The Farmers Club is a London private members' club based at

Whitehall Court Whitehall Court in the City of Westminster, England, is one contiguous building but consists of two separate constructions. The south end was designed by Thomas Archer and A. Green and constructed as a block of luxury residential apartments in ...

, founded in 1842. Members are required to have an association with farming, agriculture or food.

History

The club was founded in 1842 by the agricultural writer William Shaw, who invited the founder members from the newly formed

Royal Agricultural Society of England The Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE) promotes the scientific development of English agriculture. It was established in 1838 with the motto "Practice with Science" and received its Royal Charter from Queen Victoria in 1840. RASE is bas ...

, and the

Smithfield Club Smithfield may refer to: Places Australia *Electoral district of Smithfield, a former electoral district of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly * Smithfield, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney * Smithfield, Queensland, a northern suburb of ...

. Shaw's letter set out that the club would be "a gathering place for farmers which could also serve as a platform, from which would go out to England news of all that was good in farming, with reports of any discussions about those things that needed to be done." The club's membership experienced periodic shifts with the changing prosperity of British farmers over the years - there were 700 members in 1876, 275 in 1892, but the club has grown in the 20th century, claiming 1,500 members in the 1920s, and just under 6,000 today. The club frequently moved premises in its first 60 years. Its inaugural meeting on 9 December 1842 was held in a

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

, the Hereford Arms, in King Street,

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

. By April 1893 the club has secured rooms at the York Hotel in Bridge Street,

Blackfriars Blackfriars, derived from Black Friars, a common name for the Dominican Order of friars, may refer to: England * Blackfriars, Bristol, a former priory in Bristol * Blackfriars, Canterbury, a former monastery in Kent * Blackfriars, Gloucester, a f ...

. After several further moves, the club settled on some rooms at 2

, which it occupied between 1904 and 1942. Whitehall Court is an apartment block built in 1883-87 by the architect firm Archer & Green, with finance from the disgraced MP

Jabez Balfour Jabez Spencer Balfour (4 September 1843 – 23 February 1916) was an English businessman, British Liberal Party politician and fraudster. Life Balfour was born in Marylebone, London to James and Clara Lucas Balfour. He was Member of Parliament ...

, who used the building's construction to conceal his embezzlement of funds. In 1942, it moved sideways in the same block of flats to its current premises, which were formed by merging several apartments in 3 Whitehall Court. The rest of the block remains largely residential, and the club's former rooms now make up part of the

Royal Horseguards Hotel The Royal Horseguards Hotel is a London hotel situated in the area of Whitehall. It is operated by Guoman Hotels, a subsidiary of Thistle Hotels. History The building is the centre section of Whitehall Court which was designed by Thomas Arche ...

, owned by

Thistle Hotels Thistle Hotels, run by glh., is a UK-based hotel company with a portfolio of 7 Central London hotels, one at London Heathrow and one in Dorset, operating in the three and four star sector. History It was set up by Scottish & Newcastle in 1965 ...

. The Club comprises bedrooms, function rooms, the Restaurant, Bar and Lounge and has a terrace overlooking the river Thames.

References

*David McKie, ''Jabez: The Rise and Fall of a Victorian Scoundrel'' (Atlantic Books, 2004) Gentlemen's clubs in London 1842 establishments in England {{England-stub

History

See also

References