The Royal Over-Seas League (ROSL) is a not-for-profit members' organisation with international headquarters in its clubhouse in central London, England.
Founded by Sir
Evelyn Wrench
Sir John Evelyn Leslie Wrench (29 October 1882 – 11 November 1966) was a British author and journalist who was editor of ''The Spectator''. He was the founder of the Royal Over-Seas League and the English-Speaking Union, both to foster inter ...
in 1910 as the Over-Seas Club, it was given a
Royal Charter of Incorporation in 1922 and
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
granted the title "Royal" to mark its
golden jubilee
A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations.
Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, golden jubilee refers the 50th anniversary year of the separation from Pakistan and is called in Bengali ''"সু ...
in 1960.
The league today is both an association of individual members and a supporter of
Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
art, music and welfare projects. The ROSL clubhouse in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
closed in January 2018, but ROSL continues to have a national and international presence from honorary representatives, a network of branches and reciprocal clubs in more than 100 countries.
Facilities and activities
Accommodation, dining and conference facilities are offered at the London clubhouses.
The league has an in-house magazine called ''Overseas'', published quarterly, which comprises contemporary features written by renowned journalists, members' articles, news from regional branches, and information about forthcoming events.
Membership
There are 16,000 members worldwide at the various international branches. Membership fees are based on proximity to the London clubhouse, or age (under 30s enjoy a reduced rate of membership). Members who have held their membership for a period of 30 continuous years also pay a reduced subscription.
Music competition
ROSL organises an annual competition for musicians aged under 30. There are two ensemble awards and four solo awards, with the solo winners then competing for the Competition Gold Medal and First Prize.
The Chairman of Adjudicators for the 2014 awards was
Gavin Henderson
Gavin Douglas Henderson CBE (born 3 February 1948) is an English arts administrator, conductor and trumpeter. Between 2007 and 2020 he was principal of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama at the University of London.''Who's Who''
He ...
.
[ The Gold Medal competition was held at the ]Southbank Centre
Southbank Centre is a complex of artistic venues in London, England, on the South Bank of the River Thames (between Hungerford Bridge and Waterloo Bridge).
It comprises three main performance venues (the Royal Festival Hall including the Nati ...
and it was won by saxophonist Huw Wiggin (Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including perform ...
).Royal Northern College of Music
The Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) is a conservatoire located in Manchester, England. It is one of four conservatoires associated with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. In addition to being a centre of music education ...
).
See also
*List of London's gentlemen's clubs
This is a list of gentlemen's clubs in London, United Kingdom, including those that no longer exist or merged, with an additional section on those that appear in fiction. Many of these clubs are no longer exclusively male.
Extant clubs
Defun ...
References
External links
ROSL website – LondonROSL website – Edinburgh
{{Authority control
Gentlemen's clubs in London
Patriotic societies
Commonwealth Family
International non-profit organizations
British Empire
Grade I listed buildings in the City of Westminster
Organizations established in 1910
Organisations based in the United Kingdom with royal patronage
St James's