Civil Service Club, London

Civil Service Club

Architect: James Knowles, jun.

Builder: George Smith and Co.

c. 1865

St. James Street

Full caption: “Civil Service Clubhouse, on the site of the old thatched house.”

Source: Illustrated London News

“We give an Illustration of the noble building, recently elected in St. James-street, called “The Thatched House Chambers," which has now come into the possession of the Civil Service Club. It was originally designed for a clubhouse, with chambers on the upper floors for the use of members and others, to which purpose they will continue to be applied. The façade, shown in our Engraving, as seen from the wall of Marlborough House, is entirely of stone. The building has been erected by Messrs. George Smith and Co., from the designs of Mr. James Knowles, jun.; the decorative carving, representing real foliage and birds instead of mere conventional ornaments, has been executed by Mr. Raymond.” [continued below]

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Article accompanying the illustration continued

In excavating the foundations — which were carried 30 ft. below the level of the street, their superficial extent being about 7500 square feet —a n interesting collection of fossils was discovered, including a good specimen of a lion's jaw and a variety of mammoth bones, the ancient denizens of the spot in centuries long passed; below this surface the earth was pierced another 80 ft., to which depth the main tube of the hydraulic apparatus descends, its lifting power being obtained by the gradual rise of water let into the tube as required. This building is certainly one of the chief ornaments of the street; and, as its lofty walls, 99 ft, high, tower far above all tbc surrounding buildings, there is an extensive panoramic view of town and country from its upper rooms, to which access is obtained by two staircases, or by an hydraulic lift, which communicates with every floor, and is of the newest and safest construction. On its site long stood the celebrated Thatched House Tavern, which, with its many interesting associations, is the subject of a separate notice.

Am regards the establishment of this club, it had long been considered that many and great advantages both to themselves and the public would result from such an association of gentlemen connected with the several branches of the Civil Service; hence a provisional committee was formed last year, consisting of about forty members representing many of the principal public departments, for the purpose of carrying out this object. In January last they issued a prospectus embodying a plan of constitution, together with a circular address to their colleagues at home and abroad, in which they etate that, “whilst the Army and Navy, the Universities, and other important bodies are represented by one or more clubs, the members of the Civil Service of the Crown do not enjoy the benefit ot any similar means of association.” Their appeal for co-operation was well responded to, considering that heretofore Abe service was of a fragmentary character and that most of its influential members belonged to one or more of the principal clubs already existing. The provisional committee then, in accordance with their proposed plan, having selected from the list of candidates the first 250 members, called them together in March, when the club was formally started. and a managing committee was chosen to obtain a clubhouse, furnish it, stock its cellars, engage servants, provide a system of books, form a set of rules and regulations, and take all the necessary measures for placing the club on on firm and satisfactory basis. These preliminary duties were cheerfully undertaken, and have been creditably performed, inasmuch as it is, we believe, an unprecedented care for a first-class club to be in possession of a permanent building in a most eligible situation, and unexceptionable, both in its outward appearance and internal accommodation, within one year of the project being initiated. Much, of course, remains to be done; but the committee, who have accomplished so much in so short a time, ore not likely to relax their efforts, especially as they entertain a confident and well-grounded expectation that the undertaking will prove a great and lasting success. The number of members of the Civil Service Club is limited, at present, to 1200; but the building might well accommodate as many as 2000, if such an increase were considered desirable.

Bibliography

“The Civil Service Clubhouse.” Illustrated London News (30 September 1865): 324. Internet Archive version of a copy in the University of Michigan Library. Web. 24 January 2016. ABBYY Fine Reader OCR software has been used to create text from the Internet Archive page images — George P. Landow

Last modified 28 April 2013