The Guards Club, established in 1810, was a
London Gentlemen's club for officers of the
Guards Division
The Guards Division was an administrative unit of the British Army responsible for the training and administration of the regiments of Foot Guards and the London Guards reserve battalion. The Guards Division was responsible for providing tw ...
, originally defined by the club as being the
Coldstream Guards
The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarchy; due to this, it often ...
,
Grenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect ...
or
Scots Guards
The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot guards#United Kingdom, Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642 in the Ki ...
, traditionally the most socially elite section of the
British Army
The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
. Officers of the
Welsh and
Irish Guards
The Irish Guards (IG) is one of the Foot guards#United Kingdom, Foot Guards regiments of the British Army and is part of the Guards Division. Together with the Royal Irish Regiment (1992), Royal Irish Regiment, it is one of the two Irish infant ...
were not able to join until the second half of the 20th century. Its clubhouse at 70
Pall Mall was the first to be built on that street, which later became noted for its high concentration of clubs; earlier clubs had been focused on the adjoining
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 ...
.
[Cavalry and Guards Club: A Brief History of the Building and the Club]
, accessed 9 December 2021
Stephen Hoare states that: "Three Guards officers, Captain
Rees Howell Gronow, Jack Talbot and that well-known acrobatic dandy Colonel
Dan MacKinnon established the Guards Club at the St James's Coffee-House at number 88 St James's Street opposite Lock's the hatter. The link between coffee-houses and the club formation remained as strong as it was a century earlier. The establishment provided exactly the kind of relaxing and informal atmosphere where officers home on leave or waiting to be posted could enjoy decent hospitality. In fact, not long afterwards St James's Coffee-House became the St James's Club in 1840. Meanwhile, the Guards Club acquired premises at 49 St. James's Street, opposite Whites, finally moving to a newly commissioned clubhouse at 70 Pall Mall in 1849".
Hoare, Stephen (2019). ''Palaces of Power: The Birth and Evolution of London’s Clubland.'' History Press.
/ref>
In 1975 it gave up its premises and merged with the Cavalry Club in nearby Piccadilly
Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, England, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road (England), A4 road that connects central London to ...
to form the present-day Cavalry and Guards Club.[
]
References
See also
* List of London's gentlemen's clubs
* Guards Polo Club
{{Coord, 51, 30, 21.24, N, 0, 8, 11.1, W, scale:1563_region:GB, display=title
Gentlemen's clubs in London
Regency London
1810 establishments in the United Kingdom
1976 disestablishments
Defunct clubs and societies of the United Kingdom
Defunct organisations based in London
Guards Division (United Kingdom)
Military gentlemen's clubs