The Reform Club is a private members' club on the south side of Pall Mall in

central London Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local government. Its characteris ...

, England. As with all of London's original gentlemen's clubs, it had an all-male membership for decades, but it was one of the first all-male clubs to change its rules to include the admission of women on equal terms in 1981. Since its foundation in 1836, the Reform Club has been the traditional home for those committed to progressive political ideas, with its membership initially consisting of

Radicals Radical may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics *Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change *Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and ...

and Whigs. However, it is no longer associated with any particular political party, and it now serves a purely social function. The Reform Club currently enjoys extensive reciprocity with similar clubs around the world. It attracts a significant number of foreign members, such as diplomats accredited to the

Court of St James's The Court of St James's is the royal court for the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. All ambassadors to the United Kingdom are formally received by the court. All ambassadors from the United Kingdom are formally accredited from the court – & ...

. Of the current membership of around 2,700, some 500 are "overseas members", and over 400 are women.

History

19th century

The club was founded by

Edward Ellice Edward Ellice may refer to: * Edward Ellice (merchant) (1783–1863), merchant and politician, and a prime mover behind the Reform Bill of 1832 ** Edward Ellice (1813 ship), launched in New Brunswick *Edward Ellice (MP for St Andrews) (1810–80), s ...

, Member of Parliament (MP) for Coventry and Whig

Whip A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally e ...

, whose riches came from the Hudson's Bay Company but whose zeal was chiefly devoted to securing the passage of the

Reform Act 1832 The Representation of the People Act 1832 (also known as the 1832 Reform Act, Great Reform Act or First Reform Act) was an Act of Parliament, Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom (indexed as 2 & 3 Will. IV c. 45) that introduced major chan ...

; it held its first meeting at No. 104 Pall Mall on 5 May 1836. This new club, for members of both Houses of Parliament, was intended to be a forum for the

radical Radical may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics *Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change *Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and ...

ideas which the First Reform Bill represented: its purpose was to promote "the social intercourse of the reformer of the United Kingdom. The Reform Club's building was designed by renowned architect Sir Charles Barry and contracted to builders Grissell &

Peto Peto may refer to: People *Peto (surname), includes a list of people with the surname Peto *Kawu Peto Dukku (1958–2010), Nigerian politician, Senator for the Gombe North constituency of Gombe State, Nigeria Other uses * PETO, a German party *Pe ...

. The new club was built on palatial lines, the design being based on the Palazzo Farnese in Rome, and its Saloon in particular is regarded as the finest of all London's clubs. It was officially opened on 1 March 1841. Facilities provided included a library which, following extensive donations from members, grew to contain over 85,000 books.

20th century

After the Second World War and with the old Liberal Party's further decline, the club increasingly drew its membership from civil servants. The club continued to attract a comprehensive list of guest speakers including Government Ministers Nick Clegg and Theresa May (2011), Archbishop John Sentamu (2012), and

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

Liu Xiaoming (2013).

Literary associations

Besides having had many distinguished members from the literary world, including William Makepeace Thackeray and Arnold Bennett, the Reform played a role in some significant events, such as the feud between

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

's friend and literary executor Robbie Ross and Wilde's ex-lover

Lord Alfred Douglas Lord Alfred Bruce Douglas (22 October 1870 – 20 March 1945), also known as Bosie Douglas, was an English poet and journalist, and a lover of Oscar Wilde. At Oxford he edited an undergraduate journal, ''The Spirit Lamp'', that carried a homoer ...

. In 1913, after discovering that Lord Alfred had taken lodgings in the same house as himself with a view to stealing his papers, Ross sought refuge at the club, from where he wrote to Edmund Gosse, saying that he felt obliged to return to his rooms "with firearms". Harold Owen, the brother of Wilfred Owen, called on

Siegfried Sassoon Siegfried Loraine Sassoon (8 September 1886 – 1 September 1967) was an English war poet, writer, and soldier. Decorated for bravery on the Western Front, he became one of the leading poets of the First World War. His poetry both describ ...

at the Reform after Wilfred's death, and Sassoon himself wrote a poem entitled "Lines Written at the Reform Club", which was printed for members at Christmas 1920.

