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The Garrick Club is a private members' club in
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 ...
, founded in 1831 as a club for "actors and men of refinement to meet on equal terms". It is one of the oldest members' clubs in the world. Its 1,500 members include many actors, writers, journalists, leading arts practitioners, at least 10 serving members of parliament (MPs) and dozens of members of the House of Lords, many heads of public institutions alongside businessmen, and at least 160 senior legal professionals and members of the judiciary including
King's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...
(KCs), Supreme Court and Court of Appeals judges. For most of its history, the Garrick was a
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 ...
with membership customarily restricted to men. However, in May 2024 club members voted to acknowledge that existing rules had never explicitly excluded women as members and that there was no impediment to their election. New candidates must be proposed by an existing member and seconded by another member, before supporting signatures are collected from at least 30 other members. The candidate then goes in front of a series of committees followed by a secret vote on membership. According to the club website, the original assurance of the committee is "that it would be better that ten unobjectionable men should be excluded than one terrible bore should be admitted". The exclusion of women from membership generated disagreement within the club and criticism from wider society, especially as many figures were seen as members of the British establishment, or
cultural elite Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, attitudes, and habits of the individuals in these ...
; this criticism increased after a membership list was published in March 2024. In May 2024, the club voted to accept women as members for the first time.


History

The Garrick Club was founded at a meeting in the Committee Room at
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and listed building, Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) an ...
, on Wednesday 17 August 1831. Present were James Winston (a former strolling player, manager and important theatre antiquarian),
Samuel James Arnold Samuel James Arnold (1774–1852) was an English dramatist and theatrical manager. Under his management the Lyceum Theatre, London became the English Opera House, and staged the first English productions of many operas, including in 1824 Carl M ...
(a playwright and theatre manager), Samuel Beazley (an architect and playwright),
General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
Sir Andrew Barnard (an army officer from
Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...
and a hero of the
Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
), and Francis Mills (a timber merchant and railway speculator). It was decided to write down a number of names in order to invite them to be original members of the Garrick Club. The avowed purpose of the club was to "tend to the regeneration of the Drama". It was to be a place where "actors and men of refinement could meet on equal terms" at a time when actors were not generally considered to be respectable members of society. The club was named in honour of the actor
David Garrick David Garrick (19 February 1716 – 20 January 1779) was an English actor, playwright, Actor-manager, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of European theatrical practice throughout the 18th century, and was a pupil a ...
, whose acting and management at the
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and listed building, Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) an ...
, in the previous century had by the 1830s come to represent a golden age of British drama. Less than six months later the members had been recruited and a club house found and equipped on King Street in
Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...
. On 1 February 1832, it was reported that the novelist and journalist Thomas Gaspey was the first member to enter at 11am, and that "Mr Beazley gave the first order, (a mutton chop) at ½ past 12." The list of those who took up original membership includes actors such as John Braham, Charles Kemble, William Macready, Charles Mathews and his son Charles James; the playwrights
James Planché James Robinson Planché (27 February 1796 – 30 May 1880) was a British dramatist, antiquary and officer of arms. Over a period of approximately 60 years he wrote, adapted, or collaborated on 176 plays in a wide range of genres including ...
