Arthur's was a
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
gentlemen's club
A gentlemen's club is a private social club of a type originally established by males from Britain's upper classes starting in the 17th century.
Many countries outside Britain have prominent gentlemen's clubs, mostly those associated with the ...
, now dissolved, which was established in 1811 and was disbanded in 1940. Between 1827 and 1940 it was based at 69
St James's Street
St James's Street is the principal street in the district of St James's, central London. It runs from Piccadilly downhill to St James's Palace and Pall Mall. The main gatehouse of the Palace is at the southern end of the road; in the 17th centu ...
. It is now best remembered for having built the London clubhouse currently occupied by the
Carlton Club
The Carlton Club is a private members' club in the St James's area of London, England. It was the original home of the Conservative Party before the creation of Conservative Central Office. Membership of the club is by nomination and elect ...
.
The club was first formed at a meeting at a bank at 16 St James's Street on 8 May 1811, with the resolution 'That a New Club be forthwith established, to consist of 300 Members.' The club is notable for being the first to be a ''members' club'' wholly owned by the members, as opposed to the ''proprietary clubs'' which previously existed, like
White's
White's is a gentlemen's club in St James's, London. Founded in 1693 as a hot chocolate shop in Mayfair, it is London's oldest club and therefore the oldest private members' club in the world. It moved to its current premises on St James's St ...
,
Boodle's, and
Brooks's
Brooks's is a gentlemen's club in St James's Street, London. It is one of the oldest and most exclusive gentlemen's clubs in the world.
History
In January 1762, a private society was established at 50 Pall Mall by Messrs. Boothby and James ...
, and it accordingly served as the mould for most of the nineteenth century members'-owned clubs which followed.
Members
The original club committee consisted of eleven members. Six were Scots:
*
Sir David Hunter Blair, baronet (son of
Sir James Hunter Blair, the banker and friend of
Robert Burns
Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the List of national poets, national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the be ...
)
*James Hunter Blair (brother of the above, later
M.P. for Wigtonshire)
*Thomas Harvie Farquhar (a member of the banking firm of Herries and Co., on whose premises in St. James's Street the meeting was held)
*The Hon. Archibald Macdonald
*The Hon. James Macdonald
*Lord Montgomerie
The other five members of the committee were:
*
The Hon. Thomas Brand, M.P
*
Sir Charles Burrell, Bt (M.P. for Shoreham, from a Sussex landowning family)
*Walter Burrell (from the same Sussex landowning family)
*Lieutenant Colonel John James
*William Jones
*The 10th Earl Waldegrave
Building
The building was completed in 1827, and housed the club until financial pressures led to its closure in 1940. In 1941, the Carlton Club's own clubhouse in
Pall Mall was destroyed after a direct hit from a bomb during
the Blitz
The Blitz (English: "flash") was a Nazi Germany, German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom, for eight months, from 7 September 1940 to 11 May 1941, during the Second World War.
Towards the end of the Battle of Britain in 1940, a co ...
, and the Carlton acquired the old Arthur's premises – somewhat ironic as it is one of the main parties of state, whereas the Arthur's membership was always of an avowedly non-political character.
The Carlton has since then made numerous internal modifications to the building, and none of the original furniture from Arthur's remains. The memorial tablet listing those from Arthur's Club who died in World War I is now in nearby
St. James's Church, Piccadilly.
See also
*
List of gentlemen's clubs in London
This is a list of members' clubs in London, which is not complete. It includes private members' clubs with physical premises in London, England, as well as those that no longer exist or have merged. There is an additional section for clubs that a ...
References
{{Coord, 51, 30, 21, N, 0, 08, 20, W, region:GB_type:landmark, display=title
Gentlemen's clubs in London
1811 establishments in England
Organizations established in 1811
1940 disestablishments in England
Organizations disestablished in 1940