Appearances in popular culture and literature

Books

The Reform Club appears in

Anthony Trollope Anthony Trollope (; 24 April 1815 – 6 December 1882) was an English novelist and civil servant of the Victorian era. Among his best-known works is a series of novels collectively known as the '' Chronicles of Barsetshire'', which revolves ar ...

's novel '' Phineas Finn'' (1867). This eponymous main character becomes a member of the club and there acquaints Liberal members of the House of Commons, who arrange to get him elected to an Irish parliamentary borough. The book is one of the political novels in the Palliser series, and the political events it describes are a fictionalized account of the build-up to the

Second Reform Act The Representation of the People Act 1867, 30 & 31 Vict. c. 102 (known as the Reform Act 1867 or the Second Reform Act) was a piece of British legislation that enfranchised part of the urban male working class in England and Wales for the first ...

(passed in 1867) which effectively extended the franchise to the working classes. The club also appears in

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...

's ''

Around the World in Eighty Days ''Around the World in Eighty Days'' (french: link=no, Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours) is an adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in French in 1872. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employe ...

'' (published in 1872, as a novel in 1873); the protagonist, Phileas Fogg, is a member of the Reform Club who sets out to circumnavigate the world on a bet from his fellow members, beginning and ending at the club. The Reform Club was used as a meeting place for MI6 operatives in Part 3, Chapter 1, p. 83ff of Graham Greene's spy novel '' The Human Factor'' (1978, Avon Books, ). The Reform Club and its Victorian era celebrity chef Alexis Soyer play pivotal roles in MJ Carter's mystery novel ''The Devil's Feast'' (2016, Fig Tree, ).

Films and television

Michael Palin, following his fictional predecessor, also began and ended his televised 1989 journey around the world in 80 days at the Reform Club. Palin was not permitted to enter the building to complete his journey, as had been his intention, so his trip ended on the steps outside. Victorian publisher Norman Warne is depicted visiting the Reform Club in the 2006 film '' Miss Potter''. The club has been used as a location in a number of other films, including the fencing scene in the 2002 James Bond movie '' Die Another Day'', '' The Quiller Memorandum'' (1966), '' The Man Who Haunted Himself'' (1970), Lindsay Anderson's '' O Lucky Man!'' (1973), ''

The Avengers Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to: Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes ** Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes o ...

'' (1998), '' Nicholas Nickleby'' (2002), ''

Quantum of Solace ''Quantum of Solace'' is a 2008 spy film and the twenty-second in the List of James Bond films, ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. It is the sequel to Casino Royale (2006 film), ''Casino Royale'' (2006). Directed by Marc Forst ...

'' (2008), ''

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...

'' (2009), ''Paddington'' (2014), and Christopher Nolan's ''

Tenet A tenet is a synonym for axiom, one of the principles on which a belief or theory is based. Tenet may also refer to: Media * Tenet (band), a heavy metal band * TENET (ensemble), an American early music vocal and instrumental group * ''Tenet'' (f ...

'' (2020). The club was also used in

Chris Van Dusen Chris Van Dusen is an American television producer and screenwriter. He is the creator and executive producer of the television series ''Bridgerton'', and served as showrunner for seasons one and two. Van Dusen worked on ''Grey's Anatomy'' from ...

's television series '' Bridgerton'' as a filming location.

Photoshoot

The Reform Club was the location of a photo shoot featuring Paula Yates for the 1979 summer issue of ''

Penthouse Penthouse most often refers to: *Penthouse apartment, a special apartment on the top floor of a building *Penthouse (magazine), ''Penthouse'' (magazine), a British-founded men's magazine *Mechanical penthouse, a floor, typically located directly u ...

''.

Podcasts

In '' The Magnus Archives'', the Reform Club was the possible location of Jurgen Leitner's library, and had secret underground tunnels.Old Passages
''The Magnus Archives'' (Podcast). Rusty Quill. 8 September 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2023.

Notable members

* John Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair * Donald Adamson * H. H. Asquith *Sir

David Attenborough Sir David Frederick Attenborough (; born 8 May 1926) is an English broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and author. He is best known for writing and presenting, in conjunction with the BBC Natural History Unit, the nine natural histor ...