, Theodore Hook and Thomas Talfourd; scene-painters including Clarkson Frederick Stanfield and Thomas Grieve. Even the patron, the Duke of Sussex, had an element of the theatrical about him, being a well-known mesmerist. To this can be added numerous Barons, Counts, Dukes, Earls and Lords, soldiers, parliamentarians and judges. The membership would later include Charles Kean,
Sir Henry Irving Sir Henry Irving (6 February 1838 – 13 October 1905), christened John Henry Brodribb, sometimes known as J. H. Irving, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility ( ...
,
Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree (17 December 1852 – 2 July 1917) was an English actor and Actor-manager, theatre manager. Tree began performing in the 1870s. By 1887, he was managing the Haymarket Theatre in the West End theatre, West End, winning ...
, Sir Arthur Sullivan, Sir James M. Barrie, Sir Arthur Wing Pinero, Lord Olivier and Sir John Gielgud. From the literary world came writers such as
Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...
,
William Makepeace Thackeray William Makepeace Thackeray ( ; 18 July 1811 – 24 December 1863) was an English novelist and illustrator. He is known for his Satire, satirical works, particularly his 1847–1848 novel ''Vanity Fair (novel), Vanity Fair'', a panoramic portra ...
,
Anthony Trollope Anthony Trollope ( ; 24 April 1815 – 6 December 1882) was an English novelist and civil servant of the Victorian era. Among the best-known of his 47 novels are two series of six novels each collectively known as the ''Chronicles of Barsetshire ...
,
H. G. Wells Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English writer, prolific in many genres. He wrote more than fifty novels and dozens of short stories. His non-fiction output included works of social commentary, politics, hist ...
,
A. A. Milne Alan Alexander Milne (; 18 January 1882 – 31 January 1956) was an English writer best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh, as well as children's poetry. Milne was primarily a playwright before the huge success of Winnie-th ...
(who on his death in 1956 bequeathed the club a quarter of the royalties from his children's books), and
Kingsley Amis Sir Kingsley William Amis (16 April 1922 – 22 October 1995) was an English novelist, poet, critic and teacher. He wrote more than 20 novels, six volumes of poetry, a memoir, short stories, radio and television scripts, and works of social crit ...
. The visual arts has been represented by painters such as
John Everett Millais Sir John Everett Millais, 1st Baronet ( , ; 8 June 1829 – 13 August 1896) was an English painter and illustrator who was one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. He was a child prodigy who, aged eleven, became the youngest s ...
,
Lord Leighton Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton, (3 December 1830 – 25 January 1896), known as Sir Frederic Leighton between 1878 and 1896, was a British Victorian painter, draughtsman, and sculptor. His works depicted historical, biblical, and classi ...
and
Dante Gabriel Rossetti Gabriel Charles Dante Rossetti (12 May 1828 – 9 April 1882), generally known as Dante Gabriel Rossetti ( ; ), was an English poet, illustrator, painter, translator, and member of the Rossetti family. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brother ...
. The club's popularity at the beginning of the 1860s created overcrowding of its original clubhouse.
Slum clearance Slum clearance, slum eviction or slum removal is an urban renewal strategy used to transform low-income settlements with poor reputation into another type of development or housing. This has long been a strategy for redeveloping urban communities; ...
being undertaken just round the corner provided the opportunity to move into a brand-new purpose-built home on what became known as Garrick Street. The move was completed in 1864 and the club remains in this building today. All new candidates must be proposed by an existing member before election in a secret ballot, the original assurance of the committee being "that it would be better that ten unobjectionable men should be excluded than one terrible bore should be admitted". This exclusive nature of the club was highlighted when reporter
Jeremy Paxman Jeremy Dickson Paxman (born 11 May 1950) is an English former broadcaster, journalist and author, born in Yorkshire. Born in Leeds, Paxman was educated at Malvern College and St Catharine's College, Cambridge, where he edited the undergraduate ...
applied to join but was initially blackballed, though he was later admitted, an experience he shares with
Sir Henry Irving Sir Henry Irving (6 February 1838 – 13 October 1905), christened John Henry Brodribb, sometimes known as J. H. Irving, was an English stage actor in the Victorian era, known as an actor-manager because he took complete responsibility ( ...
