City Livery Club is a members-only club in the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

, which was established in June 1914. It is based at Bell Wharf Lane, Upper Thames Street, London EC4R 3TB, in the City of London, a site that it shares with the

Little Ship Club The Little Ship Club is a yacht club in London. It was founded in 1926 by a group of yachtsmen for the purpose of providing training and lectures over the winter months. The club operates from its riverside clubhouse at Bell Wharf on the River ...

. The club was founded "to bind together in one organisation

liverymen A livery company is a type of guild or professional association that originated in medieval times in London, England. Livery companies comprise London's ancient and modern trade associations and guilds, almost all of which are Style (form of a ...

of the various guilds in the bond of civic spirit, in service to the Ancient Corporation and in the maintenance of the priceless City Churches," and it serves as a social club for those in the City. While membership was originally open only to City liverymen, it has since grown to include liverymen and freemen of the

livery companies A livery company is a type of guild or professional association that originated in medieval times in London, England. Livery companies comprise London's ancient and modern trade associations and guilds, almost all of which are Style (form of a ...

, City of London Companies without Livery, as well as assorted categories of associate membership. The incumbent

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the Mayors in England, mayor of the City of London, England, and the Leader of the council, leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded Order of precedence, precedence over a ...

is automatically elected patron of the club. The City Livery Club has led something of a peripatetic existence, occupying the

De Keyser's Royal Hotel De Keyser's Royal Hotel was a large hotel on the Victoria Embankment, at its junction with New Bridge Street (now the A201), Blackfriars, London. The location was formerly the site of Bridewell Palace. The Royal Hotel was founded before 18 ...

on the

Victoria Embankment Victoria Embankment is part of the Thames Embankment (the other section is the Chelsea Embankment), a road and river-walk along the north bank of the River Thames in London, England. Built in the 1860s, it runs from the Palace of Westminster to ...

from 1914 to 1923. It then moved to Williamson's Hotel on Bow Lane, off

Cheapside Cheapside is a street in the City of London, the historic and modern financial centre of London, England, which forms part of the A40 road, A40 London to Fishguard road. It links St Martin's Le Grand with Poultry, London, Poultry. Near its eas ...

, until 1927, when it moved to the Chapter House in

St Paul's Churchyard St Paul's Churchyard is an area immediately around St Paul's Cathedral in the City of London. Historically it included St Paul's Cross and Paternoster Row. It became one of the principal marketplaces in London. St Paul's Cross was an open-air pu ...

. This site was bombed 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 ...

in 1940, and temporary lodgings were occupied at Butchers' Hall in Bartholomew Close between 1941 and 1944 until that too was bombed. Its post-War situation was somewhat more permanent, with the 1944 move to

Sion College Sion College, in London, is an institution founded by royal charter in 1630 as a college, guild of parochial clergy and almshouse, under the 1623 will of Thomas White (benefactor), Thomas White, vicar of St Dunstan's in the West. The clergy who ...

on the Embankment. The 1996 closure of much of the college meant that new premises had to be found – at the Insurance Hall on Aldermanbury, and the club moved again to the

Baltic Exchange The Baltic Exchange (incorporated as The Baltic Exchange Limited) is a Trade association, membership organisation for the Maritime transport, maritime industry, and Shipping markets, freight market information provider for the trading and settl ...

on St. Mary Axe in 2003. The Club next moved to Bell Wharf Lane on the River Thames, sharing the facilities of the Little Ship Club. In August 2020 the Club moved to 42 Crutched Friars where it shared the location with the City University Club. In late January 2023 the Club returned to Bell Wharf Lane on the Thames riverfront where it once again shares the splendid premises with the Little Ship Club.

References

*Anthony Lejeune, ''The Gentlemen's Clubs of London'' (Macdonald and Jane's, London, 1979) pp. 102–3

External links

City Livery Club website
{{Gentlemen's clubs in London Gentlemen's clubs in London 1914 establishments in England