Farmers Club
Encyclopedia
| Founded | 1842 |
|---|---|
| Home Page | www.thefarmersclub.com |
| Address | 3 Whitehall Court Whitehall Court Whitehall Court in London, England is one contiguous building but consists of two separate constructions; the end occupied by the National Liberal Club was designed by Alfred Waterhouse, the major part was designed by Archer & Green.The Royal Horseguards Hotel, owned by Thistle Hotels, covers 1 &... |
| Clubhouse occupied since | 1942 |
| Club established for | Farmers |
Gentlemen's club
A gentlemen's club is a members-only private club of a type originally set up by and for British upper class men in the eighteenth century, and popularised by English upper-middle class men and women in the late nineteenth century. Today, some are more open about the gender and social status of...
which is based at 3 Whitehall Court
Whitehall Court
Whitehall Court in London, England is one contiguous building but consists of two separate constructions; the end occupied by the National Liberal Club was designed by Alfred Waterhouse, the major part was designed by Archer & Green.The Royal Horseguards Hotel, owned by Thistle Hotels, covers 1 &...
.
History
The club was founded in 1842 by the agricultural writer William ShawWilliam Shaw
William Shaw may refer to:* William Shaw , leader of the Home Rule League after between Isaac Butt and Charles Stewart Parnell....
, who invited the founder members from the newly-formed Royal Agricultural Society of England, and the Smithfield Club. Shaw's letter set out that the club would be "a gathering place for farmers which could also serve as a platform, from which would go out to England news of all that was good in farming, with reports of any discussions about those things that needed to be done."
The club's membership experienced periodic shifts with the changing prosperity of British farmers over the years - there were 700 members in 1876, 275 in 1892, but the club has grown in the 20th century, claiming 1,500 members in the 1920s, and just under 6,000 today.
The club frequently moved premises in its first 60 years. Its inaugural meeting on 9 December 1842 was held in a pub
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, the Hereford Arms, in King Street, Covent Garden
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 site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
. By April 1893 the club has secured rooms at the York Hotel in Bridge Street, Blackfriars. After several further moves, the club settled on some rooms at 2 Whitehall Court
Whitehall Court
Whitehall Court in London, England is one contiguous building but consists of two separate constructions; the end occupied by the National Liberal Club was designed by Alfred Waterhouse, the major part was designed by Archer & Green.The Royal Horseguards Hotel, owned by Thistle Hotels, covers 1 &...
, which it occupied between 1904 and 1942. Whitehall Court is an apartment block built in 1883-87 by the architect firm Archer & Green, with finance from the disgraced MP Jabez Balfour
Jabez Balfour
Jabez Spencer Balfour was a businessman, British Liberal Party politician and fraudster.-Life:He was the son of James Balfour and Clara Lucas Balfour....
, who used the building's construction to conceal his embezzlement of funds.
In 1942, it moved sideways in the same block of flats to its current premises, which were formed by merging together several apartments in 3 Whitehall Court. The rest of the block remains largely residential, and the club's former rooms now make up part of the Royal Horseguards Hotel, owned by Thistle Hotels
Thistle Hotels
Thistle Hotels is a UK-based hotel company with a portfolio of 33 hotels, operating in the three and four star sector. It is the sixth largest hotel chain in the UK by bedroom numbers , but the largest hotel chain in London.-History:...
.
As well as its London premises, the club has a permanent pavilion at the Royal Showground, National Agricultural Centre, in Stoneleigh
Stoneleigh
Stoneleigh may mean the following places:* Stoneleigh, Queensland, Australia* Stoneleigh, Surrey, England* Stoneleigh, Virginia, Stanleytown, Virginia, USA* Stoneleigh, Warwickshire, England...
, Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, opened by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.
The club, which is open to both sexes, has a flourishing under 30's section, whose current chairman is Patrick Durnford, and vice chairman is Rhydian Scurlock-Jones. The U30's section organise social and educational events at the Club as well as two farm walks a year.
As of 2009, the membership subscription costs between £220 and £310 per year, with a £68 rate for younger members. The entrance fee is an additional £240, but is waived for younger members http://www.thefarmersclub.com/join/. Candidates for Membership have to be proposed and seconded, by an existing member, before they can be accepted into the club.