west corner of Pall Mall and George Street, for a total of £48,770. Of this, £19,500 was paid for Lord de Mauley's house on the west side of St James's Square dating from the 1670s, immediately opposite

Norfolk House Norfolk House, 31 St James's Square, Westminster, was built between 1748 and 1752 as his London townhouse by Edward Howard, 9th Duke of Norfolk (1686–1777) to the design of Matthew Brettingham (1699–1769), "the Elder", and was demolishe ...

. It would now have been Number 22, St James's Square, if it had survived. The St James's Square site was granted on 24 March 1672/3 by

Henry Jermyn, 1st Earl of St Albans Henry Jermyn, 1st Earl of Saint Albans, (25 March 1605 (baptised) – January 1684) was an English politician and courtier. He sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1625 and 1643 when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Jermyn. ...

and Baptist May to trustees for Edward Shaw. In October 1673, they sold the land and the house which had been built on it to the actress

Moll Davis Mary "Moll" Davis (c. 1648 – 1708), also spelt Davies or Davys, was a courtesan and mistress of King Charles II of England. She was an actress and entertainer before and during her role as royal mistress. Early life Mary Davis was born in ...

, a mistress of King Charles II, for £1800. This house (which was surveyed by

John Soane Sir John Soane (; né Soan; 10 September 1753 – 20 January 1837) was an English architect who specialised in the Neo-Classical style. The son of a bricklayer, he rose to the top of his profession, becoming professor of architecture at the R ...

in 1799) was almost square and had three storeys, each with four evenly-spaced windows, all dressed with a wide architrave and cornice. The staircase hall was south of a large room in front, and two smaller rooms and a secondary staircase at the rear. There was a massive cross-wall, containing the fireplaces of the back rooms. In 1749,

John Hobart, 1st Earl of Buckinghamshire John Hobart, 1st Earl of Buckinghamshire, (11 October 169322 September 1756) was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1715 to 1728, when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Hobart. Early life Hobart was the son of Sir ...

, sold the house to Thomas Brand of

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

for £4500, whose son sold it in 1799 to Samuel Thornton, a director of the

Bank of England The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the English Government's banker, and still one of the bankers for the Government of ...

. In 1818, Thornton sold the house for £11,000 to the Whig politician W. S. Ponsonby, later Baron de Mauley, who sold it to the Army and Navy Club in October 1846 for £19,500. It was demolished in 1847, having survived longer than any other of the other original houses in the square.

Club houses

It was reported in January 1847 that the club would hold an open competition for the design of its planned new building, with prizes of £200 and £100 for the two best entrants. The club committee initially chose a design by the sporting artist George Tattersall, of St James's Street, who planned a two-storey classical building with

Corinthian Corinthian or Corinthians may refer to: *Several Pauline epistles, books of the New Testament of the Bible: **First Epistle to the Corinthians **Second Epistle to the Corinthians **Third Epistle to the Corinthians (Orthodox) *A demonym relating to ...

columns and a crowning balustrade ending with martial trophies and a

Doric Doric may refer to: * Doric, of or relating to the Dorians of ancient Greece ** Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians * Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture * Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode * Doric dialect (Scotland) * Doric ...

entrance portico of three bays. As well as various statues in niches, over the portico he drew a pedestal with bas-reliefs, surmounted by lions and a group symbolising

Britannia Britannia () is the national personification of Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used in classical antiquity, the Latin ''Britannia'' was the name variously applied to the British Isles, Great ...

and

Neptune Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest known planet in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 times ...

. This choice was confirmed by a ballot of the club members in April 1847. However, ''The Builder'' pilloried the choice, pointing out that "the space devoted to the purposes of the club is very meagre, indeed quite insufficient". The club held an extraordinary general meeting on 11 May 1847 and decided to buy another house in Pall Mall to make its site larger, and also to hold another competition. As a result, a design by C. O. Parnell and Alfred Smith was chosen, an essay in the Venetian Renaissance style of the early sixteenth century, imitating

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

's Palazzo Corner della Ca' Grande. Building began in March 1848, William Trego having contracted to deliver the club house structure for £19,656. The foundation stone was laid on 6 May 1848 by the chairman of the committee, Lt-Col. Daniell. In August 1849 Messrs. Smith and Appleford were instructed to equip the building for £15,671, and the club-house was opened on 25 February 1851. The club was faced with

Caen stone Caen stone (french: Pierre de Caen) is a light creamy-yellow Jurassic limestone quarried in north-western France near the city of Caen. The limestone is a fine grained oolitic limestone formed in shallow water lagoons in the Bathonian Age about ...

, but this decayed, and in 1886 the bad stone had to be cut out and replaced with

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

. An early description of the new club house appears in

John Timbs John Timbs (; 17 August 1801 – 6 March 1875) was an English author and antiquary. Some of his work was published under the pseudonym of Horace Welby. Biography Timbs was born in 1801 in Clerkenwell, London. He was educated at a private school ...

's ''Curiosities of London'' (1855) Timbs, John, ''Curiosities of London: exhibiting the most rare and remarkable objects of interest in the metropolis; with nearly Fifty Years' Personal Recollections'' (London, David Bogue, 1855), p. 190 - Ca Corner

In 1857, a stained-glass window was installed in the inner hall to commemorate members killed in the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...