* William Lygon, 7th Earl Beauchamp * Hilaire Belloc * Arnold Bennett * William Beveridge *

Stewart Binns Stewart Binns is a British author and filmmaker who has produced many BAFTA, Grierson and Peabody award-winning documentaries. Early life Binns was born in Lancaster and brought up in Burnley, Lancashire by his single mother. After faili ...

*Rt Hon Charles Booth *Dame Margaret Booth * Baroness Boothroyd * Mihir Bose * John Bright * Henry Brougham * Michael Brown, former Conservative MP * Guy Burgess * Donald Cameron of Lochiel *Sir

Menzies Campbell Walter Menzies Campbell, Baron Campbell of Pittenweem, (; born 22 May 1941), often known as Ming Campbell, is a British Liberal Democrat politician, advocate and former athlete. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for North East Fife from ...

*Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman * Samuel Carter * Joseph Chamberlain * Andrew Carnegie * Henri Cartier-Bresson *Sir

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

, who resigned in 1913 in protest at the blackballing of a friend,

Baron de Forest Maurice Arnold de Forest (9 January 1879 – 6 October 1968) was an early motor racing driver, aviator and Liberal politician in the United Kingdom. He held noble titles as a baron in Austria and later as Count de Bendern in Liechtenstein. Earl ...

* Richard Cobden * Albert Cohen *Professor Martin Daunton *Sir

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Ho ...

* Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall * Baroness Dean of Thornton-le-Fylde *

Sir Charles Dilke Sir Charles Wentworth Dilke, 2nd Baronet, PC (4 September 1843 – 26 January 1911) was an English Liberal and Radical politician. A republican in the early 1870s, he later became a leader in the radical challenge to Whig control of the Liber ...

* John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham *

* Lord Falconer *

Garret FitzGerald Garret Desmond FitzGerald (9 February 192619 May 2011) was an Irish Fine Gael politician, economist and barrister who served twice as Taoiseach, serving from 1981 to 1982 and 1982 to 1987. He served as Leader of Fine Gael from 1977 to 1987, and ...

Edward Morgan Forster Edward Morgan Forster (1 January 1879 – 7 June 1970) was an English author, best known for his novels, particularly ''A Room with a View'' (1908), ''Howards End'' (1910), and ''A Passage to India'' (1924). He also wrote numerous short stori ...

* William Ewart Gladstone *

Baroness Greengross Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...

*Sir William Harcourt *

Lord Hattersley Roy Sydney George Hattersley, Baron Hattersley, (born 28 December 1932) is a British Labour Party politician, author and journalist from Sheffield. He was MP for Birmingham Sparkbrook for over 32 years from 1964 to 1997, and served as Deput ...

* Friedrich Hayek * Nick Hewer *

Barbara Hosking Barbara Nancy Hosking, CBE, FRSA, FRTS (4 November 1926 – 21 March 2021) was a British broadcaster and civil servant. Early life Hosking was born in Penzance on 4 November 1926, the daughter of William Henry Hosking and his wife Ada Kath ...

*Sir

Michael Howard Michael Howard, Baron Howard of Lympne (born Michael Hecht; 7 July 1941) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from November 2003 to December 2005. He previously held cabinet posi ...

*Sir Bernard Ingham *Sir Henry Irving * Henry James *Sir John Jardine * Lord Jenkins of Hillhead * William, Earl Jowitt * Ruth Lea * Roger Liddle * David Lloyd George, who resigned with Churchill over Baron de Forest's blackballing *Professor Sir

Ravinder Maini Sir Ravinder Nath Maini (born 17 November 1937) is an Indian-born British rheumatologist and academic who is an emeritus professor at Imperial College London. He led the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology. Biography Maini was born in Ludhiana, ...

*Dame Mary Marsh *Professor Javier_Martín-Torres * José Guilherme Merquior * James Moir * James Montgomrey, a founding member * Lord Morgan *Sir

Derek Morris Derek Morris may refer to: *Sir Derek Morris (academic), Provost of Oriel College, Oxford *Derek Morris (ice hockey) (born 1978), Canadian ice hockey defenceman *Derek Morris (jockey), 1990s UK and Irish based steeplechase rider in Adonis Juvenile ...

