Grillion's
Encyclopedia
Grillion's is a London dining club
founded in 1812. It was founded by the British diplomat Stratford Canning
as a meeting place free from the violence of political controversy. The club had no premises but met at Grillion's Hotel on Albemarle Street
, from which it took its name. Later it would meet at the Hotel Cecil
. The club met weekly during parliamentary session.
The first fifty years of the Grillion's Club is recorded in the book Grillion's Club: From Its Origin In 1812 To Its Fiftieth Anniversary, written quoting many of the club's records by Sir Philip De Malpas Grey Egerton. The book was privately printed at the Chiswick Press in 1880.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many leading statesmen belonged to the club, including prime ministers Gladstone
, Salisbury
, Balfour
, Asquith
, and Baldwin
.
Dining club
A dining club is a social group, usually requiring membership , which meets for dinners and discussion on a regular basis. They may also often have guest speakers...
founded in 1812. It was founded by the British diplomat Stratford Canning
Stratford Canning, 1st Viscount Stratford de Redcliffe
Stratford Canning, 1st Viscount Stratford de Redcliffe KG GCB PC , was a British diplomat and politician, best known as the longtime British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire...
as a meeting place free from the violence of political controversy. The club had no premises but met at Grillion's Hotel on Albemarle Street
Albemarle Street
Albemarle Street is a street in Mayfair in central London, off Piccadilly. It has historic associations with Lord Byron, whose publisher John Murray was based here, and Oscar Wilde, a member of the Albemarle Club, where an insult he received led to his suing for libel and to his eventual imprisonment...
, from which it took its name. Later it would meet at the Hotel Cecil
Hotel Cecil (London)
The Hotel Cecil was a grand hotel built 1890–96 between the Thames Embankment and the Strand in London, England. It was named after Cecil House , a mansion belonging to the Cecil family, which occupied the site in the 17th century.Designed by architects Perry & Reed in a "Wrenaissance" style, the...
. The club met weekly during parliamentary session.
The first fifty years of the Grillion's Club is recorded in the book Grillion's Club: From Its Origin In 1812 To Its Fiftieth Anniversary, written quoting many of the club's records by Sir Philip De Malpas Grey Egerton. The book was privately printed at the Chiswick Press in 1880.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many leading statesmen belonged to the club, including prime ministers Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
, Salisbury
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury
Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, KG, GCVO, PC , styled Lord Robert Cecil before 1865 and Viscount Cranborne from June 1865 until April 1868, was a British Conservative statesman and thrice Prime Minister, serving for a total of over 13 years...
, Balfour
Arthur Balfour
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour, KG, OM, PC, DL was a British Conservative politician and statesman...
, Asquith
H. H. Asquith
Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, KG, PC, KC served as the Liberal Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916...
, and Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC was a British Conservative politician, who dominated the government in his country between the two world wars...
.