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The Chelsea Arts Club is a
The Chelsea Arts Club was originally located in rooms at no. 181 
Although normally a plain white building, the club exterior is occasionally painted to coincide with a themed event. It has been painted by set designer Tony Common. In 2010 it was painted bright colours with images of circus performers, and in 2011 was painted to appear as if it had been bombed in order to coincide with celebrations marking 70 years since the end of
News footage of the 1922 new years ball
(British Pathe)
News footage of the 1954 new years ball
(British Pathe)
Membership proposal form
{{coords, 51.4880, -0.1746, display=title 1891 establishments in England 19th-century art groups Arts in London Arts organizations established in 1891 British art British artist groups and collectives Chelsea, London Gentlemen's clubs in London Grade II listed buildings in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
private members' club
Private members' clubs are organisations which provide social and other facilities to members who typically pay a membership fee for access and use. Some were originally elitist gentlemen's clubs to which members first had to be elected; others ...
at 143 Old Church Street in Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an affluent area in west London, England, due south-west of Charing Cross by approximately 2.5 miles. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames and for postal purposes is part of the south-western postal area.
Chelsea histori ...
with a membership of over 3,800, including artists, sculptors, architects, writers, designers, actors, musicians, photographers, and filmmaker
Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...
s. The club was established on 21 March 1891 (in Chelsea), as a rival to the older Arts Club
The Arts Club is a London private members' club founded in 1863 by, among others, Charles Dickens, Anthony Trollope, and Lord Leighton in Dover Street, Mayfair. It remains a meeting place for men and women involved in the creative arts either ...
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. ...
, on the instigation of the artist James Abbott McNeill Whistler
James Abbott McNeill Whistler (; July 10, 1834July 17, 1903) was an American painter active during the American Gilded Age and based primarily in the United Kingdom. He eschewed sentimentality and moral allusion in painting and was a leading pr ...
, who had been a (sometimes controversial) member of the older club.
During its primary season from September–June the Chelsea Arts Club serves as a host for many functions, from instrumental and choral performances to visual arts exhibitions, literary talks, and weekend artist lunches.
Applicants for membership need to be sponsored by two current Members.
The club is located in the former Bolton Lodge, a Grade II listed
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
building on the National Heritage List for England
The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, an ...
.
History
The Chelsea Arts Club was originally located in rooms at no. 181 King's Road
King's Road or Kings Road (or sometimes the King's Road, especially when it was the king's private road until 1830, or as a colloquialism by middle/upper class London residents), is a major street stretching through Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...
. In 1902, the club moved to larger premises at no. 143 Old Church Street
Old Church Street is a street in London, England in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelseabr>
It runs from Chelsea Embankment to Fulham Road, crossing Kings Road. The section to the north of Kings Road is sometimes called Upper Old Church S ...
. In 1933 the club's premises, which had an acre of garden, were remodeled. The clubhouse includes a snooker room, bedrooms, dining room, former 'ladies bar' turned private party room, and a garden.
From 1908 to 1958 the club held a series of public fancy dress balls at the Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no governm ...
, latterly on New Year's Eve
In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...
, which raised funds for artists' charities. In 1958, balls were banned from the Albert Hall owing their notoriety for rowdiness, nudity and public homosexuality ( illegal before 1967). Subsequently, private functions were held at the club instead, with similarly lavish decorations and themes.
In 1966 the club was redecorated, a new bar was opened, and membership was opened to women artists.
Although normally a plain white building, the club exterior is occasionally painted to coincide with a themed event. It has been painted by set designer Tony Common. In 2010 it was painted bright colours with images of circus performers, and in 2011 was painted to appear as if it had been bombed in order to coincide with celebrations marking 70 years since the end of The Blitz
The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'.
The Germa ...
.
See also
* Gentlemen's club *List of London's gentlemen's clubs
This is a list of gentlemen's clubs in London, United Kingdom, including those that no longer exist or merged, with an additional section on those that appear in fiction. Many of these clubs are no longer exclusively male.
Extant clubs
Defun ...
References
* Anthony Lejeune, ''Gentlemen's Clubs of London'', London: Macdonald And Jane's, 1979 (ill. Malcolm Lewis). . * Tom Cross, ''Artists and Bohemians: 100 Years with the Chelsea Arts Club'', London: Quiller Press, 1992. .External links
*News footage of the 1922 new years ball
(British Pathe)
News footage of the 1954 new years ball
(British Pathe)
Membership proposal form
{{coords, 51.4880, -0.1746, display=title 1891 establishments in England 19th-century art groups Arts in London Arts organizations established in 1891 British art British artist groups and collectives Chelsea, London Gentlemen's clubs in London Grade II listed buildings in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea