The National Liberal Club
Architect: Alfred Waterhouse
Artist: D.P.L.C. [or G]
Building: 1884-87
Drawing c. 1890
Whitehall Place, SW1
Signed with initials
Club-Land, 44
[See commentary below.]
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Joseph Hatton's Club-Land (1890) on the National Liberal Club
The National Liberal Club, one of the most notable additions to the social political institutions of London, calls for special notice. The temporary premises in Northumberland Avenue were by no means an undesirable home. But the house that is now erected on the Thames Embankment is one of the finest and most complete establishments in London. The site in itself is unique. It is bounded on the north and west by Whitehall Place and Whitehall Avenue, on the east it faces the Gardens of the Thames Embankment, while on the south the club-house joins the new buildings of Whitehall Court. A feature in the building is the Conference Room, to which there is a separate entrance from Whitehall Avenue, so that it is accessible to non-members from the street without the necessity of passing through the club. At the end of the hall, opposite the main entrance, is the principal staircase, which rises from the basement to the first fioor. It is of elliptical form, and the steps, which are 8 feet wide, are supported at either end by an outer and an inner wall. The outer wall is solid, but the inner consists of a continuous ascending colonnade of various and richly coloured marbles. At the foot of the first flight of steps is placed the entrance to a passenger lift, which will connect the various floors of the club. From the end of the hall a descending flight of steps leads under the main staircase to the level of the smoking-room, 8 ft. 6 ins. below that of the street. This room, which is 102 ft. by 35 ft, and 23 ft. in height, is provided at its eastern end with a bar and an entrance for servants, while in the south wall a doorway leads to a short flight of steps which ascend to the range of billiard-rooms under the terrace. Under the entrance to the Conference Room is a tradesman's way to this base ment. Besides the main entrance, and that to the Conference Room, there is yet another entrance from "Whitehall Place, under the tower in the north-east angle of the building. This is for the benefit of such non-members as may be admitted on special occasions to the Gladstone Library, and for communication with the residential chambers, offices, etc., on the higher floors. The two principal rooms on the upper ground floor, besides the Gladstone Library and the small members' library, are the grill-room and the dining-room. From the dining-room there is access to an open loggia, and thence down a flight of five steps to the broad terrace, 30 ft. wide, overlooking the Embankment. The dining-room, it may be mentioned, is 108 ft. by 38 ft., the grill-room 63 ft. by 35 ft., both these rooms being 24 ft. in height and 15 ft. 6 ins. above the level of the street. The grill-room is the largest of its kind in London. The first floor is occupied by a reading and writing-room over the Gladstone Library, a smokers' reading and writing-room over part of the dining-room, and a drawing-room over the members' library. At this floor the principal staircase ceases, and with it the club proper, the upper stories being reached by the staircase in the tower or by the adjoining lift. The second floor is devoted to chambers, bedrooms, and bedrooms and sitting-rooms combined, some of which have spacious balconies placed over the bay windows of the floors below. The third floor is a repetition of the second, consisting of bedrooms, sitting-rooms, bath-rooms, etc. The fourth floor is partly occupied by chambers and partly by rooms for officials and servants, but the two departments are kept entirely distinct. The steward's room, butler's room, pantry, etc., look into the central space over the sky-light of the principal staircase, while the members' rooms occupy the external frontages. The kitchen and scullery are placed on this floor, in the south west angle of the building, in direct communication with a service-room. Adjoining is a large still-room, with lifts descending to the various serving rooms. The laundry store-rooms, housekeeper's rooms, and maids' bedrooms are provided on the fifth floor. The tower staircase ceases when it reaches the fourth floor, but from that point a smaller spiral leads to the belvedere, at the summit of the tower, from which an almost unique view can be obtained of the river and its bridges towards St. Paul's. The staircase is a very special architectural feature of the new club-house, making the centre of the building the chief point of artistic display. The style of the building is that of the Early Renaissance, the most noticeable external feature being the tower in the north-east angle, which rises to a height of 180 feet; and, though severely plain in the lower stories, increases in richness and intricacy as it detaches itself from the gables which lead up to it on either side. Nothing of any moment is ever done without enthusiasm. The National Liberal Club is the creation of an enthusiastic committee, secretary, and architect. It is the first great club designed by Mr. Waterhouse, R.A., whose charming water-colour of it was one of the most attractive pictures in the Architectural Department of the Royal Academy Exhibition a few years ago. [45-48]
Bibliography
Hatton, Joseph. Clubland London and Provincial. London: J. S. Vertie, 1890. Internet Archive version of a copy in the University of Toronto Library. Web. 29 February 2012.
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Last modified 29 February 2012