Lansdowne Club

The Lansdowne Club
Founded 1935
Purpose Social club
Location
Website www.lansdowneclub.com

The Lansdowne Club is a private members' club in London, England. It was established in 1935 and is located at 9 Fitzmaurice Place, off Berkeley Square in Mayfair.

History

Lansdowne House before demolition of the front rooms, 1920s

The Lansdowne Club was established later than many London clubs, and it permitted women from its inception. It has always had a relatively young membership, with an active social scene. The building's partially 1930s Art Deco architecture, in addition to the main Adam interiors, is quite distinctive.

In 1930, Westminster City Council decided to improve access to Berkeley Square by creating an extra road into the square. This was accomplished by demolishing half of Lansdowne House, which had stood there since the 18th century. The remaining half was given a new frontage and a newly renovated interior, and it became the Lansdowne Club. From the demolished part of Lansdowne House, the 'First Drawing Room' was reinstated in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the 'Dining Room' in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

From the outset, the Lansdowne Club was founded as a 'social, residential and athletic Club for members of social standing' and their families, and unlike many London clubs, it had no vocational, artistic, or political 'theme'. The Club's facilities include a ballroom, a terrace, a fencing salle and a basement gym, including an Art Deco swimming pool. The club's internal architecture is extremely unusual and relatively modern for a London club, being significantly Art Deco, as opposed to the more usual Georgian/Victorian/Edwardian styles found in other clubs. The splendid Adam Room and other parts of the Club on the ground floor are Georgian though.

The building underwent extensive renovation and further modernisation in 2000. It was granted Grade II* Listed Building status in 1970.[1] The clubhouse includes a fencing salle, and the resident coach, Professor Wojciechowski, is also the official coach of the British Olympic squad.

Past and current members include Richard Dimbleby,[2] Joachim Ribbentrop,[2] Beryl Cook, John Bly, Loyd Grossman, Baroness Butler-Sloss, Peter Alliss, Paul Smith (fashion designer), Elizabeth Blackadder and Lord Sudeley.

Chairmen

See also

References

Coordinates: 51°30′30″N 0°08′42″W / 51.5083°N 0.1451°W / 51.5083; -0.1451

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