New Cavendish Club
Encyclopedia
The New Cavendish Club is a London
private members' club, run along the lines of a traditional gentlemen's club
, although it was originally founded as a Ladies'-only club. It is located at 44-48 Great Cumberland Place in the Fitzrovia
district.
of nurses during World War I
, and was intended to be "a first class Ladies' Club" for veteran nurses of the VAD.
The club opened with its inaugural dinner on 14 June 1920, with a 999-year lease acquired on premises at Queen Anne House, 28 Cavendish Square
. The building was formerly Marshall Thomson's Hotel, which is described in William Makepeace Thackeray
's Vanity Fair . The club's dining room was originally staffed by VAD veterans from the war. The Cavendish Square building was damaged by a fire bomb during the Blitz
.
In 1957, the club sold its clubhouse, and moved in 1959 to its new premises in Great Cumberland Place, which required extensive modernisation - bomb damage from the war meant that the interior had to be almost entirely rebuilt from scratch. Between vacating the old building in September 1958 and moving to the new one in December 1959, the club's members were welcomed at several other London clubs on a temporary basis.
After the move, membership was then offered to members of the defunct Cowdray Club and Guide Club, as well as women of the Magistrates Association and the Women's Voluntary Service. Men were also finally admitted.
As of 2010, the membership subscription costs £375 per year. The entrance fee is an additional £175http://www.newcavendishclub.co.uk/membership.php.
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...
private members' club, run along the lines of a traditional gentlemen's club
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...
, although it was originally founded as a Ladies'-only club. It is located at 44-48 Great Cumberland Place in the Fitzrovia
Fitzrovia
Fitzrovia is a neighbourhood in central London, near London's West End lying partly in the London Borough of Camden and partly in the City of Westminster ; and situated between Marylebone and Bloomsbury and north of Soho. It is characterised by its mixed-use of residential, business, retail,...
district.
History
It was founded in 1920 by Margaret Russell, Lady Ampthill in her capacity as Chairman of the Voluntary Aid DetachmentVoluntary Aid Detachment
The Voluntary Aid Detachment was a voluntary organisation providing field nursing services, mainly in hospitals, in the United Kingdom and various other countries in the British Empire. The organisation's most important periods of operation were during World War I and World War II.The...
of nurses during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and was intended to be "a first class Ladies' Club" for veteran nurses of the VAD.
The club opened with its inaugural dinner on 14 June 1920, with a 999-year lease acquired on premises at Queen Anne House, 28 Cavendish Square
Cavendish Square
Cavendish Square is a public square in the West End of London, very close to Oxford Circus, where the two main shopping thoroughfares of Oxford Street and Regent Street meet. It is located at the eastern end of Wigmore Street, which connects it to Portman Square, part of the Portman Estate, to its...
. The building was formerly Marshall Thomson's Hotel, which is described in William Makepeace Thackeray
William Makepeace Thackeray
William Makepeace Thackeray was an English novelist of the 19th century. He was famous for his satirical works, particularly Vanity Fair, a panoramic portrait of English society.-Biography:...
's Vanity Fair . The club's dining room was originally staffed by VAD veterans from the war. The Cavendish Square building was damaged by a fire bomb during the Blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
.
In 1957, the club sold its clubhouse, and moved in 1959 to its new premises in Great Cumberland Place, which required extensive modernisation - bomb damage from the war meant that the interior had to be almost entirely rebuilt from scratch. Between vacating the old building in September 1958 and moving to the new one in December 1959, the club's members were welcomed at several other London clubs on a temporary basis.
After the move, membership was then offered to members of the defunct Cowdray Club and Guide Club, as well as women of the Magistrates Association and the Women's Voluntary Service. Men were also finally admitted.
As of 2010, the membership subscription costs £375 per year. The entrance fee is an additional £175http://www.newcavendishclub.co.uk/membership.php.
Notable members
- Margaret Russell, Lady Ampthill (founder)
- Queen MaryMary of TeckMary of Teck was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, as the wife of King-Emperor George V....
(patron) - Princess MaryMary, Princess Royal and Countess of HarewoodThe Princess Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood was a member of the British Royal Family; she was the third child and only daughter of King George V and Queen Mary. She was the sixth holder of the title of Princess Royal...
(honorary member)