St Stephen's Club
Encyclopedia
| Founded | 1870 |
|---|---|
| Home Page | www.ststephensclub.co.uk |
| Address | 34 Queen Anne's Gate |
| Clubhouse occupied since | 1962 |
| Club established for | Conservatives Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
St Stephen's Club is a private member's club in Westminster
City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...
, founded in 1870.
St Stephen's was originally on the corner of Bridge Street and the Embankment, in London SW1, which the government building Portcullis House
Portcullis House
Portcullis House is an office building in Westminster, London, UK, that was commissioned in 1992 and opened in 2001 to provide offices for 213 Members of Parliament and their staff, augmenting limited space in the Palace of Westminster and surroundings....
now occupies.
According to Charles Dickens, Jr
Charles Dickens, Jr
Charles Dickens, Jr, born Charles Culliford Boz Dickens , was the first child of the novelist Charles Dickens and his wife Catherine. A failed businessman, he became the editor of his father's magazine All the Year Round, and a successful writer of dictionaries...
, writing in 1879:
History
The premises were sold to the government in the early 1960s and the club moved to its present address, 34 Queen Anne's Gate, the former private house of Lord GlenconnerBaron Glenconner
Baron Glenconner, of The Glen in the County of Peebles, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1911 for Sir Edward Tennant, 2nd Baronet, who had earlier represented Salisbury in the House of Commons as a Liberal and also served as Lord Lieutenant of Peeblesshire. Lord...
, in 1962.
Taking its name from St Stephen’s Chapel, the original meeting place of the Commons, the club was initially connected with Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Members of Parliament and civil engineers. Benjamin Disraeli, twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
, was among the founding fathers.
The club was reopened at Queen Anne’s Gate by Harold Macmillan
Harold Macmillan
Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC was Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 January 1957 to 18 October 1963....
, then prime minister. Traditionally the chairman of the Conservative Party was the club's president.
The club was acquired in January 2003 by James Wilson and Myra Jauncey. It is now officially apolitical and flourishes as a private members' luncheon club and venue for evening functions.
However, it retains an unofficial connection with the Conservative Party. Notably, on 7 May 2010, David Cameron chose the club as the venue to make the historic "big offer" to the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
for a coalition government which resulted in the coalition government under the leadership of David Cameron as Prime Minister and Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg
Nick Clegg
Nicholas William Peter "Nick" Clegg is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is currently the Deputy Prime Minister, Lord President of the Council and Minister for Constitutional and Political Reform in the coalition government of which David Cameron is the Prime Minister...
as Deputy Prime Minister.