Former_London_home_of_the_Earls_of_Coventry_-_geograph

The St James's Club was a

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

gentlemen's club which operated between 1857 and 1978. It was founded by two leading diplomats and its members continued to be largely diplomats and authors. It was first established in Charles Street and moved to 106

Piccadilly Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road that connects central London to Hammersmith, Earl's Cou ...

by 1868. In the final quarter of the twentieth century many gentlemen’s clubs of London suffered from declining membership, and in 1978 the St James's Club merged with Brooks's Club and vacated its premises.

Foundation

The club was founded in 1857 by the Liberal

statesman A statesman or stateswoman typically is a politician who has had a long and respected political career at the national or international level. Statesman or Statesmen may also refer to: Newspapers United States * ''The Statesman'' (Oregon), a n ...

the second Earl Granville and by the Marchese d'Azeglio, Minister of

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label= Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label= Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, af ...

to the

Court of St. James's The Court of St James's is the royal court for the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. All ambassadors to the United Kingdom are formally received by the court. All ambassadors from the United Kingdom are formally accredited from the court – &n ...

, after a dispute at the

Travellers' Club The Travellers Club is a private gentlemen's club situated at 106 Pall Mall in London, United Kingdom. It is the oldest of the surviving Pall Mall clubs and one of the most exclusive, having been established in 1819. It was described as "the ...

. Most members of the

diplomatic corps The diplomatic corps (french: corps diplomatique) is the collective body of foreign diplomats accredited to a particular country or body. The diplomatic corps may, in certain contexts, refer to the collection of accredited heads of mission (am ...

resigned from the Travellers' and joined the new club. The club's members continued to be largely diplomats and authors, and it became the home of the

Dilettanti Society The Society of Dilettanti (founded 1734) is a British society of noblemen and scholars that sponsors the study of ancient Greek and Roman art, and the creation of new work in the style. History Though the exact date is unknown, the Society is b ...

. The name ''St James’s Club'' had previously been used by William Crockford as the official name of his gambling ‘hell’ in 1823 when he acquired the lease to 50 St James's Street. In the next two years he also acquired the leases to nos. 51-53, and when he pulled these down he transferred the Club to 106 Pall Mall. When the pioneer of photography

William Fox Talbot William Henry Fox Talbot FRS FRSE FRAS (; 11 February 180017 September 1877) was an English scientist, inventor, and photography pioneer who invented the salted paper and calotype processes, precursors to photographic processes of the later 1 ...

(1800–1877) was elected in 1825 to the St James's Club it was already using the 106 Pall Mall premises, where it remained until late 1826. At about the time part of the Guards Club premises at 49 St James's Street collapsed on 9 November 1826 as a result of the rebuilding of Crockford's Club next door, Crockford evidently moved the Club out of 106 Pall Mall, as the Guards Club was able to move into it within a few weeks, and it remained there until it returned to 49 St James's Street in November 1827. (The Traveller's Club only moved from 49 Pall Mall into 106 after the old building had been pulled down in 1829 and its new premises, designed by Charles Barry, had been completed by July 1832.) Crockford's palatial premises for his St James's Club, taking up the entire site of 50-53 St James's Street, was opened in mid November 1827 and closed on 1 January 1846. 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 ...

'' article ''Club'', in 1902, the club was the smallest London gentlemen's club in terms of numbers -

Premises

The St James's Club was first established in Charles Street, just off the south corner of

Berkeley Square Berkeley Square is a garden square in the West End of London. It is one of the best known of the many squares in London, located in Mayfair in the City of Westminster. It was laid out in the mid 18th century by the architect William Ke ...

, London. By 1868, it had moved into its clubhouse at 106

which had previously been Coventry House,Walford, Edward
Mansions in Piccadilly
in ''Old and New London: Volume 4'' (1878), pp. 273–90 (accessed 10 January 2008) the London residence of the

Earls of Coventry Earl of Coventry is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of England. The first creation for the Villiers family was created in 1623 and took its name from the city of Coventry. It became extinct in 1687. A decade later, the second ...

since it had been bought by

George Coventry, 6th Earl of Coventry George William Coventry, 6th Earl of Coventry (26 April 1722 – 3 September 1809), styled Viscount Deerhurst from 1744 to 1751, was a British peer and Tory politician. Early life Coventry was the second but eldest surviving son of William Co ...

from Sir Hugh Hunlocke in 1764, for 10,000

guineas The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from the Guinea region in West Africa, from where ...

