White's
Encyclopedia
White's is a London
gentlemen's club
, established at 4 Chesterfield Street in 1693 by Italian immigrant Francesco Bianco (AKA "Francis White"). Originally it was established to sell hot chocolate
, a rare and expensive commodity at the time (and the source of its original title of "Mrs. White's Chocolate House"). These "chocolate houses" were seen as hotbeds of dissent by Charles II
, but many converted into fashionable and respectable gentlemen's clubs like White's.
As a side-business, tickets were sold there to the productions at King's Theatre
and Royal Drury Lane Theatre
.
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."
In 1778 it moved to numbers 37-38 St James's Street, on the east side of the street. From 1783 it was the unofficial headquarters of the Tory party, The Whigs' Brooks's
club 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 with a friend £3,000 as to which of two raindrops would first reach the bottom of a pane of the bow window.
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.
In the later 1970s, the exterior was painted azure with white trim.
One former club chairman was Ian Cameron, the father of the current British Prime Minister, David Cameron
.
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...
, established at 4 Chesterfield Street in 1693 by Italian immigrant Francesco Bianco (AKA "Francis White"). Originally it was established to sell hot chocolate
Hot chocolate
Hot chocolate is a heated beverage typically consisting of shaved chocolate, melted chocolate or cocoa powder, heated milk or water, and sugar...
, a rare and expensive commodity at the time (and the source of its original title of "Mrs. White's Chocolate House"). These "chocolate houses" were seen as hotbeds of dissent by Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
, but many converted into fashionable and respectable gentlemen's clubs like White's.
As a side-business, tickets were sold there to the productions at King's Theatre
Her Majesty's Theatre
Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre, in Haymarket, City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who established the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art at the theatre...
and Royal Drury Lane Theatre
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a West End theatre in Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, a borough of London. The building faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane. The building standing today is the most recent in a line of four theatres at the same location dating back to 1663,...
.
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
Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift was an Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer , poet and cleric who became Dean of St...
referred to White's as the "bane of half the English nobility."
In 1778 it moved to numbers 37-38 St James's Street, on the east side of the street. From 1783 it was the unofficial headquarters of the Tory party, The Whigs' Brooks's
Brooks's
Brooks's is one of London's most exclusive gentlemen's clubs, founded in 1764 by 27 men, including four dukes. From its inception, it was the meeting place for Whigs of the highest social order....
club was just down the road. A few apolitical and affable gentlemen managed to belong to both. The new architecture featured a bow window
Bow window
A bow window is a curved bay window. Bow windows are designed to create space by projecting beyond the exterior wall of a building, and to provide a wider view of the garden or street outside and typically combine four or more casement windows, which join together to form an arch.Bow windows first...
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
Beau Brummell
Beau 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...
, until he removed to the Continent in 1816, when Lord Alvanley
William Arden, 2nd Baron Alvanley
William Arden, 2nd Baron Alvanley was the son of Richard Arden, 1st Baron Alvanley. He was an officer in the Coldstream Guards, attaining the rank of Captain in the service of the 50th Regiment of Foot....
took the place of honour. It was here that Alvanley bet with a friend £3,000 as to which of two raindrops would first reach the bottom of a pane of the bow window.
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
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
and the Napoleonic wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. A good many were social bets, such as whether a friend would marry this year, or whom.
In the later 1970s, the exterior was painted azure with white trim.
One former club chairman was Ian Cameron, the father of the current British Prime Minister, David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
.
Notable former members
- Sir Charles Hanbury Williams, KBCharles Hanbury WilliamsSir Charles Hanbury Williams, KB , diplomat, writer and satirist, son of John Hanbury, a Welsh ironmaster, assumed the name of Williams on succeeding to the estate of his godfather Charles Williams, in 1720....
(1708–1759) - George Campbell, 6th Duke of Argyll, GCH, PCGeorge Campbell, 6th Duke of ArgyllGeorge William Campbell, 6th Duke of Argyll GCH, PC , styled Earl of Campbell from 1768 to 1770 and Marquess of Lorne from 1770 to 1806, was a Scottish Whig politician and nobleman.-Background:...
(1768-1839) - William Philip Molyneux, 2nd Earl of Sefton (1772–1838)
- Beau 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) - William Arden, 2nd Baron AlvanleyWilliam Arden, 2nd Baron AlvanleyWilliam Arden, 2nd Baron Alvanley was the son of Richard Arden, 1st Baron Alvanley. He was an officer in the Coldstream Guards, attaining the rank of Captain in the service of the 50th Regiment of Foot....
(1789–1849) - George Byng, 2nd Earl of StraffordGeorge Byng, 2nd Earl of StraffordGeorge Stevens Byng, 2nd Earl of Strafford, PC , styled Viscount Enfield between 1847 and 1860, was a British peer and Whig politician.-Background, education and military career:...
