Reform Club
The The Reform Club is a traditional British club on the south side of Pall Mall (house number 104) in the center of London .
overview
It was founded by members of the Whig ( Liberal Party ) from both Houses of Parliament on the occasion of the debates over the Great Reform Act and was intended to promote liberal and progressive thinking. The founding members were certain that it would make the club more attractive if the club not only had a well-equipped library and suitable salons , but could also offer its members excellent cuisine. The first chef to be employed was Alexis Soyer , who developed into one of the most famous chefs of the Victorian era .
Like the neighboring building to the Travelers' Club , the house was designed by Sir Charles Barry and opened in 1841 . The club developed as the political seat of the Liberal Party .
Today the club is no longer linked to a specific political party and only has a social function. The members are men and women from different backgrounds and professions. On the night of February 18, 2006, the club was barely spared from a fire disaster. However, part of the roof was completely destroyed.
Known members (selection)
Members included:
- Herbert Henry Asquith
- Hilaire Belloc
- Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
- Winston Churchill
- Ralf Dahrendorf
- Arthur Conan Doyle
- EM Forster
- David Lloyd George
- Henry James
- Daniel O'Connell
- Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston
- Stella Rimington
- William Makepeace Thackeray
- HG Wells
- Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster
Adaptations
The Reform Club appears in Anthony Trollopes novel Phineas Finn .
In Jules Verne's novel Around the World in 80 Days , the protagonist Phileas Fogg is a member and begins and ends his journey in the Reform Club. Michael Palin started his BBC-produced travel documentary "Around the World in 80 Days" (In the footsteps of Phileas Fogg ) at the Reform Club, but when he returned 80 days later, the TV team was not allowed to enter the club again.
The club was used as a location for the films James Bond 007 - Die Another Day and Paddington .
literature
- Seth Alexander Thévoz: Club Government: How the Early Victorian World Was Ruled from London Clubs. IB Tauris, London 2018, ISBN 978-1-78453-818-7 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ruth Cowen: Relish: The Extraordinary Life of Alexis Soyer, Victorian Celebrity Chef , London 2006, ISBN 0-297-64562-5 , p. 29
- ↑ www.reformclub.com
Coordinates: 51 ° 30 ′ 24 ″ N , 0 ° 8 ′ 0 ″ W.