. Coventry House had been built in 1761 on the site of an old

public house 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 wa ...

called 'The Greyhound Inn'. The five-bay structure is

neo-Palladian Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective an ...

in style, with alternating

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedim ...

s on the grand floor windows, over a rusticated ground floor. The

Palladian window Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective an ...

on the side façade lights a handsome staircase. There are ceilings by

Robert Adam Robert Adam (3 July 17283 March 1792) was a British neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam (1689–1748), Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him. With his ...

in rooms on the ''

piano nobile The ''piano nobile'' ( Italian for "noble floor" or "noble level", also sometimes referred to by the corresponding French term, ''bel étage'') is the principal floor of a palazzo. This floor contains the main reception and bedrooms of the h ...

''. Thomas Cundy the Elder effected some remodelling, probably in 1810-11. According to Charles Dickens, Jr., writing in 1879: During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the club was briefly the home of Ian Fleming, the creator of

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 19 ...

. The club was described by Charles Graves, writing of London clubs in ''Leather Armchairs'' (1963), as "the only one in London, or possibly anywhere else in the world, which has a separate room – and a large one at that – devoted solely to backgammon".Graves, Charles, ''Leather Armchairs: The Chivas Regal Book of London Clubs'' (London, Cassell & Co. Ltd, 1963, with foreword by P. G. Wodehouse) The club was also well known as a London venue for chess matches.

End of the club

In the decades after the Second World War, the popularity of gentlemen's clubs of London gradually fell into decline. Facing financial problems, the club merged with Brooks's Club in 1978 and vacated its premises. The grand former club house at 106 Piccadilly later became the headquarters of The International House network of language schools, founded by John Haycraft. Since October 2007, it has been the London campus of

Limkokwing University of Creative Technology Limkokwing University of Creative Technology (also called Limkokwing and LUCT) is a private university that has a presence across Africa, Europe, and Asia. With its main campus in Malaysia, the university has over 30,000 students from more than ...

, a private intercontinental university based in

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. From September 2017, it will be home to Eaton Square Upper School. The St James's Club and Hotel, opened in 2008 in Park Place, has been marketed to evoke the historic club. A St James's Club in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

has no connection.

Notable members

Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville Granville George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville, (11 May 181531 March 1891), styled Lord Leveson until 1846, was a British Liberal statesman and diplomat from the Leveson-Gower family. He is best remembered for his service as Secreta ...

(1815–1891), Liberal

Correspondence of James McNeill Whistler
at whistler.arts.gla.ac.uk (accessed 10 January 2008) *Vittorio Emanuelle Taparelli, Marchese d'Azeglio (1816–1890), Minister of

* Sir Osbert Sitwell, 5th Baronet (1892–1969), author * Sir Sacheverell Sitwell, 6th Baronet (1897–1988), author and brother of Sir Osbert * Oliver St John Gogarty (1878–1957), Anglo-Irish author *

Sir Harry Verney, 4th Baronet Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Harry Calvert Williams Verney, 4th Baronet, DSO (7 June 1881 – 23 December 1974), was a British Liberal Party (UK), Liberal politician. Political career Verney stood as Liberal candidate for Basingstoke (UK Parliament c ...

MP (1881–1974), politician *

Victor Hay, 21st Earl of Erroll Victor Alexander Sereld Hay, 21st Earl of Erroll and 4th Baron Kilmarnock, KCMG (17 October 1876 – 20 February 1928), styled Lord Hay from 1876 to 1891 and Lord Kilmarnock from 1891 to 1927, was a British diplomat, a writer and briefly a member ...

(1870–1928), diplomat * Sir Murdoch Macdonald (1866–1957), politician and engineer * Alfred Clayton Cole (1854–1920)

Governor of the Bank of England The governor of the Bank of England is the most senior position in the Bank of England. It is nominally a civil service post, but the appointment tends to be from within the bank, with the incumbent grooming their successor. The governor of the B ...

* Arthur Rowley, 8th Baron Langford (1870–1953), diplomat * Major Cav. Lawrence Edward Lotito (1921–2004), business owner, meteorologist * Anatole de Grunwald (1910–1967), film producer *

Lord Ivor Spencer-Churchill Lord Ivor Charles Spencer-Churchill (14 October 1898 – 17 September 1956) was the younger son of the 9th Duke of Marlborough and his first wife, the former Consuelo Vanderbilt, an American railroad heiress. His elder brother, John, was the ...

(1898–1956), cousin of Winston Churchill *

Evelyn Waugh Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh (; 28 October 1903 – 10 April 1966) was an English writer of novels, biographies, and travel books; he was also a prolific journalist and book reviewer. His most famous works include the early satires '' Decl ...

(1903–1966), author * Sir Osbert Lancaster, cartoonist, stage designer and author"With an Eye to the Future" (Lancaster's memoirs) * Harold Soref, politician and businessman

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint James's Club 1857 establishments in England 1978 disestablishments in England Gentlemen's clubs in London Defunct clubs and societies of the United Kingdom Defunct organisations based in London

Foundation

Premises

End of the club

Notable members

See also

References