The Penn Club was a private members' club in Bloomsbury in central London. It was established in 1920, and had strong bonds with the Quaker community. It closed in 2021. While it was affiliated with a private club, anyone was able to rent a room.

Location

The club was housed in three Georgian houses at 21–23 Bedford Place, just off

Russell Square Russell Square is a large garden square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden, built predominantly by the firm of James Burton. It is near the University of London's main buildings and the British Museum. Almost exactly square, to the ...

. The Members Club is now situated within the auspices of The Royal Foundation of St. Katharine, 2 Butcher Row, Limehouse, London E14 8DS.

History

The Penn Club was established in 1920 with surplus funds left over from the Friends Ambulance Unit, active during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The club maintained a considerable collection of books and resources on Quaker traditions and customs. On 31 January 2021, it was announced that after 101 years, the Club would leave their Bloomsbury premises at the end of March, in response to financial difficulties arising from the

coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identifie ...

. Following this, the Club was invited to become a distinct entity under the auspices of The Royal Foundation of St. Katharine, Limehouse, where it continues to thrive.

Famous residents

The novelist

John Wyndham John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris (; 10 July 1903 – 11 March 1969) was an English science fiction writer best known for his works published under the pen name John Wyndham, although he also used other combinations of his names ...

and his fiancée. lived there for several years.

References

External links

The Penn Club
Clubs and societies in London 1920 establishments in England Quakerism in England Quakerism in London {{London-stub