(1806–1886) - Ernest Brudenell-Bruce, 3rd Marquess of AilesburyErnest Brudenell-Bruce, 3rd Marquess of AilesburyErnest Augustus Charles Brudenell-Bruce, 3rd Marquess of Ailesbury PC , styled Lord Ernest Bruce from 1821 until 1878, was a British courtier and politician. He served as Vice-Chamberlain of the Household between 1841 and 1846 and again between 1852 and 1858...
(1811–1896) - Horatio Walpole, 4th Earl of OrfordHoratio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford (second creation)Horatio William Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford , styled Lord Walpole between 1822 and 1858, was a British peer and Conservative politician.-Background:...
(1813–1894) - Thomas Bateson, 1st Baron DeramoreThomas Bateson, 1st Baron DeramoreThomas Bateson, 1st Baron Deramore , known as Sir Thomas Bateson, 2nd Bt from 1863 until 1885, was a British peer and Conservative Party politician.-Biography:...
(1819–1890) - Rainald Knightley, 1st Baron KnightleyRainald Knightley, 1st Baron KnightleyRainald Knightley, 1st Baron Knightley , known as Sir Rainald Knightley, 3rd Baronet, from 1864 to 1892, was a British Conservative Party politician.-Background:...
(1819–1895) - William FitzClarence, 2nd Earl of MunsterWilliam FitzClarence, 2nd Earl of MunsterWilliam FitzClarence, 2nd Earl of Munster, was an English aristocrat, and the grandson of King William IV.-Family:...
(1824–1901) - Valentine Browne, 4th Earl of KenmareValentine Browne, 4th Earl of KenmareValentine Augustus Browne, 4th Earl of Kenmare KP, PC , styled Viscount Castlerosse from 1853 to 1871, was a British courtier and Liberal politician...
(1825–1905) - Henry Sturt, 1st Baron AlingtonHenry Sturt, 1st Baron AlingtonHenry Gerard Sturt, 1st Baron Alington was a British peer and Conservative Party politician. The son of Henry Sturt, he was created 1st Baron Alington of Crichel on 15 January 1876....
(1825–1904) - Wentworth Beaumont, 1st Baron AllendaleWentworth Beaumont, 1st Baron AllendaleWentworth Blackett Beaumont, 1st Baron Allendale was a British industrialist and Liberal politician.Allendale was the eldest son of Thomas Beaumont and his wife Henrietta Jane Emma, daughter of John Atkinson, and was educated at Harrow and Trinity College, Cambridge...
(1829–1907) - Richard Boyle, 9th Earl of CorkRichard Boyle, 9th Earl of CorkRichard Edmund St Lawrence Boyle, 9th Earl of Cork KP, PC , styled Viscount Dungarvan between 1834 and 1856, was a British courtier and Liberal politician...
(1829–1904) - Gilbert Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, 1st Earl of AncasterGilbert Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, 1st Earl of AncasterSir Gilbert Henry Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, 6th Baronet, 1st Earl of Ancaster PC , known as 2nd Baron Aveland from 1867 to 1888 and as 25th Baron Willoughby de Eresby from 1888 to 1892, was a British Liberal politician and court official.Born Gilbert Henry Heathcote, he was the son of Gilbert...
(1830–1910) - Allen Bathurst, 6th Earl BathurstAllen Bathurst, 6th Earl BathurstAllen Alexander Bathurst, 6th Earl Bathurst , known as Allen Bathurst until 1878, was a British peer and Conservative Member of Parliament.-Background and education:...
(1832–1892) - Frederick Hervey, 3rd Marquess of BristolFrederick Hervey, 3rd Marquess of BristolFrederick William John Hervey, 3rd Marquess of Bristol was a British peer and Member of Parliament ....
(1834–1907) - Richard Grosvenor, 1st Baron StalbridgeRichard Grosvenor, 1st Baron StalbridgeRichard de Aquila Grosvenor, 1st Baron Stalbridge PC , styled Lord Richard Grosvenor between 1845 and 1886, was a British politician and businessman. Initially a Liberal, he served under William Ewart Gladstone as Vice-Chamberlain of the Household between 1872 and 1874 and as Parliamentary...
(1837–1912) - Montague GuestMontague GuestMontague John Guest , was a British Liberal politician.A member of the prominent Guest family, he was the third son of Sir John Josiah Guest, 1st Baronet, and his second wife Lady Charlotte, daughter of Albemarle Bertie, 9th Earl of Lindsey...
, (1839–1909) - Henry Chaplin, 1st Viscount ChaplinHenry Chaplin, 1st Viscount ChaplinHenry Chaplin, 1st Viscount Chaplin PC was a British landowner, racehorse owner and Conservative Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1868 until 1916 when he was raised to the peerage....
