The Constitutional Club 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 1883 and disbanded in 1979. Between 1886 and 1959 it had a distinctive red and yellow

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

terracotta building, designed by

Robert William Edis Colonel Sir Robert William Edis (13 June 1839 – 23 June 1927) was a British architect. Early life Edis was born in Huntingdon to Emma and Robert Edis, also an architect. His sister was the preacher Isabella Reaney, his brother was Arthur Well ...

, at 28

Northumberland Avenue Northumberland Avenue is a street in the City of Westminster, Central London, running from Trafalgar Square in the west to the Thames Embankment in the east. The road was built on the site of Northumberland House, the London home of the House ...

, off

Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster in Central London. It was established in the early-19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. Its name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar, the Royal Navy, ...

Politics

The club was closely aligned to the Conservative party, with members having to pledge support. The club was founded in anticipation of imminent franchise reform then being debated in parliament, which was eventually realised as the

Representation of the People Act 1884 In the United Kingdom under the premiership of William Gladstone, the Representation of the People Act 1884 ( 48 & 49 Vict. c. 3), also known informally as the Third Reform Act, and the Redistribution Act of the following year were laws which ...

. It was anticipated that as many more Conservative supporters would be given the vote, many would want to belong to a Conservative club. Existing Conservative clubs like the Carlton and the Junior Carlton feared that they would become inundated with membership applications from the new voters, so the Constitutional Club was founded with these new electors in mind. (The

National Liberal Club The National Liberal Club (NLC) is a London private members' club, open to both men and women. It was established by William Ewart Gladstone in 1882 to provide club facilities for Liberal Party campaigners among the newly enlarged electorate f ...

, just around the corner from the Constitutional Club, was founded in 1882 with the same purpose in mind for the

Liberal party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

, as the existing Liberal clubs, the

Reform Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...

and the

Devonshire Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the wes ...

, had been similarly oversubscribed.)

Membership

The Constitutional Club's membership was originally limited to 6,500. Despite being avowedly non-political,

P.G. Wodehouse Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse ( ; 15 October 1881 – 14 February 1975) was an English writer and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Je ...

was a member of the Constitutional Club, and was reputed to have considered it his favourite London club. Seven of his stories describe a fictitious ''Senior Conservative Club'' in Northumberland Avenue, with a similar décor to the Constitutional, and which also features a

Victorian Turkish bath The Victorian Turkish bath is a type of bath in which the bather sweats freely in hot dry air, is then washed, often massaged, and has a cold wash or shower. It can also mean, especially when used in the plural, an establishment where such a bath ...

, just like the one found next door to the Constitutional. These books are '' Psmith in the City'', ''

Something Fresh ''Something Fresh'' is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published as ''Something New'' in the United States, by D. Appleton & Company on 3 September 1915.McIlvaine, E., Sherby, L.S. and Heineman, J.H. (1990) ''P. G. Wodehouse: A comprehensive ...

'', '' Leave it to Psmith'' (where the club is said to have 6,111 members), ''

Pig-hoo-o-o-o-ey "Pig-Hoo-o-o-o-ey" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, which first appeared in the United States in the 9 July 1927 issue of ''Liberty'', and in the United Kingdom in the August 1927 ''Strand''. Part of the Blandings Castle canon, it featur ...

'', '' Full Moon'', '' A Tithe for Charity'', and '' Pearls, Girls and Monty Bodkin'' (which establishes its Northumberland Avenue address). Northumberland Street 01

Like many other London clubs, the Constitutional experienced severe financial difficulties with the passing years. In 1959, they agreed to the demolition of the club's well-known, purpose-built terracotta premises, and its replacement with a new office-style building, which was completed in 1962 – this is the building which still stands on that site today, on the corner of Northumberland Avenue and Northumberland Street, opposite the Sherlock Holmes pub. Between 1962 and 1964 the club occupied rooms in first the

Junior Carlton Club The Junior Carlton Club was a London gentlemen's club, now dissolved, which was established in 1864 and was disbanded in 1977. History Anticipating the forthcoming Second Reform Act under Benjamin Disraeli, numerous prospective electors decide ...

and then the

United Service Club The United Service Club was a London gentlemen's club founded in 1815 for the use of senior officers in the British Army and Royal Navy – those above the rank of Major or Commander – and the club was accordingly known to its members as "The ...

, before acquiring premises of its own on

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 ...

. By the mid-1970s its membership had dwindled to only 1,000, and its financial predicament was serious enough that it had to close in 1979, with its remaining members merging with the

St Stephen's Club St Stephen's Club was a private member's club in City of Westminster, Westminster, London, founded in 1870. St Stephen's was originally on the corner of Bridge Street and the Victoria Embankment, Embankment, in London SW1, now the location of Por ...

References

{{Coord, 51, 30, 24.81, N, 0, 7, 31.84, W, scale:1563_region:GB, display=title Gentlemen's clubs in London 1883 establishments in the United Kingdom

Politics

Membership

See also

References