who, despite being the first actor to receive a knighthood, had himself been blackballed in 1873.
Bernard Levin Henry Bernard Levin (19 August 1928 – 7 August 2004) was an English journalist, author and broadcaster, described by ''The Times'' as "the most famous journalist of his day". The son of a poor Jewish family in London, he won a scholarship t ...
was blackballed by members who were upset by a column he had written about Lord Chief Justice Goddard after Goddard's death. When the club was founded in 1831, rule 1 of the Garrick Club Rules and Regulations called for the "formation of a theatrical Library, with works on costume". At a general meeting on 15 October 1831, the
barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...
John Adolphus John Adolphus (1768–1845) was an English barrister and historian. Life Born 7 August 1768, he was of German background. His grandfather had been domestic physician to Frederick the Great, and wrote a French romance, ''Histoire des Diables ...
suggested that members should present their duplicate dramatic works to the club, and that these should go some way towards forming a Library. A very valuable collection has thus come together over the years, and its special collections are particularly strong on 18th- and 19th-century theatre. The novelist
William Makepeace Thackeray William Makepeace Thackeray ( ; 18 July 1811 – 24 December 1863) was an English novelist and illustrator. He is known for his Satire, satirical works, particularly his 1847–1848 novel ''Vanity Fair (novel), Vanity Fair'', a panoramic portra ...
would frequently draw members of the club who he found amusing. In 1985,
Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...
was proposed by his father,
Prince Philip Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...
, and seconded by the actor Donald Sinden. Charles described his profession as "self-employed" on the nomination form. James Winston, the first secretary and librarian of the club, was one of the principal early benefactors and his gifts included minutes from the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, as well as his own ''Theatric Tourist''. These presentations formed the nucleus of a Library which now holds well over 10,000 items, including plays, manuscripts, prints (bound into numerous extra-illustrated volumes), and many photographs. In 1933 a 21-year-old kitchen maid at the club stabbed a 33-year-old fish cook at the club in a dispute about working conditions. She was subsequently remanded for a medical report at the Bow Street Police Court. The evidence presented to the court by a witness included a large chopping knife and a letter complaining about her working conditions. In 1956, the rights to Milne's ''
Winnie-the-Pooh Winnie-the-Pooh (also known as Edward Bear, Pooh Bear or simply Pooh) is a fictional Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. Winnie-the-Pooh first appeared by ...
'' books were left to four beneficiaries: his family, the
Royal Literary Fund The Royal Literary Fund (RLF) is a benevolent fund that gives assistance to published British writers in financial difficulties. Founded in 1790, and granted a royal charter in 1818, the Fund has helped an extensive roll of authors through its lon ...
,
Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...
and the Garrick Club. A 1960 dinner at the club hosted by Eugen Millington-Drake brought together British and German survivors of the Battle of the River Plate. In January 1961 the Soviet naval attaché and spy Yevgeny Ivanov was introduced to osteopath Stephen Ward at the club by Colin Coote, the editor of the ''
Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was foun ...
'', which would lead to the subsequent
Profumo affair The Profumo affair was a major scandal in British politics during the early 1960s. John Profumo, the 46-year-old Secretary of State for War in Harold Macmillan's Conservative government, had an extramarital affair with the 19-year-old model ...
. The broadcaster
Malcolm Muggeridge Thomas Malcolm Muggeridge (24 March 1903 – 14 November 1990) was a conservative British journalist and satirist. His father, H. T. Muggeridge, was a socialist politician and one of the early Labour Party Members of Parliament (for Romford, i ...
resigned from the club in 1964 after being asked for a transcript of an American television interview in which he had criticised the British royal family. A committee member of the club, journalist Joseph C. Harsch, inquired whether "the propriety for a member of the club for speaking against the royal family" might be considered by the club committee. Muggeridge said it was "preposterous ... that the committee of a club like the Garrick should consider themselves entitled to adjudicate upon the propriety or otherwise of what a member may choose to say in public".


