The Cowdray Club (originally known as The Nation's Nurses and Professional Women's Club) was founded in 1922 by

Annie Pearson, Viscountess Cowdray Annie Pearson, Viscountess Cowdray, Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire, GBE (''née'' Cass; 4 June 1860 – 15 April 1932) was an English society hostess, Women's suffrage, suffragist and philanthropist. She was nicknamed the "F ...

and founding members of the

Royal College of Nursing The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is a registered trade union in the United Kingdom for those in the profession of nursing. It was founded in 1916, receiving its royal charter in 1928. Queen Elizabeth II was the patron until her death in 2022. ...

. The membership was to be made up of 55% nurses, 35% professional women, and 10% "suitable women". The Club was based at 20 Cavendish Square, London, and remained in existence until 1974, when it merged with the Naval and Military Club in Piccadilly.

History

The creation of the Cowdray Club is closely linked to the beginnings of the

, and both organisations shared a building through the duration of the Club's existence at 20

Cavendish Square Cavendish Square is a public garden square in Marylebone in the West End of London. It has a double-helix underground commercial car park. Its northern road forms ends of four streets: of Wigmore Street that runs to Portman Square in the much la ...

. The previous owner of the building was

H. H. Asquith Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928), generally known as H. H. Asquith, was a British statesman and Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom f ...

. The freehold for 20 Cavendish Square was acquired for the club in 1920 after Rachel Cox-Davies shared a taxi journey with Lady Cowdray, in which time she lobbied for Cowdray to purchase the 'old Asquith house'. Lady Cowdray bought the freehold to the property for £20,000. The Club was opened in June 1922 with 650 members. By the end of July that year the number had risen to 2000. By May 1923, membership was 3045. In this time the club held and provided 53,076 lunches, 25,705 teas and 17,910 dinners. The Westminster Gazette of 20 June 1922 reported that in the club were several themed rooms, including a 'French Room', a 'Writing Room', 'Silence Room' and 'Recreation Room'. According to one source, around 1926 the club's cream and brown colored dining room held three marble plaques. One was dedicated to

Florence Nightingale Florence Nightingale (; 12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was an English social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War, i ...

, likely as she was a celebrated nurse and social reformer who helped professionalize the nursing profession, partly by establishing the first secular nursing school at St. Thomas's Hospital in London, and one was dedicated to

Edith Cavell Edith Louisa Cavell ( ; 4 December 1865 – 12 October 1915) was a British nurse. She is celebrated for saving the lives of soldiers from both sides without discrimination and for helping some 200 Allied soldiers escape from German-occupied Be ...

, as she was a celebrated English nurse and to some extent a martyr to the English cause in WWI. The third plaque was dedicated to the club's founder Annie Pearson, likely for her role in helping to establish the Royal College of Nursing, and possibly to honor her efforts as a philanthropist and social reformer who served as honorary treasurer for the Liberal Women's Suffrage Union, and was instrumental in making old age pensions available for certain English citizens. The popular name for the Club, "Cowdray", originates from the First Viscountess Cowdray, Annie Pearson, who was regarded as the "fairy Godmother of the nursing profession".London Metropolitan Archives, ref: A/COW/87 - a memorial booklet written by Agnes L. Douglas, who was private secretary to Lady Cowdray 1920-1932. Lady Cowdray wished for the club to provide "a centre for intercourse and recreation and which should also furnish some of those creature comforts which we associate with the word 'home'". Lady Cowdray often brought things for the Club from her own home "to place in positions where she felt they would be 'just right'", and she took pleasure in deciding on and choosing furnishings. Many of the club's papers are now held at the London Metropolitan Archives, including minutes of meetings, pamphlets, scrapbooks of news-clippings that mention the club, and guestbooks which feature the signatures of health ministers, the Queen of Sweden and many of the founding members of the Royal College of Nursing.London Metropolitan Archives, ref: A/COW/56 - Visitors book for the Club

References

{{Reflist 1922 establishments in the United Kingdom