Boodle's
Encyclopedia
Boodle's is a London gentlemen's club
, founded in 1762, at 49-51 Pall Mall
, London
by Lord Shelburne the future Marquess of Lansdowne
and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
, and the club came to be known after the name of its head waiter Edward Boodle.
In 1782 Boodle's took over the "Savoir Vivre" club house at 28 St. James's Street
, London
and has been located there ever since.
The club-house was designed by John Crunden
in 1775 and the ground floor was refurbished by John Buonarotti Papworth
between 1821 and 1834.
It is reputed that Beau Brummell's last bet took place at the Club before he fled the country to France. Four members have been awarded the VC
.
Sir Winston Churchill
was one of the few people to be elected to honorary membership.
Adam Smith
, a member of Boodle's, is the face on the Bank of England
's £20 note.
from his James Bond novels on Boodle's. However, Boodle's itself is referenced in the novel Moonraker.
Of J. K. Stanford
's George Hysteron-Proteron
, said to be a member of Boodle's, a real-life member wrote in 1944: "I see the author mentions Boodle's. I don't know if he is a member here but there are six George Proterons sitting round me in the smoking-room at the moment."
In the film The Avengers Boodle's is shown and as Uma Thurman's character Emma Peel, walks in it is said "No females have been in Boodle's since 1762". in 'the avengers' episode 'the charmers' boodle's is referenced.
Referenced in W.E.B. Griffin and William E. Butterworth IV's novel "The Double Agents," part of the "Men at War" series. Ian Fleming and David Niven are referenced as well as their membership at Boodles. While the actual story is fiction, the membership at Boodles, the friendship between the characters, and their participation in intelligence activities during WWII are factual.
In Oscar Wilde
's 1895 play An Ideal Husband
, Sir Robert Chiltern says, "Lord Goring is the result of Boodle's Club, Mrs. Cheveley," after Lord Goring establishes that he is a bachelor. Mrs. Cheveley responds, "He reflects every credit on the institution."
In Charles Dickens
's 1853 novel Bleak House
, ch. XII "On The Watch", a satirical paragraph mentions the lords Boodle and Coodle, Sir Thomas Doodle, the Duke of Foodle, etc., alluding to the famous club and thereby to the closed set of politicians and other powerful men, passing power among themselves.
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...
, founded in 1762, at 49-51 Pall Mall
Pall Mall, London
Pall Mall is a street in the City of Westminster, London, and parallel to The Mall, from St. James's Street across Waterloo Place to the Haymarket; while Pall Mall East continues into Trafalgar Square. The street is a major thoroughfare in the St James's area of London, and a section of the...
, 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...
by Lord Shelburne the future Marquess of Lansdowne
Marquess of Lansdowne
Marquess of Lansdowne, in the County of Somerset, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain held by the head of the Petty-Fitzmaurice family. This branch of the family descends from the Hon...
and 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...
, and the club came to be known after the name of its head waiter Edward Boodle.
In 1782 Boodle's took over the "Savoir Vivre" club house at 28 St. James's Street
St. James's Street
St James's Street is one of the principal streets in the central London district of St James's. It runs from Piccadilly downhill to St James's Palace and Pall Mall...
, 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...
and has been located there ever since.
The club-house was designed by John Crunden
John Crunden
John Crunden was an English architectural and mobiliary designer.-Biography:Most of his early inspiration was drawn from Chippendale and his school, but he fell later under the influence of a bastard classicism...
in 1775 and the ground floor was refurbished by John Buonarotti Papworth
John Buonarotti Papworth
John Buonarotti Papworth was a prolific architect, artist and a founder member of the Royal Institute of British Architects....
between 1821 and 1834.
Notable former members
- David HumeDavid HumeDavid Hume was a Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist, known especially for his philosophical empiricism and skepticism. He was one of the most important figures in the history of Western philosophy and the Scottish Enlightenment...
(1711–1776) - Adam SmithAdam SmithAdam Smith was a Scottish social philosopher and a pioneer of political economy. One of the key figures of the Scottish Enlightenment, Smith is the author of The Theory of Moral Sentiments and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations...
(1723-1790) - Edward GibbonEdward GibbonEdward Gibbon was an English historian and Member of Parliament...
