White’s Gentlemen’s Club
Number 37 St. James Street in London has seen lots of history go down. In fact, White’s Gentlemen’s Club, the venerable establishment situated at that address, was probably a participant in many historical events, albeit discreetly. The oldest and most exclusive gentlemen’s club in London has a rich history, sometimes clouded in controversy, sometimes racy and raffish, but no doubt always interesting. What began as teahouse serving the newly discovered chocolate in 1693, became the private and exclusive playground for the British aristocracy and political class, where bets were made and deals were cut. Among its old members are the Duke of Wellington, the Regency dandy Beau Brummell, George IV, William IV, Edward VII and Winston Churchill’s son, Randolph. Prince Charles is a member and held his Bollinger champagne-fuelled stag night at the club before his wedding to Lady Diana Spencer. Women, however, are still excluded from the club, and probably most mortals.
