Gentlemen's club

Many countries outside Britain have prominent gentlemen's clubs, mostly those associated with the British Empire such as the Royal Society in London set up in 1660.

Английское собрание), founded approximately in 1772, was the centre of noble social and political life in the 18th-19th centuries, and largely determined public opinion.

The first clubs, such as White's, Brooks's, and Boodle's, were aristocratic in flavour, and provided an environment for gambling, which was illegal outside of members-only establishments.

"[2] An increasing number of clubs were influenced by their members' interests in politics, literature, sport, art, automobiles, travel, particular countries, or some other pursuit.

By the late 19th century, any man with a credible claim to the status of "gentleman" was eventually able to find a club willing to admit him, unless his character was objectionable in some way or he was "unclubbable" (a word first used by F.

[3] This newly expanded category of English society came to include professionals who had to earn their income, such as doctors and lawyers.

The richer clubs were built by the same architects as the finest country houses of the time and had similar types of interiors.

They were a convenient retreat for men who wished to get away from female relations, "in keeping with the separate spheres ideology according to which the man dealt with the public world, whereas women's domain was the home.

They provided spaces such as dining halls, a library, entertainment and game rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms and washrooms, and a study.

Clubs had separate entrances for tradesmen and servants, which were usually located on the side of the building that was not easily seen by the public eye.

Harold Macmillan was said to have taken "refuge in West End clubs ...: Pratt's, Athenaeum, Buck's, Guards, the Beefsteak, the Turf, [and] the Carlton".

[7] Although gentlemen's clubs were originally geared towards a male audience, domestic life played a key role in their establishment and continuity.

Whether from "the streets, the courts, Parliament, or the Stock Exchange," the chaotic nature of work life was put on hold.

With the absence of female voices and set of rigid institutional structures, members created internal stability.

Historian Robert Morris proposed that clubs were "part of the power nexus of capitalism, and essential to the continuity of elite dominance of society.

Traditionally barred from full membership in existing clubs of similar interest, and somewhat mobilized by the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in the United States;[15] by the 21st century, numerous new private women's clubs had formed in support of previously male-dominated pursuits, including professional affiliations and business networking.

After reaching the top of a long waiting list, there is a possibility of being blackballed during the process of formal election by the committee.

[21] Today, establishments based on the concept of the traditional gentlemen's clubs exist throughout the world, predominantly in Commonwealth countries and the United States.

[22] Discussion of trade or business is usually not allowed in traditional gentlemen's clubs, although it may hire out its rooms to external organisations for events.

All offer similar facilities such as food, drink, comfortable surroundings, venue hire and in many cases accommodation.

Digby Baltzell, sociologist of the WASP establishment, explains in his book Philadelphia Gentlemen: The Making of a National Upper Class: The circulation of elites in America and the assimilation of new men of power and influence into the upper class takes place primarily through the medium of urban clubdom.

[citation needed] Today, gentlemen's clubs in the United States remain more prevalent in older cities, especially those on the East Coast.

At the end of the nineteenth century, twenty of its most influential members felt that the St James was becoming 'too overcrowded' and founded the smaller Mount Royal Club in 1899.

The Forest and Stream was formed by Frank Stephen and some of his gentlemen friends and associates on 27 November 1884[31] at a meeting held at the St. Lawrence Hall in Montreal.

The English Club of Pau, France chartered by an Anglo-American winter colony in 1856 is now named the le Cercle anglais.

Most pre-partition clubs in Pakistan have divested themselves from exclusivity and started the concept of offering membership in return for payment.

Clubs in Spain (called Casinos or Círculos culturales in Spanish) emerged in the beginning of the 19th century, during the political transition between the old regime and the constitutional liberalism.

Today there are casinos culturales on the main cities of Spain, that promote civic, cultural, artistic, and recreational activities.

For example, in Seville there are three clubs, one that originally restricted admission to businessmen and industrialists, another one to landowners, and another one to renowned scientists, writers and artists.

[citation needed] There are active gentlemen's clubs in Nelson (Hope), Auckland, Hastings, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.