LONDON CLUBS
CHARACTER BUILDINGS
Tim Newark takes us on a tour of his favourite clubs a short stagger from Savile Row
The pleasures of a London Club can be simple , sinking into an antique leather chair , sipping a glass of port , and raising an eyebrow at guests who have failed the dress code . At its best , it can be all the fun of a glorious house party with familiar faces and the run of an elegant building you could never afford to live in . For a moment , it is your splendid home in Mayfair or St James – and it impresses the socks off any foreign guests you entertain there .
As a historian , I have a particular passion for London ’ s venerable clubs . Each one has a distinctive character framed by its past members , expressed in formidable portraits and extraordinary memorabilia . Incidentally , Traditional Clubs is the correct term for these private members ’ establishments , not Gentlemen ’ s Clubs , as that now refers to something completely different which involves lap dancing and stuffing money into garter belts ( I believe ).
I was commissioned to write the official history of the Naval & Military Club , known affectionately as the In & Out , and spent many happy hours exploring its archives and reading antique correspondence . One longrunning spat involved a lieutenant of the 9th Lancers who had been caught smoking in the club ’ s reading room . He explained he was not puffing his cigar but merely holding it as he was passing from one room to another . The contretemps R
40 SAVILE ROW STYLE MAGAZINE