Membership


Membership process

Whilst details of the official membership process are not publicly available, various aspects of the process are known through news stories and the accounts of past or present members. Typically, an existing member is required to initially propose the name of a prospective new member, with another member required to second this proposal. The name of the proposed new member is then "put up" or "posted" in a membership list book. Enough members must sign in support of membership before membership will be formally considered. Should enough members have signed in support, the name of the prospective member has to go before the Candidates Committee. Only then, to progress from there, is someone considered by a reportedly 24-member General Committee. In between those two stages, a prospective member will be invited to attend so that members of the more senior committee can judge him. Although prices are not publicly available, in March 2024 the cost of an annual membership was around £1,600. In 2011, the waiting list for membership was reported as being up to five years long.


Membership list

The identity of some club members, both past and present, has been widely known and reported in the press, with some individuals publicly identifying themselves as members. Since the Garrick's inception however, the club had always kept details of the full membership a closely guarded secret. In March 2024, ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' newspaper reported having access to the full "50 page membership book" (current as at the end of 2023) and started reporting on the identities of "about 1,500" all-male members, many of them senior members of the establishment including individuals from royalty, politics, the legal profession, the media and the arts.


Politicians

Reportedly, the Garrick has fewer politicians as members compared with 20 years ago; however, the membership list reveals dozens of members of the House of Lords and 10 serving members of Parliament (MPs) and remains a significant hub for senior legal professionals and Whitehall leaders. The majority of serving politicians are members of the Conservative Party; these include the former deputy prime minister, Oliver Dowden, the former levelling-up secretary,
Michael Gove Michael Andrew Gove, Baron Gove (; born Graeme Andrew Logan, 26 August 1967) is a British politician and journalist who served in various Cabinet of the United Kingdom, Cabinet positions under David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Rish ...
, Gove's levelling up department colleague
Simon Hoare Simon James Hoare (born 28 June 1969) is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Dorset since 2015. He was formerly Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Government from Novemb ...
, the former minister of state for Brexit opportunities Jacob Rees-Mogg, the former justice secretary
Robert Buckland Sir Robert James Buckland (born 22 September 1968) is a British politician who served as Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice from 2019 to 2021, and as Secretary of State for Wales from July to October 2022. A member of the Conse ...
(now chair of the Northern Ireland select committee), Daniel Hannan, a member of the House of Lords and adviser to the Board of Trade and Kwasi Kwarteng who was elected as a member days before he was appointed as
chancellor of the exchequer The chancellor of the exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and the head of HM Treasury, His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, t ...
. Also within the political sphere or as heads of public or political institutions are Robert Chote, the head of the
UK Statistics Authority The UK Statistics Authority (UKSA, ) is a non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for oversight of the Office for National Statistics, maintaining a national code of practice for official statist ...
, who was chair of the
Office for Budget Responsibility The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is a non-departmental public body funded by the HM Treasury, UK Treasury that provides independent Economic forecasting, economic forecasts and independent analysis of the public finances. It was formal ...
from 2010 until 2020,
David Willetts David Linsay Willetts, Baron Willetts, (born 9 March 1956) is a British politician and life peer. From 1992 to 2015, he was the Member of Parliament representing the constituency of Havant in Hampshire. He served as Minister of State for Uni ...
, the president of the British think tank, the
Resolution Foundation The Resolution Foundation is an independent British think tank established in 2005. Its stated aim is to improve the standard of living of low- to middle-income families. Appointments From 2005 to 2010, Sue Regan served as the chief executive ...
(chiefly focused on issues of inequality) and Dean Godson, the director of the Policy Exchange, a right-wing think tank, former
Post Office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...
chair
Tim Parker Timothy Parker may refer to: * Timothy Parker (puzzle designer) (born 1960) * Timothy Britten Parker (born 1962), American stage, film, and television actor * Gift of Gab (rapper) (1970–2021, Timothy Jerome Parker), American rapper * Tim Park ...
and the chair of the Independent Press Standards Organisation, Edward Faulks. Following the ''Guardian'' reports,
Simon Case Simon Case (born 27 December 1978) is a British civil servant who served as Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service from September 2020 to December 2024. Case was Downing Street Permanent Secretary to Prime Minister Boris Johnso ...
, the cabinet secretary and the prime minister’s most senior policy adviser and the leader of nearly half a million civil servants, and Richard Moore, the head of the
Secret Intelligence Service The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6 (MI numbers, Military Intelligence, Section 6), is the foreign intelligence service of the United Kingdom, tasked mainly with the covert overseas collection and analysis of Human i ...
(MI6), announced their resignations from the club on 20 March 2024. Case rejoined six months later.


Judiciary and legal professionals

From the legal profession, ''The Guardian'' reported that membership included a
Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
judge, five
Court of Appeal An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to Hearing (law), hear a Legal case, case upon appeal from a trial court or other ...
judges, eight High Court judges, and about 150 KCs. The membership of significant numbers of senior legal professionals and the mixed messages this may send have been previously noted. Baroness Hale, as the then president of the
Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
, protested about the club’s continued exclusion of women and the acquiescence of its members in that policy. She argued that judges "should be committed to the principle of equality for all." After a vote extending the ban on female members, Dinah Rose, a leading
barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...
specialising in human rights and public law, urged leading legal professionals including members of the Supreme Court, to "reconsider" their membership in the club.