(1840–1923) - The Prince of Wales, later Edward VIIEdward VII of the United KingdomEdward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
(1841–1910) - Archibald Acheson, 4th Earl of GosfordArchibald Acheson, 4th Earl of GosfordArchibald Brabazon Sparrow Acheson, 4th Earl of Gosford KP was a British Peer. The son of Archibald Acheson, 3rd Earl of Gosford, he succeeded to the earldom upon the death of his father in 1864. Since there are two United Kingdom peerages subsumed in that Irish Earldom, he was entitled to an...
(1841–1922) - Robert Wynn Carrington, 1st Marquess of LincolnshireRobert Wynn Carrington, 1st Marquess of LincolnshireCharles Robert Wynn-Carrington, 1st Marquess of Lincolnshire KG, GCMG, PC, DL, JP , known as the Lord Carrington from 1868 to 1895 and as the Earl Carrington from 1895 to 1912, was a British Liberal politician and aristocrat.-Background and education:Born at Whitehall, London, Lincolnshire was the...
(1843–1928) - Thomas de Grey, 6th Baron WalsinghamThomas de Grey, 6th Baron WalsinghamThomas de Grey, 6th Baron Walsingham was an English politician and amateur entomologist.-Biography:...
(1843–1919) - Lord Claud Hamilton (1843-1925)
- John Beresford, 5th Marquess of WaterfordJohn Beresford, 5th Marquess of WaterfordJohn Henry de la Poer Beresford, 5th Marquess of Waterford KP, PC , styled Earl of Tyrone from 1859 to 1866, was an Irish peer and Conservative politician...
(1844–1895) - Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of LansdowneHenry Petty-FitzMaurice, 5th Marquess of LansdowneHenry Charles Keith Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne, KG, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, PC was a British politician and Irish peer who served successively as the fifth Governor General of Canada, Viceroy of India, Secretary of State for War, and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs...
(1845–1927) - Edward Digby, 10th Baron DigbyEdward Digby, 10th Baron DigbyEdward Henry Trafalgar Digby, 10th Baron Digby , also 4th Baron Digby in the Peerage of Great Britain, was a British peer and Conservative Member of Parliament....
(1846–1920) - Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of FifeAlexander Duff, 1st Duke of FifeAlexander William George Duff, 1st Duke of Fife KG, KT, GCVO, PC, VD , styled Viscount Macduff between 1857 and 1879 and known as The Earl Fife between 1879 and 1889, was a British Peer who married Princess Louise of Wales, the third child and eldest daughter of King Edward VII and Alexandra of...
(1849–1912) - The Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and StrathearnPrince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and StrathearnPrince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn was a member of the shared British and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha royal family who served as the Governor General of Canada, the 10th since Canadian Confederation.Born the seventh child and third son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and...
(1850–1942) - John Lonsdale, 1st Baron ArmaghdaleJohn Lonsdale, 1st Baron ArmaghdaleJohn Brownlee Lonsdale, 1st Baron Armaghdale , known as Sir John Lonsdale, Bt, between 1911 and 1918, was a British businessman and Conservative politician.- Early life :...
(1850–1924) - William Legge, 6th Earl of DartmouthWilliam Legge, 6th Earl of DartmouthWilliam Heneage Legge, 6th Earl of Dartmouth GCVO, KCB, PC, VD, TD, JP , styled Viscount Lewisham between 1853 and 1891, was a British peer and Conservative politician...
(1851–1936) - Walter Long, 1st Viscount Long (1854–1954)
- Archibald Grove (1855–1920)
- William Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of PortlandWilliam Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of PortlandWilliam John Arthur Charles James Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland KG, GCVO, PC, TD, DL , known as William Cavendish-Bentinck until 1879, was a British landowner, courtier and Conservative politician...
(1857–1943) - Charles Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron LamingtonCharles Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron LamingtonCharles Wallace Alexander Napier Cochrane-Baillie, 2nd Baron Lamington, GCMG, GCIE was a British politician and colonial administrator who was Governor of Queensland from 1896 to 1901, and Governor of Bombay from 1903 to 1907....
(1860–1940) - Charles Edward Hill-Trevor, 3rd Baron TrevorBaron TrevorBaron Trevor is a title that has been created three times. It was created first in 1662 in the Peerage of Ireland along with the viscountcy of Dungannon...
(1863–1950) - Wilfrid Ashley, 1st Baron Mount TempleBaron Mount TempleBaron Mount Temple was a title that was created twice in British history, both times in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation came on 25 May 1880 when the Liberal politician the Honourable William Cowper-Temple was made Baron Mount Temple, of Mount Temple in the County of Sligo...
(1867–1939) - Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of DevonshireVictor Cavendish, 9th Duke of DevonshireVictor Christian William Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire , known as Victor Cavendish until 1908, was a British politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 11th since Canadian Confederation....
