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White's

Coordinates: 51°30′28″N 0°8′24″W / 51.50778°N 0.14000°W / 51.50778; -0.14000
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This article is about the London gentlemen's club. For the BBC television comedy series, see Whites (TV series).
White's
Formation1693 (1693)
Location

White's is a gentleman's club situated in St James's Street, London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1693, it is the oldest and also widely considered the most exclusive gentleman's club in London.[1][2]

The club gained reputation in the 18th century for both its exclusivity and the often raffish behaviour of its members. Notable current members include Charles, Prince of Wales, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Conrad Black and Tom Stacey. British Prime Minister David Cameron was formerly a member for fifteen years but resigned in 2008, despite his father Ian Cameron having previously been the club's chairman, over the club's refusal to admit women.[3][4][5][6][7] White's continues to maintain its standards as an establishment exclusively for gentlemen; a brief exception being made for a visit by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991.[7] White's is a member of the Association of London Clubs.[8]

History

The club was originally established at 4 Chesterfield Street, off Curzon Street in Mayfair, in 1693 by an Italian immigrant named Francesco Bianco as a hot chocolate emporium under the name Mrs. White's Chocolate House. Tickets were sold to the productions at King's Theatre and Royal Drury Lane Theatre as a side-business. White's quickly made the transition from teashop to exclusive club and in the early 18th century, White's was notorious as a gambling house and those who frequented it were known as "the gamesters of White's." Jonathan Swift referred to White's as the "bane of half the English nobility."[9]

In 1778 it moved to 37–38 St James's Street. From 1783 it was the unofficial headquarters of the Tory party, while the Whigs' club Brooks's was just down the road. A few apolitical and affable gentlemen managed to belong to both. The new architecture featured a bow window on the ground floor. In the later 18th century, the table directly in front of it became a seat of privilege, the throne of the most socially influential men in the club. This belonged to the arbiter elegantiarum, Beau Brummell, until he removed to the Continent in 1816, when Lord Alvanley took the place of honour. It was here that Alvanley bet a friend £3,000 as to which of two raindrops would first reach the bottom of a pane of the bow window. It is not recorded whether he won his bet.[7]

This was not the most eccentric bet in White's famous betting book. Some of those entries were on sports, but more often on political developments, especially during the chaotic years of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. A good many were social bets, such as whether a friend would marry this year, or whom.

The club declines to admit women -or even ladies- as members, however one of its best known chefs from the early 1900s was Rosa Lewis,[10] a model for the central character in the BBC television series The Duchess of Duke Street.[11]

There were two American members in the interwar period, one of whom was a General in the U.S. Army.

Prince Charles held his stag night at the club before his wedding to Lady Diana Spencer in 1981.[7]

Clubhouse

The clubhouse is located at 37–38 St James's Street in the City of Westminster and is a Grade I listed building.[12] Originally built in 1674 and then rebuilt in 1787-88, probably by James Wyatt, it was further altered in 1811 and the frontage was remodelled by Lockyer in 1852. Constructed of Portland stone with a slate roof it possesses the Victorian version of a Palladian façade with some French motifs. The buildings consists of three storeys, a basement and a dormered attic. In the late 1970s, the exterior was painted azure with white trim.[citation needed]

Whilst the club does not have members' accommodation, facilities include a private dining room and a billiards room. The menu revolves around the best of British game: grouse, partridge, wild salmon, gull’s eggs, potted shrimps, smoked eel and smoked trout. There is also a vegetarian option, but it is unpopular. In one seven-year period, only three vegetarian portions were sold.[7][13]

Notable former members

Notable current members

See also

References

  1. ^ Wheeler, Brian (24 November 2003). "'If anybody wants me, I'll be at my club'". BBC News Online. BBC News. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
  2. ^ Rance, Penelope (3 January 2013). "Joining the club". Economia. Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
  3. ^ Laura Pitel (19 July 2013). "Cameron declares war on the gentlemen's club". The Times. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
  4. ^ Ros Taylor (18 October 2005). "Smashing chaps". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
  5. ^ Peter Dominiczak; Steven Swinford (18 July 2013). "Gentlemen's clubs are a 'thing of the past', says David Cameron". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
  6. ^ Steerpike (18 July 2013). "Cameron whiter than White's". The Spectator. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
  7. ^ a b c d e Harry Mount (18 July 2013). "Disowned by Cameron, the raffish men-only club that his father once ran". The Daily Mail. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
  8. ^ "Association of London Clubs". The Association of London Clubs. Retrieved 23 August 2013.
  9. ^ Grivetti, Louis Evan; Shapiro, Howard-Yana, eds. (2009). Chocolate: history, culture, and heritage. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. p. 584. ISBN 0470121653.
  10. ^ "London's Cleverest Cook". Euroa Advertiser (Vic. : 1884 - 1920). Vic.: National Library of Australia. 25 September 1914. p. 5. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
  11. ^ "Read the Book, Darling," Charles McGrath. New York Times, 22 August 2004, section 2, page 9.
  12. ^ Historic England. "White's Club (Grade I) (1264877)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
  13. ^ Rose Prince (24 October 2008). "White's gentlemans' club reveal what men really like to eat". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
  14. ^ Cave Brown, Anthony (1988). The Secret Servant: The Life of Sir Stewart Menzies, Churchill's Spymaster. London: Michael Joseph. p. 148. ISBN 0718127455.
  15. ^ "Iain Dale's Diary: The Lord Pearson Interview". Iaindale.blogspot.com. 22 January 2010. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  16. ^ Creamer, Martin (18 October 2013). "Adam Fleming". Mining Weekly. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  • Christopher Hibbert; London, the Biography of a City; 1969; William Morrow, NY
  • Stella Margetson; Regency London; 1971; Prawger Publishers, Inc. NY
  • Ellen Moers; The Dandy: Brummell to Beerbohm; 1960; The Viking Press, Inc., NY
  • Dod's Parliamentary Companion (various editions)
  • Debrett's People of Today, 2011

51°30′28″N 0°8′24″W / 51.50778°N 0.14000°W / 51.50778; -0.14000


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