The arts

Originally established so that “actors and men of refinement and education might meet on equal terms”, and named after the 18th-century actor and theatre manager
David Garrick David Garrick (19 February 1716 – 20 January 1779) was an English actor, playwright, Actor-manager, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of European theatrical practice throughout the 18th century, and was a pupil a ...
, the Garrick Club continues to be patronised by members of the arts. The membership includes the actors Brian Cox and
Matthew Macfadyen David Matthew Macfadyen (; born 17 October 1974) is an English actor. Known for his performances on stage and screen, he Breakthrough role, gained prominence for his role as Mr. Darcy in Joe Wright's ''Pride & Prejudice (2005 film), Pride & Prej ...
, both of whom starred in the ''
Succession Succession is the act or process of following in order or sequence. Governance and politics *Order of succession, in politics, the ascension to power by one ruler, official, or monarch after the death, resignation, or removal from office of ...
'' TV series,
Hugh Bonneville Hugh Richard Bonniwell Williams (born 10 November 1963), known professionally as Hugh Bonneville, is an English actor. He is best known for portraying Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, in the ITV historical drama series ''Downton Abbey'' from ...
,
Hugh Laurie James Hugh Calum Laurie (; born 11 June 1959) is an English actor, comedian, singer, musician and writer. He first gained professional recognition as a member of the English comedy double act Fry and Laurie with Stephen Fry. Fry and Laurie act ...
,
Stephen Fry Sir Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director, narrator and writer. He came to prominence as a member of the comic act Fry and Laurie alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring in ''A Bit of ...
,
Benedict Cumberbatch Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch (born 19 July 1976) is an English actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Benedict Cumberbatch, various accolades, including a BAFTA TV Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Laurenc ...
,
David Suchet Sir David Courtney Suchet ( ; born 2 May 1946) is an English actor. He is known for his work on stage and in television. He portrayed Edward Teller in the television serial '' Oppenheimer'' (1980) and received the RTS and BPG awards for his pe ...
, and
Damian Lewis Damian Watcyn Lewis (born 11 February 1971) is a British actor, musician and producer. He rose to prominence portraying U.S. Army Major Richard Winters in the HBO miniseries ''Band of Brothers (miniseries), Band of Brothers''. Lewis won a Prime ...
. From opera, ballet and theatre, members include Christopher Rodrigues, the chair of the
Royal Ballet School The Royal Ballet School is a British school of classical ballet training founded in 1926 by the Anglo-Irish ballerina and choreographer Ninette de Valois. The school's aim is to train and educate outstanding classical ballet dancers, especially ...
, John Gilhooly, the artistic director of
Wigmore Hall The Wigmore Hall is a concert hall at 36 Wigmore Street, in west London. It was designed by Thomas Edward Collcutt and opened in 1901 as the Bechstein Hall; it is considered to have particularly good building acoustics, acoustics. It specialis ...
, Harry Brünjes, the chair of the
English National Opera English National Opera (ENO) is a British opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in E ...
, Alex Beard, the chief executive of the
Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...
, and Antonio Pappano, chief conductor of the
London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...
.


Business

From the business world, members include
Crispin Odey Robin Crispin William Odey (born January 1959)O'Hannelly, Padraig"Investment Greats: Crispin Odey" Motley Fool, 2 October 2009. Retrieved 13 June 2012. is a British hedge fund manager and founder of Odey Asset Management. In June 2023, the '' ...
, the hedge fund manager and founder of Odey Asset Management that has had to close following an investigation report documenting the alleged sexual harassment and assault of 13 different women; Nigel Newton, chief executive and founder of the publisher
Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London, part of the London Borough of Camden in England. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural institution, cultural, intellectual, and educational ...
, best known for publishing the Harry Potter series; Peter Straus, the literary agent, and
Rocco Forte Sir Rocco Giovanni Forte (born 18 January 1945) is an English hotel manager, hotelier and the chairman of Rocco Forte Hotels. Early life Born in Bournemouth, the son of Charles Forte, Baron Forte, and his wife Irene, he was educated at St P ...
, the British hotelier and chairman of
Rocco Forte Hotels Rocco Forte Hotels is a British hotel group that was established in 1996 by hotelier Sir Rocco Forte and Olga Polizzi. The group owns and operates 14 hotels across Europe. Sir Rocco Forte is Executive Chairman, while Olga Polizzi is Deputy Chai ...
, and Paul Smith, the fashion designer and owner of the eponymous brand.


