The Ladies' Automobile Club was formed by a group of aristocratic women in 1903. The club continued until the 1920s when it was absorbed by the

Royal Automobile Club The Royal Automobile Club is a British private Club (organization)#Country or sports club, social and athletic club. It has two clubhouses: one in London at 89 Pall Mall, London, Pall Mall, and the other in the countryside at Woodcote Park, ne ...

History

In October 1899 Florence Wallace Pomeroy, Viscountess Harberton, who was a campaigner for women's dress reform, hosted the first attempt to set up a Ladies Automobile Club, at her London home. She invited

Louise Bazalgette Louise Bazalgette born Louise Seville (1846 – 9 March 1918) was an early British motorist. She was present at the Emancipation Run in 1896 when car owners celebrated being able to exceed 4 mph. She was widely reported as a woman who was making ...

, who was an enthusiast for driving who boasted of travelling over 2,000 miles. One of Bazelgette's trips was from London to Southampton and this was a record for a woman. Pomeroy's proposal did not gather sufficient support and a Ladies Automobile Club was not established until 1903 (and Bazalgette was not involved). 1904 Ladies Automobile Club first run

Lady Cecil Scott Montagu ''Lady'' is a term for a woman who behaves in a polite way. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the female counterpart of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. "Lady" is al ...

formed the club in 1903. Nearly half of the fifty members who were the first to pay the two guineas' annual membership fee were women with titles. Lady Millicent Sutherland was the inaugural President and Ada Annie Watney and

Edith Vane-Tempest-Stewart, Marchioness of Londonderry Edith Helen Vane-Tempest-Stewart, Marchioness of Londonderry, Order of the British Empire, DBE (''née'' Chaplin; 3 December 1878 – 23 April 1959) was a noted and influential society hostess in the United Kingdom between World War I and Wo ...

were founders and members of the first committee of the Ladies Automobile Club with the American Kate d'Esterre-Hughes as secretary. The club was required because the Automobile Club that was based in London would only allow men to join. The discrimination was needed (said the club) because of the large number of women who wanted to join and because the existing members needed to smoke everywhere in the club's building. The new club for ladies was based at a hotel in Piccadilly but it moved after six months to

Claridge's Claridge's is a 5-star hotels, 5-star hotel at the corner of Brook Street, London, Brook Street and Davies Street in Mayfair, London. The hotel is owned and managed by the Maybourne Hotel Group. History Founding Claridge's traces its origins to ...

where the club was given its own entrance. In 1904 the club became a limited company and it had 300 members and an affiliation agreed with the Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland. On 9 June the club held its first run with over 50 vehicles taking part in a short run from the Athenaeum Club through London to the

Ranelagh Club The Ranelagh Club was a polo club located at Barn Elms in south west London, England. It was founded in 1878 as a split-off from the Hurlingham Club and by 1894 was the largest polo club in the world. The club had approximately 3000 members ...

for afternoon tea.

Early members

An early member,

Victoria Woodhull Victoria Claflin Woodhull (born Victoria California Claflin; September 23, 1838 – June 9, 1927), later Victoria Woodhull Martin, was an American leader of the women's suffrage movement who ran for president of the United States in the 187 ...

, was said to be the first woman car driver in London's Hyde Park. The balloonist

May Assheton Harbord May Constance Assheton Harbord (6 June 1866 – 7 February 1928), was the first woman to obtain an Royal Aero Club, Aeronaut's Certificate in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom, in 1912. Family May Constance Cuningh ...

was a member of the Ladies Automobile Club from about 1909.

Charity and events

The club organised trips and games using the cars. Talks were arranged with guests including the founder's husband, Lord Montenu,

Charles Rolls Charles Stewart Rolls (27 August 1877 – 12 July 1910) was a British motoring and aviation pioneer. With Henry Royce, he co-founded the Rolls-Royce Limited, Rolls-Royce car manufacturing firm. He was the first Briton to be killed in an aeron ...

and

Filson Young Alexander Bell Filson Young (1876–1938) was a journalist from Northern Ireland, who published the first book about the sinking of the ''RMS Titanic'', called ''Titanic'', in 1912, only 37 days after the sinking. He was also an essayist, war cor ...

. In 1912 the club took the unusual step of funding a hospital bed that was reserved for people injured by cars. They encouraged the Royal Automobile Club and the later formed

Automobile Association An automobile association, also referred to as a motoring club, motoring association, or motor club, is an organization, either for-profit or non-profit, which motorists (drivers and vehicle owners) can join to enjoy benefits provided by the club ...

to follow their lead. After the war broke out, they funded an ambulance that was specially built for them by coachbuilders. The club continued until the 1920s when it was absorbed by the

Legacy

In 2024 the

London to Brighton Veteran Car Run The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run is the world's longest-running motoring event, held on a course between London () and Brighton (), England. To qualify, participating cars must have been built before 1905. It is also the world's largest ...

celebrated 120 years since the ("circa 1904") formation of the Ladies' Automobile Club.

References

{{reflist Automobile associations in the United Kingdom 1903 establishments in the United Kingdom Women's organisations based in the United Kingdom