The British Club is an expatriates'

social club A social club or social organization may be a group of people or the place where they meet, generally formed around a common interest, occupation or activity with in an organizational association known as a Club (organization), club. Exampl ...

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

. It was founded as a British

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 ...

in 1903, and established in its current location on

Surawong Road Surawong Road (, ) is a road in the Bang Rak District of Bangkok, Thailand, linking Charoen Krung Road to Rama IV Road, Rama IV and forming the boundary between Suriyawong Subdistrict, Suriyawong and Si Lom Subdistrict, Si Lom subdistricts. It was ...

in 1910. The club's operations were disrupted by the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, after which it was re-established. Today, the club features several sporting facilities, as well as dining services and function rooms in the original clubhouse, which has been recognized as an award-winning historic building, and is one of several historic buildings in Bang Rak District.

History

Early years

The British Club was founded in 1903, when, following a dispute, a group of British members of the United Club—then the main social club for Western expatriates in Bangkok—broke away to form a new, separate club. They formed the first committee on 24 April, and the club opened on 6 July the same year. The club originally occupied premises on the north side of

(then known as Suriwongse), at what is now the corner of Maha Set Road, not far from Surawong's junction with

Charoen Krung Road Shophouses along Charoen Krung road with the Sathorn Unique Tower in the vicinity (2021) Charoen Krung Road (, ) is a major road in Bangkok and the first in Thailand to be built using modern construction methods. Built during 1862–1864 in the ...

, then the commercial heart of the Bang Rak expatriate neighbourhood. It was a

in the style commonly found across the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

(which did not include Siam—as Thailand was then known—though its sphere of influence extended over the country), and admitted as its members directors and senior managers of some British companies and diplomats with the British Legation. Non-British individuals could be elected to become honorary members, and some facilities were open to ladies belonging to members' families. The club's membership gradually grew, to about 100 members by 1908, prompting plans for relocation to a more expansive site, which was realised, further down the road on the south side, with a purpose-built clubhouse, in 1910. The land was initially rented, until 1914 when ownership was gifted to the club by King

Vajiravudh Vajiravudh (1 January 188126 November 1925) was the sixth Monarchy of Thailand, king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama VI. He reigned from 1910 until his death in 1925. King Vajiravudh is best known for his efforts to create and pro ...

(Rama VI). In 1919, the club acquired the adjacent Bangkok Lawn Tennis Club, previously owned by the Siam Electricity Company, expanding its land footprint to the present day's . The club continued to grow throughout the following decades, and it became a major hub of British social life in Bangkok. Activities were mainly centred around the bar, especially at lunchtime on Saturdays. A monthly cinema club was also held. However, operations were disrupted when the Second World War reached Thailand in 1941. On 9 December, Japanese forces, following the country's declaration of war against the British Empire and its invasion of Malaya and

, commandeered the club grounds and detained most of its members. The club's archival documents up until then were all destroyed.

Re-establishment

Following the war, Victor Jacques, who had been a

brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

in the British Army and returned to Thailand representing the

Special Operations Executive Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a British organisation formed in 1940 to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in German-occupied Europe and to aid local Resistance during World War II, resistance movements during World War II. ...

, called together previous club members to re-establish the club, and became the first chairman of its new formation. He was able to reclaim club ownership of the premises, which had been erroneously given to the YMCA, as its land deeds had been mortgaged to the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank and survived the war. The latter half of the twentieth century saw the introduction of new amenities including a swimming pool, squash courts, kitchens, and a fitness centre. The club also saw its membership requirements changing, first in 1975 to accept Australians, New Zealanders and Canadians as full ("ordinary") members and allowing other nationalities to be invited as associate members, then in 1986 to allow women to become members in their own right. The club suffered from loss of members following the

1997 financial crisis The 1997 Asian financial crisis gripped much of East and Southeast Asia during the late 1990s. The crisis began in Thailand in July 1997 before spreading to several other countries with a ripple effect, raising fears of a worldwide economic meltd ...

, and from increased competition in the 2000s, prompting it to re-orientate its positioning, first (unsuccessfully) in 2006 as a family-friendly establishment, then in 2011 as "the social, sports and cultural centre for the English-speaking community in Bangkok". It launched an annual membership programme in 2010, which was successful in boosting its membership numbers and bolstering its finances. When the

British Embassy This is a list of diplomatic missions of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, excluding honorary consulates. The UK has one of the largest global networks of diplomatic missions. UK diplomatic missions to capitals of other Co ...

sold its grounds on

Phloen Chit Road Phloen Chit Road (, also spelled Ploenchit, ) is a major road in central Bangkok. Located entirely within Lumphini Subdistrict of Pathum Wan District, it runs a short distance of between Ratchaprasong Intersection and the Maenam railway branc ...

in 2019, a war memorial, which had been erected there in 1923, was relocated to the British Club and unveiled on 29 August.

Location and facilities

The British Club is situated off Surawong Road, with its main entrance served by Soi Si Lom 18, an alleyway branching off the parallel

Si Lom Road Si Lom Road (also written as Silom, , ) is a major street in Bangkok, Thailand. The road is best known for its commerecial neighbourhood, which, along with the nearby and roughly parallel Sathon Road, forms one of the city's main business distri ...

. The original clubhouse, which continues to serve as the main building, was built in 1910 to designs by an unknown, probably British, architect. It is a two-storey masonry building, in the

Georgian style Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover, George I, George II, Ge ...

, with an arched portico entryway and stucco-decorated classical pediment marking the centre of its symmetrical façade. The building was damaged during World War II, requiring extensive repairs, and the interior has been several times renovated. The building received the

ASA Architectural Conservation Award The Architectural Conservation Award () is given by the in recognition of architectural conservation efforts by both the public and private sectors in Thailand. The awards, first given in 1982 and held annually since 2004, are presented to multipl ...

in 2006, and is listed as an unregistered

ancient monument An ancient monument can refer to any early or historical manmade structure or architecture. Certain ancient monuments are of cultural importance for nations and become symbols of international recognition, including the Baalbek, ruins of Baalbek ...

by the

Fine Arts Department The Fine Arts Department (, ) is a government department of Thailand, under the Ministry of Culture. Its mission is managing the country's cultural heritage. History The department was originally established by King Vajiravudh in 1912, split o ...

. It is among several historic buildings in Bang Rak District, and neighbours the neoclassical

Neilson Hays Library The Neilson Hays Library is a privately funded English-language library in Bangkok, Thailand. It occupies a historic building on Surawong Road in Bangkok's Bang Rak district, designed in neoclassical style by Italian architects Mario Tamagno ...

. The club offers sporting facilities, including swimming pools, tennis and squash courts, cricket practice nets, a fitness centre, and a multi-purpose court used for hockey, five-a-side football and indoor-rules cricket. Snooker, pool and darts are available at the indoor bars. The club also features restaurants, lounge areas, and function rooms available for business and social events. It has over 400 reciprocal clubs in 60 countries. The British Club is closely oriented towards the British community in Thailand, and has ties with several community organizations, who are allowed regular use of the club grounds. The club was one of the original co-organizers of a charity fair, first held at the club in 1948, which was the precursor to the annual Ploenchit Fair, held at the British Embassy since 1957. With the relocation of the war memorial from the embassy in 2019, the club now also serves as the site of the embassy's annual

Remembrance Day Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces me ...

service.

References

External links