Conservative Club
Encyclopedia
The Conservative Club was a London
gentlemen's club
, now dissolved, which was established in 1840. In 1950 it merged with the Bath Club
, and was disbanded in 1981. From 1845 until 1959, the club occupied a building at 74 St James's Street.
As the name implies, the club was politically aligned to the Conservatives
, but it was very much formed at the outset for dissident Tories out of favour with the Carlton Club
, and its membership contained numerous rebellious MPs and activists during its history.
Attendees at the inaugural meeting on 29 July 1840 were Quintin Dick MP, Viscount Castlereagh
MP, W. S. Blackstone MP, the Hon. Captain Duncombe MP, Thomas Hawkes
MP, W. A. Mackinnon MP, John Neeld MP, P. D. Pauncefort Duncombe, Charles Hopkinson
, and Thomas Walford. At first, the club met in the Lansdowne Hotel in Dover Street
, before taking up rooms in the Royal Hotel at 88 St. James's Street, until the clubhouse's 1845 completion.
The clubhouse was designed by George Basevi
and Sydney Smirke
.
In 1941, the non-political Bath Club was hit by a bomb, and after several moves to temporary accommodation, they were granted the hospitality of the Conservative Club. As the decade wore on, it was decided to merge the two clubs - in 1950 they became the Bath Club in name, although retaining the Conservative Club's premises until the end of the decade.
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...
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...
, now dissolved, which was established in 1840. In 1950 it merged with the Bath Club
Bath Club
The Bath Club was a sports-themed London gentlemen's club in the twentieth century. It was established in 1894 at 34 Dover Street. Its swimming pool was a noted feature, and it is thought that the swimming pool of the fictional Drones Club was based on this. Sir Henry "Chips" Channon was a member....
, and was disbanded in 1981. From 1845 until 1959, the club occupied a building at 74 St James's Street.
As the name implies, the club was politically aligned to the 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...
, but it was very much formed at the outset for dissident Tories out of favour with the Carlton Club
Carlton Club
The Carlton Club is a gentlemen's club in London which describes itself as the "oldest, most elite, and most important of all Conservative clubs." Membership of the club is by nomination and election only.-History:...
, and its membership contained numerous rebellious MPs and activists during its history.
Attendees at the inaugural meeting on 29 July 1840 were Quintin Dick MP, Viscount Castlereagh
Frederick Stewart, 4th Marquess of Londonderry
Frederick William Robert Stewart, 4th Marquess of Londonderry KP, PC , styled Viscount Castlereagh between 1822 and 1854, was an Anglo-Irish nobleman and Tory politician...
MP, W. S. Blackstone MP, the Hon. Captain Duncombe MP, Thomas Hawkes
Thomas Hawkes
Thomas Hawkes was an English protestant martyr who burned to death in 1555 during the Marian Persecutions rather than allow his son to be baptised into the Roman Catholic Church....
MP, W. A. Mackinnon MP, John Neeld MP, P. D. Pauncefort Duncombe, Charles Hopkinson
Charles Hopkinson
Charles Sydney Hopkinson was an American portrait painter and landscape watercolorist. He maintained a studio in the Fenway Studios building in Boston from 1906 to 1962. He painted over 800 portraits in a direct style with a palette gradually lightening through his career. Many of his paintings...
, and Thomas Walford. At first, the club met in the Lansdowne Hotel in Dover Street
Dover Street
Dover Street is a street in Mayfair, London, England. The street is notable for its Georgian architecture as well as the location of historic London clubs and hotels, which have been frequented by world leaders and historic figures in the arts. It also hosts a number of contemporary art galleries...
, before taking up rooms in the Royal Hotel at 88 St. James's Street, until the clubhouse's 1845 completion.
The clubhouse was designed by George Basevi
George Basevi
Elias George Basevi FRS was an English architect. He was the favourite pupil of Sir John Soane.-Life:Basevi was the youngest son of a City of London merchant, also named George Basevi...
and Sydney Smirke
Sydney Smirke
Sydney Smirke, architect, was born in London, England, the younger brother of Sir Robert Smirke, also an architect. Their father, also Robert Smirke, had been a well-known 18th Century painter.Sydney Smirke's works include:...
.
In 1941, the non-political Bath Club was hit by a bomb, and after several moves to temporary accommodation, they were granted the hospitality of the Conservative Club. As the decade wore on, it was decided to merge the two clubs - in 1950 they became the Bath Club in name, although retaining the Conservative Club's premises until the end of the decade.