Lansdowne Club
Encyclopedia
| Founded | 1935 |
|---|---|
| Home Page | www.lansdowneclub.com |
| Address | 9 Fitzmaurice Place |
| Clubhouse occupied since | 1935 |
| Club established for | Social Social The term social refers to a characteristic of living organisms... |
The Lansdowne Club is a London private club, which was established in 1935. It is located at 9 Fitzmaurice Place, near Berkeley Square
Berkeley Square
Berkeley Square is a town square in the West End of London, England, in the City of Westminster. It was originally laid out in the mid 18th century by architect William Kent...
, Mayfair
Mayfair
Mayfair is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster.-History:Mayfair is named after the annual fortnight-long May Fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The Lansdowne is unusual in three ways — it was established much later than most London clubs, it was open to men and women from its very inception, and its 1930s Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
architecture is quite distinctive from London's other clubs.
In 1930, Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
council decided to improve access to Berkeley Square through creating an extra road into the square. This was accomplished by demolishing half of Lansdowne House
Lansdowne House
Lansdowne House is a building to the southwest of Berkeley Square in central London, England. It was designed by Robert Adam as a private house and for most of its time as a residence it belonged to the Petty family, Marquesses of Lansdowne. Since 1935, it has been the home of the Lansdowne Club....
, which had stood there since the 18th century. The remaining half was given a new frontage, and a newly renovated interior, and was founded as the Lansdowne Club. The 'First Drawing Room' was reinstated in the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Philadelphia Museum of Art
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is among the largest art museums in the United States. It is located at the west end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. The Museum was established in 1876 in conjunction with the Centennial Exposition of the same year...
, and the Dining Room in the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
From the outset, it was founded as a 'social, residential and athletic Club for members of social standing' and their families, and so unlike many London clubs, had no vocational, artistic, or political 'theme'. The Club's facilities include a ballroom, a terrace, a fencing salle and a basement gym including an Art Deco swimming pool. The club's internal architecture is extremely unusual and relatively modern for a London club, being almost entirely Art Deco, as opposed to the more usual Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
/Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
/Edwardian styles found in other clubs. The splendid Adam Room and other parts of the Club on the ground floor are Georgian though. The building underwent extensive renovation and further modernisation in 2000. The club includes a fencing salle, where the resident coach, Professor Wojciechowski, is also the official coach of the British Olympic squad.
Past and current members include Richard Dimbleby
Richard Dimbleby
Richard Dimbleby CBE was an English journalist and broadcaster widely acknowledged as one of the greatest figures in British broadcasting history.-Early life:...
, Joachim Ribbentrop, Beryl Cook
Beryl Cook
Beryl Cook, OBE was an English artist best known for comical paintings of people she encountered in her home city. She had no formal training and did not take up painting until middle age.- Early life :...
, John Bly
John Bly
John Bly is an English antiques dealer, author, after-dinner speaker and broadcaster who is best known from the BBC Antiques Roadshow . He attended Berkhamsted School and his career began with Sotheby's, where he worked for four years before joining his family business in Tring...
, Loyd Grossman
Loyd Grossman
Loyd Daniel Gilman Grossman, OBE, FSA is an American-British television presenter, chef and musician who has mainly worked in the UK.- Early life, education and honours :...
, Baroness Butler-Sloss, Peter Alliss
Peter Alliss
Peter Alliss is an English professional golfer, BBC television presenter and commentator, author and golf course designer. Alliss is known for his charismatic and unique style of commentary, often displaying a witty demeanour...
, Paul Smith (fashion designer)
Paul Smith (fashion designer)
Sir Paul Smith jr, RDI, is an English fashion designer, whose business and reputation is founded upon his menswear. He is both commercially successful and highly respected within the fashion industry....
, Elizabeth Blackadder
Elizabeth Blackadder
Dame Elizabeth Violet Blackadder, DBE, RA, RSA is a Scottish painter and printmaker. She is the first woman to be elected to both the Royal Scottish Academy and the Royal Academy....
and Lord Sudeley
Merlin Hanbury-Tracy, 7th Baron Sudeley
Merlin Charles Sainthill Hanbury-Tracy, 7th Baron Sudeley, FSA is a British peer, author and veteran right-wing activist. In 1941, at the age of three, he succeeded his first cousin once removed, the 6th Lord Sudeley, to the Barony of Sudeley and until the House of Lords Act 1999 sat in that body...
.