A Gentlemen's club is a members club, originally for male members of the English gentry. The original gentlemen's clubs were established in the West End of London and the area of St. James's is still referred to as 'clubland'. Clubs took over the role occupied by coffee houses in 18th century London to some degree and reached the height of their influence in the late 19th century. They were formed by groups of acquaintances who shared some interest or pursuit. Gambling, usually on cards, was central to the activities of many. Others were characterised by their members interest in politics, literature, sport or some other pursuit. In other cases, the connection between the members was membership of the same branch of the armed forces, or a background at the same university. Some of the older clubs were highly aristocratic, but over time more and more were founded, and eventually any man with a credible claim to "gentleman" status was able to find a club willing to admit him, unless his character was very objectionable in some way. This came to include professionals who had to earn their income. A club (in Greek usually: Mupia, in Latin sodalitas) consists of an association of people not united together by any natural ties of kinship, real or supposed. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Religion... The gentry refers to a social class of landowners. ... West End, see West End (disambiguation). ... St. ... A Street Cafe, Jerusalem, Henry Fenn (1838- ): steel engraving in Picturesque Palestine, ca 1875 A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or caf shares some of the characteristics of a bar, and some of the characteristics of a restaurant. ... Gambling (or betting) is any behavior involving risking money or valuables (making a wager or placing a stake) on the outcome of a game, contest, or other event in which the outcome of that activity depends partially or totally upon chance or upon ones ability to do something. ... The term gentleman (from Latin gentilis, belonging to a race or gens, and man, cognate with the French word gentilhomme, the Spanish hombre gentil, and the Italian gentil huomo), in its original and strict signification, denoted a man of good family, the Latin generosus (its invariable translation in English-Latin...

It should be noted that entertainments, such as musical performances and the like, were not a feature of this sort of club. They were in effect "second homes" where men could relax, mix with their friends, play parlour games and get a meal. They allowed upper and upper-middle class men with modest incomes to spend their time in grand surroundings; the richer clubs were built by the same architects as the finest country houses of the time, and had the same type of interiors. They were also a convenient retreat for any man who wished to get away from his female relations.Many men spent much of their lives in their club. Some even offered overnight accommodation. In Britain (and also in Ireland) the term country house generally refers to a large house which was built on an agricultural estate as the private residence of the landowner. ...

The social class requirements softened gradually throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. In addition some of the clubs opened to women from the late 20th century. This was partly to help keep up membership levels; the clubs are no longer as popular or influential as they once were. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s The 20th century lasted from 1901 to 2000 in the Gregorian calendar (often from (1900 to 1999 in common usage). ...

In the late twentieth century the phrase came to be extended to include venues offering exhibitions of female nudity, but the people who use either sense are unlikely to use the other.

Outside the United Kingdom

Clubs of this kind are found in a number of other countries, including many Commonwealth countries and the United States. Flag of the Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations is an association of independent sovereign states, most of which are former colonies once governed by the United Kingdom as part of the British Empire. ...

See also

List of London's gentlemen's clubs

References

Anthony Lejeune, Gentlemen's Clubs of London, (London: Macdonald And Jane's, 1979) (ill. Malcolm Lewis) ISBN 0831738006