The University Women's Club, originally the University Club for Ladies, is a British private members club founded in 1883. As the popular gentlemen's clubs did not accept any women as members, its creation was intended to provide an equivalent club accessible to women. By its own definition, it is a club for "graduate and professional women of varied backgrounds and interests". Members include lawyers, scientists, writers and musicians, as well as businesswomen. The club house is located at 2 Audley Square, on

South Audley Street South Audley Street is a major shopping street in Mayfair, London.'South Audley Street: Introduction', in Survey of London: Volume 40, the Grosvenor Estate in Mayfair, Part 2 (The Buildings), ed. F H W Sheppard (London, 1980), pp. 290–291. Bri ...

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. ...

, London.

History

The University Club for Ladies was founded in 1883 by Gertrude Jackson of

Girton College Girton College is one of the Colleges of the University of Cambridge, 31 constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge. The college was established in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon as the first women's college in Cambridge. In 1 ...

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

. In January 1887, it opened its premises at 31

Bond Street Bond Street in the West End of London links Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north. Since the 18th century the street has housed many prestigious and upmarket fashion retailers. The southern section is Old Bond Street and the l ...

. By 1894, the location was not large enough to serve the purposes of the growing club and it expanded by moving to new premises at

Maddox Street Maddox Street is a street in the Mayfair area of London, extending from Regent Street to St George's, Hanover Square. History Maddox Street was completed in 1720. It was named after Sir Benjamin Maddox who owned the Millfield estate on which ...

. By 1904, the club had moved to 4 George Street, Hanover Square, where a number of bedrooms were available and by 1913, membership had grown to 800 members. The club now has almost 1,000 members. After the

Great War 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 was again looking for new premises and, after a lengthy search, the freehold of 2 Audley Square – the club's permanent home today – was purchased in 1921. At the same time, it adopted its current name, the University Women's Club. The house was built by

Lord Arthur Russell Lord Arthur John Edward Russell (13 June 1825 – 4 April 1892) was a British Liberal Party politician. He was born in London on 13 June 1825. He was the second of three sons of Major-General Lord George William Russell and Elizabeth Anne Raw ...

in about 1880 to house his large family: the architect was T. H. Wyatt. The terrace and garden are now planted with green, white and violet plants, the colours associated with the

Suffragette A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...

movement. A large

London plane London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a major se ...

tree stands in the middle of the garden, probably originally planted in the grounds of

Chesterfield House Chesterfield may refer to: Places Canada * Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan * Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom *Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England ** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constituenc ...

The Club today

Today, the University Women's Club is the only women's club in the UK to be wholly owned and managed by its Members. Its event schedule includes many dinners and other social events. In March 2014, Fiona Lazareff, a member of the committee, launched the annual Techpreneurs Awards on behalf of the club. The Club has close ties with the

East India Club The East India Club is a gentlemen's club founded in 1849 and situated at 16, St James's Square in London. The full title of the club is the East India, Devonshire, Sports and Public Schools' Club due to mergers with other clubs. The club was o ...

, which occasionally co-organises functions for members of both clubs. Members of the club pay an initial joining fee and an annual subscription.

Notable members

* Gail Horton Calmerton * Caroline Playne

References

External links

* 1883 establishments in England Buildings and structures in Mayfair Gentlemen's clubs in London Organizations established in 1883 Women in London Women's clubs Women's organisations based in England {{England-org-stub

History

The Club today

Notable members

See also

References

External links