(1737-1794) - William Petty-FitzMaurice, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne, KG, PC (1737–1805)William Petty, 2nd Earl of ShelburneWilliam Petty-FitzMaurice, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne, KG, PC , known as The Earl of Shelburne between 1761 and 1784, by which title he is generally known to history, was an Irish-born British Whig statesman who was the first Home Secretary in 1782 and then Prime Minister 1782–1783 during the final...
- William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire, KGWilliam Cavendish, 5th Duke of DevonshireWilliam Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire, KG was a British aristocrat and politician. He was the eldest son of the William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire by his wife the heiress Lady Charlotte Boyle, suo jure Baroness Clifford of Lanesborough, who brought in considerable money and estates to...
(1748–1811) - Rt. Hon. Charles James Fox, PCCharles James FoxCharles James Fox PC , styled The Honourable from 1762, was a prominent British Whig statesman whose parliamentary career spanned thirty-eight years of the late 18th and early 19th centuries and who was particularly noted for being the arch-rival of William Pitt the Younger...
(1749–1806) - Michael Angelo TaylorMichael Angelo TaylorMichael Angelo Taylor was an English politician.He was a son of Sir Robert Taylor , the architect, and was educated at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, becoming a barrister at Lincoln's Inn in 1774...
(1757–1834) - John Fane, 10th Earl of Westmorland, KG, PCJohn Fane, 10th Earl of WestmorlandJohn Fane, 10th Earl of Westmorland KG, PC , styled Lord Burghersh between 1771 and 1774, was a British Tory politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, who served in most of the cabinets of the period, primarily as Lord Privy Seal.-Background:Westmorland was the son of John Fane, 9th...
(1759–1841) - William WilberforceWilliam WilberforceWilliam Wilberforce was a British politician, a philanthropist and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780, eventually becoming the independent Member of Parliament for Yorkshire...
(1759–1833) - Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRSArthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of WellingtonField Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
(1769-1852) - George "Beau" Bryan BrummellBeau BrummellBeau Brummell, born as George Bryan Brummell , was the arbiter of men's fashion in Regency England and a friend of the Prince Regent, the future King George IV...
(1778–1840) - Col. Claud Thomas Bourchier, VC (1831–1877)
- Col. John Worthy Chaplin, VC, CBJohn Worthy ChaplinColonel John Worthy Chaplin VC CB was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Details:...
(1840–1920) - Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, PC, DL, FRS, Hon. RAWinston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
(1874–1965) - Cdr. Wilfred Albert (Biffy) DunderdaleWilfred DunderdaleWilfred Albert Dunderdale was a British spy and intelligence officer. It has been suggested that Dunderdale was used by Ian Fleming as a basis for the character of James Bond.-Life:...
(1899–1990) - Ian Lancaster FlemingIan FlemingIan Lancaster Fleming was a British author, journalist and Naval Intelligence Officer.Fleming is best known for creating the fictional British spy James Bond and for a series of twelve novels and nine short stories about the character, one of the biggest-selling series of fictional books of...
(1908–1964) - James David Graham NivenDavid NivenJames David Graham Niven , known as David Niven, was a British actor and novelist, best known for his roles as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days and Sir Charles Lytton, a.k.a. "the Phantom", in The Pink Panther...
(1910–1983) - Charles Lyell, 2nd Baron Lyell, VC (1913-1943)
- Brig. John "Jack" Profumo, 5th Baron Profumo, CBEJohn ProfumoBrigadier John Dennis Profumo, 5th Baron Profumo CBE , informally known as Jack Profumo , was a British politician. His title, 5th Baron, which he did not use, was Italian. Although Profumo held an increasingly responsible series of political posts in the 1950s, he is best known today for his...
(1915-2006)
It is reputed that Beau Brummell's last bet took place at the Club before he fled the country to France. Four members have been awarded the VC
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
.
Sir Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
was one of the few people to be elected to honorary membership.
Adam Smith
Adam Smith
Adam Smith was a Scottish social philosopher and a pioneer of political economy. One of the key figures of the Scottish Enlightenment, Smith is the author of The Theory of Moral Sentiments and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations...