Members of the press

Members of the press include Paul Dacre, the journalist editor-in-chief of the DMG Group, the publisher of the Daily Mail among other publications, John Simpson, the BBC's world affairs correspondent, and Sir Simon Jenkins, former editor of The Times.


Royalty, clergy and orders and titles

''The Guardian'' reported King
Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...
being a member, and about 150 members had included the title 'Sir' and 40 members listing themselves as 'Lord' as part of their name. The membership list also includes at least 90 members who have been appointed CBEs (Commander of the Order of the British Empire), 96 members appointed OBEs (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) and 9 members have been appointed KCMGs (Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George). Such awards have been granted for service including acting as ambassadors to Moscow, Rome and Washington, senior roles at the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental transnational military alliance of 32 member states—30 European and 2 North American. Established in the aftermat ...
(
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
), the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
, the
Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * United ...
and the
European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...
. The list also includes three bishops (two retired and one serving) and 14 priests.


Women members


Current status

Until May 2024, the club rules were assumed to exclude the election of female candidates, referring as they did exclusively to 'gentlemen' members. Several past attempts to open the club to women members had failed. The most recent in-person poll on the membership of women in 2015 showed a very slim majority (50.5%) voted to admit women members, but "the club requires a two-thirds majority before rules can be changed". In 2023, a mail-in poll was conducted on membership but on attitudes towards admitting women. Of those members who participated, 51% indicated that they were in favour of admitting women, while 44% were opposed (as a percentage of the membership as a whole just 39% were in favour of change) but as with the previous poll, the club needed a two-thirds majority to trigger a rule change. However, in May 2024 the club voted to accept a legal opinion commissioned by four members from Lord Pannick to the effect that the existing rules, where they used the word 'he', should be construed as also meaning 'she' and that therefore, on this basis, no rule change was needed. The vote to accept this opinion required only a simple majority of those present physically and virtually at an extraordinary general meeting, rather than the two-thirds majority that a rule change would have required. Later in 2024,
Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Widely considered one of Britain's greatest actors, she is noted for her versatility, having appeared in films and television, as well as for her numerous roles on the stage ...
and Siân Phillips became the first female members of the club.


History of the campaign for female membership


Equality Act 2010 and changes to allow female guests of members

From 1831 up until 2010, women were permitted only as guests of members, and not allowed to sit at the Centre Table which was reserved for members and their male guest

In Autumn 2010, however, the Garrick Club management wrote to members informing them that women guests (of members) were no longer banned from sitting at the centre table of its Coffee Room. For the first time in the club's history, women would also now be allowed to visit the cocktail bar before 9 o'clock in the evening and venture "under the stairs", an area hitherto reserved for members. Allowing women to sit at the centre table as guests of members just as male guests of members were permitted was largely in response to the
Equality Act 2010 The Equality Act 2010 (c. 15) is an act of Parliament of the United Kingdom passed during the Brown ministry with the primary purpose of consolidating, updating and supplementing the numerous prior Acts and Regulations, that formed the basis o ...
, which was introduced by the former Labour minister
Harriet Harman Harriet Ruth Harman, Baroness Harman, (born 30 July 1950), is a British politician and solicitor who served as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Deputy Leader of the Labour Party and Chair of the Labour Party (UK), Chair of the Labour Pa ...
. Jonathan Acton Davis who was at the time the Garrick's chairman, said this act meant that "each of those prohibitions was discriminatory and would be illegal" and that the act denoted that "all guests must receive the same treatment irrespective of gender". At the time, Davis said "the decision in relation to the centre table was the most difficult. The long traditions of the club are strongly in favour of restricting use of the centre table to men."