, with tablets bearing the badge of the club and details of the battles of the war. The names of the fallen were inscribed in gold letters on marble architraves. The window was moved in 1925 and 1927, due to rebuilding. In 1878–79, a new dining-room built, the smoking-room was enlarged, and the club-house was renovated, all by H. R. Gough. Demand for bedrooms increased, and in 1919 the club bought numbers 46, 46a and 47, Pall Mall, subject to existing short leases, later adding to them 7, Rose and Crown Yard (just north of 47, Pall Mall) in 1924. A new building was designed by C. W. Ferrier and work on it began late in 1924. The old smoking-room was demolished and a new one built, a new kitchen constructed, and the exterior stone of the old club house was renovated. The new house, which connected with the back of the club house at the end of the new smoking-room, provided a squash court, a ladies' drawing-room and dining-room, and shop premises, as well as bedrooms. The club house was closed to members for a year, between August 1925 and July 1926, and the cost of the whole scheme was £167,471. Work was finished in March 1927. The historic club house was replaced by the present mid-twentieth century building,opened 1963, described on the club's web site as "a modern purpose built building extending to almost , on ten floors which includes its own underground garage".

Presidents

*1838-1841:

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister o ...

*1841-1845: Admiral Sir Philip Durham GCB *1845-1850:

Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, (Adolphus Frederick; 24 February 1774 – 8 July 1850) was the tenth child and seventh son of the British king George III and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. He held the title of Duke of Cambridge from 18 ...

KG, GCB,

GCMG The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

, GCH

Notable members

* Field Marshal the Duke of Cambridge (1819–1904) *

Sir Arthur Otway, 3rd Baronet Sir Arthur John Otway, 3rd Baronet PC (8 August 1822 – 8 June 1912) was a British barrister and Liberal politician as well as a champion of administrative reform regarding India. Background, education and early life Otway was born in Edinbu ...

MP (1822–1912) * Admiral of the Fleet Sir Algernon McLennan Lyons (1833-1908) * Field Marshal Sir George Stuart White (1835—1912) * Field Marshal Sir Evelyn Wood (1838-1919) * Field Marshal Lord Grenfell (1841-1925) * Henry Brudenell-Bruce, 5th Marquess of Ailesbury (1842–1911) * Field Marshal Lord Nicholson (1845-1918) * Admiral of the Fleet Sir John de Robeck, 1st Baronet (1862–1928) * Field-Marshal Lord Birdwood (1865-1951) * Field-Marshal Sir Claud Jacob (1863-1948) * General Sir William Peyton (1866-1931), died suddenly at the club on 14 November 1931William Eliot Peyton
at the web site of the CENTRE FOR FIRST WORLD WAR STUDIES online at bham.ac.uk (accessed 19 January 2008) * Marshal of the Royal Air Force Lord Trenchard (1873-1956) * Admiral of the Fleet Lord Chatfield (1873-1967) * Field Marshal Sir Cyril Deverell (1874-1947) * Air Chief Marshal Sir Robert Brooke-Popham (1878–1953) * Field Marshal Lord Alanbrooke (1883-1963) * Field Marshal Lord Gort (1886-1946) *

Tracy Philipps James Erasmus Tracy Philipps (20 November 1888 – 21 July 1959) was a British public servant. Philipps was, in various guises, a soldier, colonial administrator, traveller, journalist, propagandist, conservationist, and secret agent. He served ...

MC (1888-1959), Intelligence Officer and Secretary-General of

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

* Field Marshal Lord Harding of Petherton (1896-1989) General Sir Francis Richard Dannatt, KCB, CBE, MC - York 2007-09-22 (RLH)

* Field Marshal Sir Claude Auchinleck (1884-1981) * Admiral of the Fleet Sir Varyl Begg (1908-1995) * Lord Thorneycroft (1909–1994),

Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the Exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the Chancellor is ...

* Field Marshal Sir Geoffrey Baker (1912-1980) * Sir Gerald Nabarro MP (1913-1973) * Admiral of the Fleet Lord Hill-Norton (1915-2004) * Field Marshal Lord Bramall (born 1923) * Brigadier Robert Hall, (1939-2016) * Christopher Hibbert MC (1924-2008), author * Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fieldhouse (1928-1992) * Field Marshal Lord Inge (born 1935) * Admiral of the Fleet Sir Benjamin Bathurst (born 1936) *

Sir Arthur Gooch, 14th Baronet Brigadier Sir Arthur Brian Sherlock Heywood Gooch, 14th Baronet, DL (born 1 June 1937) is an English baronet and retired regular officer of the British Army. He was also an aide-de-camp to Queen Elizabeth II. Gooch is descended from Sir Willi ...

(born 1937), C.O. The Life Guards *

Lord Robertson of Port Ellen George Islay MacNeill Robertson, Baron Robertson of Port Ellen, (born 12 April 1946), is a British politician of the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party who was the List of NATO Secretaries General, 10th Secretary General of NATO from 1999 to 2003; ...

(born 1946),

Secretary General of NATO The secretary general of NATO is the chief civil servant of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The officeholder is an international diplomat responsible for coordinating the workings of the alliance, leading NATO's international staff ...

1999-2004 * General Lord Dannatt GCB,

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, MC (born 1950)

Chief of the General Staff The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) is a post in many armed forces (militaries), the head of the military staff. List * Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ( United States) * Chief of the General Staff (Abkhazia) * Chief of General Staff (Af ...

''DANNATT, Gen. Sir (Francis) Richard'' in ''Who's Who 2007'' (London, A. & C. Black, 2007)

References

External links

The Army & Navy Club
- official web site {{coord, 51.5063, -0.1357, type:landmark_region:GB-WSM, display=title Gentlemen's clubs in London Buildings and structures in the City of Westminster 1837 establishments in England Organizations established in 1837 Military gentlemen's clubs