, a member of Boodle's, is the face on the Bank of England
Bank of England
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694, it is the second oldest central bank in the world...
's £20 note.
Famous recent members
- Sir William Roger Clotworthy Moore, TD, 3rd BaronetMoore BaronetsThere have been nine Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Moore, two in the Baronetage of England, one in the Baronetage of Ireland, two in the Baronetage of Great Britain and three in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom....
(1927) - Julian Kitchener-Fellowes, Baron Fellowes of West Stafford, DLJulian FellowesJulian Alexander Kitchener-Fellowes, Baron Fellowes of West Stafford, DL , known as Julian Fellowes, is an English actor, novelist, film director and screenwriter, as well as a Conservative peer.-Early life:...
(1949) - Andrew R. Hargreaves (1955)
In fiction
Ian Fleming is said to have based the Blades ClubBlades Club
Blades is a fictional, private club located in Park Street, Mayfair in central London in Ian Fleming's James Bond novels. Described as the most exclusive club in all of London, it allows gambling, mainly high-stakes card games, but is more celebrated for its gourmet catering...
from his James Bond novels on Boodle's. However, Boodle's itself is referenced in the novel Moonraker.
Of J. K. Stanford
J. K. Stanford
John Keith Stanford OBE MC was a British writer of the mid 20th century.He was educated at Rugby School and St. John's College, Oxford. Stanford was commissioned into the Suffolk Regiment in 1915 and was attached to the Tank Corps from 1917. He ended the First World War with the rank of...
's George Hysteron-Proteron
George Hysteron-Proteron
Colonel the Hon. George Hysteron-Proteron is a fictional character created by author J. K. Stanford, He is introduced as a British soldier, sporting gun, and Lord of the manor of Five Mile Wallop, Cambridgeshire...
, said to be a member of Boodle's, a real-life member wrote in 1944: "I see the author mentions Boodle's. I don't know if he is a member here but there are six George Proterons sitting round me in the smoking-room at the moment."
In the film The Avengers Boodle's is shown and as Uma Thurman's character Emma Peel, walks in it is said "No females have been in Boodle's since 1762". in 'the avengers' episode 'the charmers' boodle's is referenced.
Referenced in W.E.B. Griffin and William E. Butterworth IV's novel "The Double Agents," part of the "Men at War" series. Ian Fleming and David Niven are referenced as well as their membership at Boodles. While the actual story is fiction, the membership at Boodles, the friendship between the characters, and their participation in intelligence activities during WWII are factual.
In Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
's 1895 play An Ideal Husband
An Ideal Husband
An Ideal Husband is an 1895 comedic stage play by Oscar Wilde which revolves around blackmail and political corruption, and touches on the themes of public and private honour...
, Sir Robert Chiltern says, "Lord Goring is the result of Boodle's Club, Mrs. Cheveley," after Lord Goring establishes that he is a bachelor. Mrs. Cheveley responds, "He reflects every credit on the institution."
In Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
's 1853 novel Bleak House
Bleak House
Bleak House is the ninth novel by Charles Dickens, published in twenty monthly installments between March 1852 and September 1853. It is held to be one of Dickens's finest novels, containing one of the most vast, complex and engaging arrays of minor characters and sub-plots in his entire canon...
, ch. XII "On The Watch", a satirical paragraph mentions the lords Boodle and Coodle, Sir Thomas Doodle, the Duke of Foodle, etc., alluding to the famous club and thereby to the closed set of politicians and other powerful men, passing power among themselves.
Other
- Boodle's Orange Fool is a traditional club dish.
- Boodle's is the second oldest club in the world, the oldest being White'sWhite'sWhite's is a London gentlemen's club, established at 4 Chesterfield Street in 1693 by Italian immigrant Francesco Bianco . Originally it was established to sell hot chocolate, a rare and expensive commodity at the time...
.
External links
- www.boodles.org Official Web Site (Member Access Only)
- Architectural history, plans, and elevations - from the Survey of LondonSurvey of LondonThe Survey of London is a research project to produce a comprehensive architectural survey of the former County of London. It was founded in 1894 by Charles Robert Ashbee, an Arts-and-Crafts architect and social thinker, and was motivated by a desire to record and preserve London's ancient monuments...
online