First proposed female member and subsequent rejection

In the late 1990s the lawyer Anthony Lester attempted to propose Mary Ann Sieghart as a member but her nomination was blocked by the chair of the club and Sieghart was taken for lunch at the club by Lester instead. In 2011, the actress
Joanna Lumley Dame Joanna Lamond Lumley (born 1 May 1946) is an Indian-born British actress, presenter, author, television producer, activist and former model. She has won two BAFTA TV Awards for her role as Patsy Stone in the BBC sitcom ''Absolutely Fabulo ...
attempted to become the first female member in the club's then 180 year history, and she was the first female to be proposed as a member, proposed by
Hugh Bonneville Hugh Richard Bonniwell Williams (born 10 November 1963), known professionally as Hugh Bonneville, is an English actor. He is best known for portraying Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, in the ITV historical drama series ''Downton Abbey'' from ...
. The page upon which Bonneville wrote Lumley's nomination was torn out and expletives were written upon it. The Garrick Club consulted with the barrister
Michael Beloff Michael Jacob Beloff, King's Counsel, KC (born 18 April 1942) is an English barrister and arbitrator. A member of Blackstone Chambers, he practises in a number of areas including human rights, administrative law and sports law. Career Beloff is ...
on the implications of the rules in law and asked him for a legal opinion concerning the admittance of female members. At the time he advised that women could not be proposed under the club's rules after Lumley was denied membership in 2011. Beloff advised that although the rules do not explicitly preclude women from joining, they state that "no candidate shall be eligible unless he be proposed by one member and seconded by another". The use of the masculine pronoun "he" led Beloff to conclude that the rule ''could'' be interpreted as referring to men only, while he also said the club's objectives also refer to "gentlemanly accomplishment and scholarship".


New legal opinion and failed vote to allow female membership

In November 2023, Beloff prepared and issued new legal opinion with the opposite conclusions to that of 2011. Beloff stated that there was "now a cogent argument" that the
Law of Property Act 1925 The Law of Property Act 1925 ( 15 & 16 Geo. 5. c. 20) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It forms part of an interrelated programme of legislation introduced by Lord Chancellor Lord Birkenhead between 1922 and 1925. The progr ...
means the masculine and feminine pronouns (''he'' and ''she'') can be used interchangeably in contracts. Beloff continued: "if so, there is no legal obstacle to the proposal of a woman for membership of the club by one member, seconded by another; nor, if she obtains the support required under the rules, any legal obstacle to her admission as a member of the club." It was reported that Beloff warned that the club was "likely to provoke an expensive lawsuit" if it continued to exclude women from membership. Although Beloff notified the club's management of the changed legal opinion along with providing them with the revised advice, the club's management failed to share this guidance with members before a November 2023 poll on attitudes towards admitting women. The results of the poll indicated that 51% of members were in favour of admitting women, while 44% were opposed, but the rules of the club reportedly require a two-thirds majority to trigger a rule change. It was reported that the club's general committee decided unanimously not to act on Beloff’s new advice. In February 2024, Colin Brough, a retired theatre producer and a member for 40 years, was expelled from the club for having used the club's address book to contact members to express his conviction that women should be admitted immediately. After his exclusion he sent further e-mails to fellow members in which he criticised the club’s "Putin-style" management. In e-mails sent to members, Brough alleged that some members of management were "against women members, which is why they have, in my view, taken such an active and belligerent role in preventing the membership from reading, considering and assessing for themselves the importance of the Beloff opinions". Brough accused club management members of deception, saying management contained a group of "misogynists howant to keep women out" and said the Garrick was becoming a "pariah" because of its attitude to women.


Support for female membership by current members

Some current members have openly stated their support of the Garrick Club opening up its membership to women. John Simpson, the journalist, foreign correspondent and chief editor for world affairs at the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
, who has been a club member since 2001, has said, Likewise,
Stephen Fry Sir Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director, narrator and writer. He came to prominence as a member of the comic act Fry and Laurie alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring in ''A Bit of ...
has said he feels "ashamed and mortified by the continuing exclusion of women from our club". The actor Brian Cox, a member since 1996, has said it was "about time" membership was opened up to women, and that "this archaic practice is ridiculous in the 21st century".
Simon Case Simon Case (born 27 December 1978) is a British civil servant who served as Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service from September 2020 to December 2024. Case was Downing Street Permanent Secretary to Prime Minister Boris Johnso ...
, head of the civil service argued that he wished to "make the change from within" in referral to the Club's exclusion of female members.