Baroness Nicholson Emma Harriet Nicholson, Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne (born 16 October 1941) is a British politician, who has been a life peer since 1997. She was elected as the Conservative Member of Parliament for Torridge and West Devon in 1987, befo ...

* Lord Noel-Buxton * Daniel O'Connell *

Barry Edward O'Meara Barry Edward O'Meara (1786–1836), born in Newtown House, Newtown-on-Sea (now known as Blackrock), Dublin, was an Irish surgeon and founding member of the Reform Club, who accompanied Napoleon to Saint Helena and became his physician, having bee ...

David Omand Sir David Bruce Omand (born 15 April 1947) is a British former senior civil servant who served as the Director of the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) from 1996 to 1997. Background Omand was born on 15 April 1947. His father, Br ...

Viscount Palmerston Viscount Palmerston was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 12 March 1723 for Henry Temple, who subsequently represented East Grinstead, Bossiney and Weobley in the British House of Commons. He was made Baron Temple, of Mount T ...

*Dame

Stella Rimington Dame Stella Rimington (born 13 May 1935) is a British author and former Director General of MI5, a position she held from 1992 to 1996. She was the first female DG of MI5, and the first DG whose name was publicised on appointment. In 1993, Rimi ...

* Frederick Robinson, 2nd Marquess of Ripon * Bertram Fletcher Robinson *

Curtis Roosevelt Curtis Roosevelt (April 19, 1930 – September 26, 2016) was an American writer. Roosevelt was the son of Anna Roosevelt and her first husband, Curtis Bean Dall. He was the eldest grandson of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and First Lady Eleano ...

* Brian Roper * Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery * Viscount Runciman * Lord John Russell * Paul Scofield * Viscount Simon * George Smith *Sir Martin Sorrell *Very Rev

Victor Stock Victor Andrew Stock AKC (born 24 December 1944) is a retired English Anglican priest. He was the Dean of Guildford in the Church of England. Apart from his being an Associate of King's College, he is also a member of the Order of Australia (OAM) ...

*Sir Edward Sullivan * Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex *Professor

Alan M. Taylor Alan M. Taylor (born 15 November 1964) is the C. Bryan Cameron Chair in International Economics and Distinguished Professor of Economics and Finance at the University of California, Davis. He is also a Research Associate at the National Bureau ...

*Dame

Kiri Te Kanawa Dame Kiri Jeanette Claire Te Kanawa , (; born Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron, 6 March 1944) is a retired New Zealand opera singer. She had a full lyric soprano voice, which has been described as "mellow yet vibrant, warm, ample and unforced". Te ...

* William Makepeace Thackeray *

Caroline Thomson Caroline Agnes Morgan Thomson, Baroness Liddle (born 15 May 1954) was chair of the charity Oxfam until October 2020. She is a former BBC executive and was the Corporation's chief operating officer, from 2006 to 2012 and she stood in for Mark Th ...

* William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin * Jeremy Thorpe *Sir David Walker * Chaim Weizmann * H. G. Wells *

Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster (27 January 1795 – 31 October 1869), styled The Honourable Richard Grosvenor from 1795 to 1802, Viscount Belgrave from 1802 to 1831 and Earl Grosvenor from 1831 to 1845, was an English pol ...

*Dame Jo Williams * Tony Wright, former Labour MP

References

External links

Reform Club websiteSurvey of London's entry on the Club"The Reform Club: Architecture and the Birth of Popular Government"
lecture by Peter Marsh and Paul Vonberg at Gresham College, 25 September 2007 (available for MP3 and MP4 download)
Reform Club library pamphletsMary Evans Picture Library – The Club's collection of caricaturesCBC.CA Paul Kennedy's audio tour of the Club, broadcast in February 2011
{{UK electoral reform Gentlemen's clubs in London Grade I listed buildings in the City of Westminster 1836 establishments in the United Kingdom Grade I listed clubhouses Jules Verne Organisations based in London with royal patronage Charles Barry buildings