The St James's Club was a London gentlemen's club which operated between 1857 and 1978. It was founded by two leading diplomats and its members continued to be largely diplomats and authors. It was first established in Bennet Street, and after a brief spell in Mayfair, moved to 106 Piccadilly by 1868. In the final quarter of the twentieth century many gentlemen’s clubs of London suffered from declining membership, and in 1978 the St James's Club merged with Brooks's Club and vacated its premises.

Foundation The club was founded in 1857 by the Liberal statesman the second Earl Granville and by the Marchese d'Azeglio, Minister of Sardinia to the Court of St. James's, after a dispute at the Travellers' Club. Most members of the diplomatic corps resigned from the Travellers' and joined the new club. The club's members continued to be largely diplomats and authors, and it became the home of the Dilettanti Society.

According to the Encyclopædia Britannica article Club, in 1902, the club was the smallest London gentlemen's club in terms of numbersEncyclopædia Britannica, 10th Edition (1902): article on Club, online at Club at 1902encyclopedia.com (accessed 18 January 2008) -

Premises The St James's Club was first established in Bennet Street, just off the north corner of St. James's Street. By 1868, it had moved into its clubhouse at 106 Piccadilly which had previously been Coventry House,Walford, Edward, Mansions in Piccadilly , in Old and New London: Volume 4 (1878), pp. 273–90 (accessed 10 January 2008) the London residence of the Earls of Coventry since it had been bought by George Coventry, 6th Earl of Coventry from Sir Hugh Hunlocke in 1764, for 10,000 guineas. Coventry House had been built in 1761The date is on a lead cistern, according to Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, London, vol I (Buildings of England series; 2nd ed., 1962:573). on the site of an old public house called 'The Greyhound Inn'. The five-bay structure is neo-Palladian in style, with alternating pediments on the grand floor windows, over a rusticated ground floor. The Palladian window on the side façade lights a handsome staircase. There are ceilings by Robert AdamLord Coventry also employed Adam in the country, at his seat of Croome Court, Worcestershire. in rooms on the piano nobile. Thomas Cundy the Elder effected some remodelling, probably in 1810-11.Pevsner, ibid..

According to Charles Dickens, Jr., writing in 1879:Charles Dickens, Jr., Dickens's Dictionary of London (1879)

During the Second World War, the club was briefly the home of Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond.Life and Times of Ian Fleming at obsessional.co.uk (accessed 10 January 2008)

The club was described by Charles Graves, writing of London clubs in Leather Armchairs (1963), as "the only one in London, or possibly anywhere else in the world, which has a separate room – and a large one at that – devoted solely to backgammon".Graves, Charles, Leather Armchairs: The Chivas Regal Book of London Clubs (London, Cassell & Co. Ltd, 1963, with foreword by P. G. Wodehouse)

The club was also well known as a London venue for chess matches.Harley, Brian, Music and Chess in Music & Letters, Vol. 12, No. 3 (July, 1931), pp. 276–83

Demise In the decades after the Second World War, the popularity of gentlemen's clubs of London gradually fell into decline.University of Notre Dame London Centre at nd.edu (accessed 9 January 2008) Facing financial problems, the club merged with Brooks's Club in 1978 and vacated its premises.

Fate of the building The grand former club house at 106 Piccadilly later became the headquarters of The International House network of language schools, founded by John Haycraft.Obituary of John Haycraft at ihworld.com (accessed 10 January 2008) Since October 2007, it has been the London campus of Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, a private intercontinental university based in Malaysia.Limkokwing University Campuses & Contact Centres at limkokwing.co.uk (accessed 10 January 2008) From September 2017, it will be home to Eaton Square Upper School.

Namesakes The St James's Club and Hotel, opened in 2008 in Park Place, has been marketed to evoke the historic club, but has no connection. A St James's Club in Manchester also has no connection.

Notable members Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville (1815–1891), Liberal statesmanCorrespondence of James McNeill Whistler at whistler.arts.gla.ac.uk (accessed 10 January 2008) Vittorio Emanuelle Taparelli, Marchese d'Azeglio (1816–1890), Minister of Sardinia Sir Osbert Sitwell, 5th Baronet (1892–1969), author in Who Was Who 1897–2006 online (accessed 10 January 2008) Sir Sacheverell Sitwell, 6th Baronet (1897–1988), author and brother of Sir Osbert Oliver St John Gogarty (1878–1957), Anglo-Irish author in Who Was Who 1897–2006 online (accessed 10 January 2008) Sir Harry Verney, 4th Baronet MP (1881–1974), politician in Who Was Who 1897–2006 online (accessed 10 January 2008) Victor Hay, 21st Earl of Erroll (1870–1928), diplomatERROLL, Victor Alexander Sereld Hay, 21st Earl of in Who Was Who 1897–2006 online (accessed 10 January 2008) Sir Murdoch Macdonald (1866–1957), politician and engineer in Who Was Who 1897–2006 online (accessed 10 January 2008) Alfred Clayton Cole (1854–1920) Governor of the Bank of England"COLE, Alfred Clayton", in Herbert Henry Bassett, Men of Note in Finance and Commerce (1901), p. 59 Arthur Rowley, 8th Baron Langford (1870–1953), diplomat in Who Was Who 1897–2006 online (accessed 10 January 2008) Major Cav. Lawrence Edward Lotito (1921–2004), business owner, meteorologist Anatole de Grunwald (1910–1967), film producer in Who Was Who 1897–2006 online (accessed 10 January 2008) Lord Ivor Spencer-Churchill (1898–1956), cousin of Winston ChurchillManuscripts Catalogue of the University of Glasgow (accessed 10 January 2008) Evelyn Waugh (1903–1966), author in Who Was Who 1897–2006 online (accessed 10 January 2008) Sir Osbert Lancaster, cartoonist, stage designer and author"With an Eye to the Future" (Lancaster's memoirs) Harold Soref, politician and businessman

See also List of London's gentlemen's clubs

References