Public support and support from judiciary and legal professionals for female membership

After the rejection of Joanna Lumley's proposed membership in 2011, various public figures campaigned for female members. In 2015, Baroness Hale, as the then-president of the
Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
, protested about the club's continued exclusion of women and the acquiescence of its members in that policy. She has said that "I regard it as quite shocking that so many of my colleagues belong to the Garrick, but they don't see what all the fuss is about", arguing that judges "should be committed to the principle of equality for all". In reaction to the vote maintaining the customary exclusion of women as members, Dinah Rose, a leading
barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...
specialising in human rights and public law, urged leading legal professionals including members of the Supreme Court, to "reconsider" their membership in the club. In September 2020, the entrepreneur Emily Bendell threatened a legal challenge over the club's refusal to admit women as members under the terms of the Equality Act 2010. She asserts that the rule breaches the
Equality Act 2010 The Equality Act 2010 (c. 15) is an act of Parliament of the United Kingdom passed during the Brown ministry with the primary purpose of consolidating, updating and supplementing the numerous prior Acts and Regulations, that formed the basis o ...
, but failed to address how the Garrick failed to meet the specific exemptions mentioned in the act that protected same-sex sporting and social clubs. Bendell subsequently launched a petition against the club which attracted the signatures of over 300 senior legal professions. Signing the above petition, Cherie Blair recalled how, in 1976, she watched:


Art

The club holds a remarkable collection of artworks representing the history of British theatre. There are over 1000 paintings, drawings and sculptures, a selection of theatrical memorabilia, and thousands of prints and photographs. The collection originated with the actor Charles Mathews, one of the original members of the club who had a passion for collecting theatrical portraits; they were once displayed by him in a gallery at his home, Ivy Cottage, in
Highgate Highgate is a suburban area of N postcode area, north London in the London Borough of Camden, London Boroughs of Camden, London Borough of Islington, Islington and London Borough of Haringey, Haringey. The area is at the north-eastern corner ...
, north London. Mathews managed to secure a large number of pictures from the collection of
Thomas Harris William Thomas Harris III (born September 22, 1940) is an American writer. He is the author of a series of suspense novels about Hannibal Lecter. The majority of his works have been adapted into films and television, including '' The Silence o ...
, who had been manager of the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, and which included paintings by the likes of
Johann Zoffany Johan / Johann Joseph Zoffany (born Johannes Josephus Zaufallij; 13 March 1733 – 11 November 1810) was a German neoclassical painter who was active mainly in England, Italy, and India. His works appear in many prominent British collections ...
,
Francis Hayman Francis Hayman (1708 – 2 February 1776) was an English painter and illustrator who became one of the founding members of the Royal Academy in 1768, and later its first librarian. Life and works Born in Exeter, Devon, Hayman begun his arti ...
and Gainsborough Dupont. He also actively commissioned artists such as Samuel De Wilde to paint all the popular stars of the stage at that time (there are 196 works by De Wilde in the collection). Mathews had hoped to sell the collection to the club and it appears that lengthy negotiations were entered into without any result. It was eventually purchased by a wealthy stockbroker and donated to the club, having already hung on its walls for several years. The collection continued to grow with many being presented by artist members, such as Clarkson Frederick Stanfield and David Roberts, who with fellow scene painter Louis Haghe painted a series of large canvases, especially for the Smoking Room at the old Clubhouse. Roberts' ''Temple at Baalbec'' remains today one of the most important paintings by that artist. Sir
John Everett Millais Sir John Everett Millais, 1st Baronet ( , ; 8 June 1829 – 13 August 1896) was an English painter and illustrator who was one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. He was a child prodigy who, aged eleven, became the youngest s ...
is represented by one of his most important portraits, that of Henry Irving which he painted and presented to the club in 1884. The picture collection continued to expand throughout the twentieth century with artists such as Edward Seago and
Feliks Topolski Feliks Topolski Royal Academician, RA (14 August 1907 – 24 August 1989) was a Polish expressionist painter and draughtsman working primarily in the United Kingdom. Biography Feliks Topolski was born on 14 August 1907 in Warsaw, Poland. He st ...
both represented.


Notable deceased members

In 2011, the Garrick Club newsletter compiled a list of 100 notable deceased members (since updated):


See also

* List of members' clubs in London *
List of women's clubs Woman's clubs or women's clubs are examples of the woman's club movement. Many local clubs and national or regional federations were influential in history. The importance of some local clubs is demonstrated by their women's club buildings be ...


References


Further reading

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External links

* {{Authority control 1831 establishments in England Covent Garden Discrimination in England Gentlemen's clubs in London Organizations established in 1831