Badminton Club
Encyclopedia
The Badminton Club is a former London
gentlemen's club
.
According to the 8th Duke of Beaufort
in his book Driving (1889), the club was founded in 1875 at 100 Piccadilly
by a sporting doctor called Hurman. According to the Duke, “this was a thorough coaching establishment, having all the year round a coach, a brake, a team or two... capital stabling and coach-houses, as well as chambers and bedrooms kept for the use of members”.
The club was named after Badminton House
, the country seat of the Dukes of Beaufort. The 10th Duke
was Master of the Horse
(1936–1978) to three British monarchs, King Edward VIII, King George VI, and Queen Elizabeth II. Since 1949, Badminton House has hosted the prestigious annual Badminton Horse Trials
, a three-day competition event.
In 1883, the club also acquired the adjacent premises at 98 and 99 Piccadilly and a new clubhouse was built on the site, designed by the architect Robert William Edis. The principal internal feature was the “Flower Court”, approached through the narrow entrance from Piccadilly.
The club flourished so long as the horse remained supreme in London but, by the late 1930s, driving was only the pastime of a few. The club had lost its raison d’etre and decided to disband in 1938. At about that time the Public Schools Club
was on the lookout for larger premises and they took over the clubhouse immediately.
The clubhouse was finally closed in 1972, when the Public Schools Club merged with the East India Club
in St James's Square, and was demolished a few years later. The last surviving parts of the clubhouse are the war memorial plaques for members of the Public Schools Club from World War I
and World War II
and the Badminton Club’s plaque for World War I
, which are still preserved at the East India Club.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
gentlemen's club
Gentlemen's club
A gentlemen's club is a members-only private club of a type originally set up by and for British upper class men in the eighteenth century, and popularised by English upper-middle class men and women in the late nineteenth century. Today, some are more open about the gender and social status of...
.
According to the 8th Duke of Beaufort
Duke of Beaufort
Duke of Beaufort is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created by Charles II in 1682 for Henry Somerset, 3rd Marquess of Worcester, a descendant of Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester, illegitimate son of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset, a Lancastrian leader in the Wars of the...
in his book Driving (1889), the club was founded in 1875 at 100 Piccadilly
Piccadilly
Piccadilly is a major street in central London, running from Hyde Park Corner in the west to Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is completely within the city of Westminster. The street is part of the A4 road, London's second most important western artery. St...
by a sporting doctor called Hurman. According to the Duke, “this was a thorough coaching establishment, having all the year round a coach, a brake, a team or two... capital stabling and coach-houses, as well as chambers and bedrooms kept for the use of members”.
The club was named after Badminton House
Badminton House
Badminton House is a large country house in Gloucestershire, England, and has been the principal seat of the Dukes of Beaufort since the late 17th century, when the family moved from Raglan Castle, which had been ruined in the English Civil War...
, the country seat of the Dukes of Beaufort. The 10th Duke
Henry Somerset, 10th Duke of Beaufort
Henry Hugh Arthur FitzRoy Somerset, 10th Duke of Beaufort KG GCVO KStJ PC was a British peer, the son of Henry Somerset, 9th Duke of Beaufort....
was Master of the Horse
Master of the Horse
The Master of the Horse was a position of varying importance in several European nations.-Magister Equitum :...
(1936–1978) to three British monarchs, King Edward VIII, King George VI, and Queen Elizabeth II. Since 1949, Badminton House has hosted the prestigious annual Badminton Horse Trials
Badminton Horse Trials
The Badminton Horse Trials is a three-day event, one of only six annual Concours Complet International Four Star **** events as classified by the Fédération Équestre Internationale , which takes place in April or May each year in the park of Badminton House, the seat of the Dukes of Beaufort in...
, a three-day competition event.
In 1883, the club also acquired the adjacent premises at 98 and 99 Piccadilly and a new clubhouse was built on the site, designed by the architect Robert William Edis. The principal internal feature was the “Flower Court”, approached through the narrow entrance from Piccadilly.
The club flourished so long as the horse remained supreme in London but, by the late 1930s, driving was only the pastime of a few. The club had lost its raison d’etre and decided to disband in 1938. At about that time the Public Schools Club
Public Schools Club
The Public Schools Club is a former London gentlemen's club.There were technically two Public Schools Clubs. The first, founded in 1909 and based on Albemarle Street, disbanded during World War I in the light of the heavy casualties sustained among its membership.After the war the club was...
was on the lookout for larger premises and they took over the clubhouse immediately.
The clubhouse was finally closed in 1972, when the Public Schools Club merged with the East India Club
East India Club
The East India, Devonshire, Sports and Public Schools' Club, usually known as the East India Club, is a gentlemen's club founded in 1849 and situated at 16 St. James's Square in London...
in St James's Square, and was demolished a few years later. The last surviving parts of the clubhouse are the war memorial plaques for members of the Public Schools Club from World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the Badminton Club’s plaque for World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, which are still preserved at the East India Club.