(1868–1938) - Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron RothschildWalter Rothschild, 2nd Baron RothschildLionel Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild, Baron de Rothschild FRS , a scion of the Rothschild family, was a British banker, politician, and zoologist.-Biography:...
(1868–1937) - J. E. B. Seely, 1st Baron MottistoneJ. E. B. Seely, 1st Baron MottistoneJohn Edward Bernard Seely, 1st Baron Mottistone CB, CMG, DSO, PC, TD was a British soldier and politician. He was a Conservative Member of Parliament from 1900 to 1904 and a Liberal MP from 1904 to 1922 and from 1923 to 1924...
(1868–1947) - George Gibbs, 1st Baron WraxallGeorge Gibbs, 1st Baron WraxallGeorge Abraham Gibbs, 1st Baron Wraxall, PC , was a British Conservative politician.Educated at Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford Gibbs was the eldest of the seven sons of Major Antony Gibbs and Janet Louisa Merivale, daughter of John Louis Merivale...
(1873–1931) - Ivor Guest, 1st Viscount Wimborne (1873–1939)
- Maj. Gen. Sir Stewart Menzies, KCB, KCMG, DSO, MCStewart MenziesMajor General Sir Stewart Graham Menzies, KCB, KCMG, DSO, MC was Chief of MI6 , British Secret Intelligence Service, during and after World War II.-Early life, family:...
(1890–1968) - Oswald MosleyOswald MosleySir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet, of Ancoats, was an English politician, known principally as the founder of the British Union of Fascists...
(1896–1980) - Brendan Bracken, 1st Viscount BrackenBrendan Bracken, 1st Viscount BrackenBrendan Randell Bracken, 1st Viscount Bracken PC was an Irish businessman and a minister in the British Conservative cabinet. Primarily, the 1st Viscount Bracken is remembered for opposing the Bank of England's co-operation with Adolf Hitler, and for subsequently supporting Winston Churchill's...
(1901–1958) - Evelyn WaughEvelyn WaughArthur Evelyn St. John Waugh , known as Evelyn Waugh, was an English writer of novels, travel books and biographies. He was also a prolific journalist and reviewer...
(1903–1966) - Captain Philip Dunne, MCPhilip Russell Rendel DunneCaptain Philip Russell Rendel Dunne, MC was an English soldier and politician.Lord of the Manor of Leinthall Earls....
(1904-1965) - Loel GuinnessLoel GuinnessGroup Captain Thomas Loel Evelyn Bulkeley Guinness OBE was a British Conservative politician, Member of Parliament for Bath , business magnate and philanthropist...
(1906–1988) - David 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...
(1909–1983) - Randolph ChurchillRandolph ChurchillMajor Randolph Frederick Edward Spencer-Churchill, MBE was the son of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and his wife Clementine. He was a Conservative Member of Parliament for Preston from 1940 to 1945....
(1911–1968) - Arthur Ponsonby, 11th Earl of BessboroughArthur Ponsonby, 11th Earl of BessboroughArthur Mountifort Longfield Ponsonby, 11th Earl of Bessborough , was a British peer.He was the son of Maj. Hon. Cyril Myles Brabazon Ponsonby, second son of Edward Ponsonby, 8th Earl of Bessborough, and his wife Rita Narcissa Longfield, daughter of Lt. Col. Mountifort John Courtenay Longfield...
(1912-2002) - Sq. Ld. Christopher "Jack" Riddle, RAFChristopher RiddleSquadron Leader Christopher John Henry "Jack" Riddle RAF was a World War II Royal Air Force fighter pilot during the Battle of Britain.- Early life :...
(1914–2009) - Peter Rawlinson, Baron Rawlinson of Ewell, PC, QCPeter Rawlinson, Baron Rawlinson of EwellPeter Anthony Grayson Rawlinson, Baron Rawlinson of Ewell, PC, QC was an English barrister, politician and author. He was Conservative Member of Parliament for Epsom for 23 years, from 1955 to 1978, and held the offices of Solicitor General and Attorney General for England and Wales and for...
(1919-2006) - Christopher Soames (1920–1987)
- Pieter Kenyon Fleming-Voltelyn van der Byl, IDP. K. van der BylPieter Kenyon Fleming-Voltelyn van der Byl, ID was a South African-born Rhodesian politician who served as the country's Foreign Minister from 1974 to 1979 as a member of the Rhodesian Front...
(1923–1999) - Anthony Brand, 6th Viscount Hampden (1937-2008)
- Michael Onslow, 7th Earl of OnslowMichael Onslow, 7th Earl of OnslowMichael William Coplestone Dillon Onslow, 7th Earl of Onslow , styled Viscount Cranley from 1945 to 1971, was a British Conservative politician.-Background and education:...
(1938-2011)
External links
- 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...