Seth Thévoz’s Clubland Substack

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The Junior Ganymede Club in the novels of P. G. Wodehouse

1 week ago | clubland.substack.com | Seth Thévoz

While Bertie Wooster’s Drones Club is best-identified with P. G. Wodehouse’s Jeeves stories - and also links many characters in the Wodehouse canon - it is far from being the only club in the canon. Jeeves himself belongs to a Mayfair establishment, the Junior Ganymede Club, for gentlemen’s personal gentlemen - and it plays a key role in the plot of three novels.
Clubs in Film: 'Members Only' (1965)

1 week ago | clubland.substack.com | Seth Thévoz

This is a real gem: ‘Members Only’ is a 1965 colour newsreel looking at London private members’ clubs, as part of the Rank Organisation’s Look at Life series of film shorts, screened in cinemas before main features. ‘Look at Life: Members Only’ (1965). Click on the above image to play the video. Seth Thévoz’s Clubland Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Lost Clubs: The Empress Club (1897-1955)

1 week ago | clubland.substack.com | Seth Thévoz

IntroIn its late-Victorian and Edwardian heyday, the Empress Club was Mayfair’s premiere ladies’ social club, offering opulent facilities for independent-minded women. But it was rocked by repeated scandals and other difficulties, including suicide, bankruptcy, and fire, and it ended up becoming one of many Clubland casualties of the 1950s. The former Empress Club building today. (Photo credit: Collins Construction website.)Seth Thévoz’s Clubland Substack is a reader-supported publication.
When Westminster took on Clubland's kitchens...

2 weeks ago | clubland.substack.com | Seth Thévoz

Cast your mind back 43 years. It was the summer of 1982, and most of London’s clubs were in the doldrums. In few areas was this more obvious than in their food offering.
Clubs in 'The Flashman Papers'

2 weeks ago | clubland.substack.com | Seth Thévoz

George MacDonald Fraser’s best-selling Flashman novels - known as ‘The Flashman Papers’ (1969-2005) - followed the misadventures of its anti-hero across various 19th century wars. Unsurprisingly, the fictional Brigadier-General Sir Harry Flashman (1822-1915) found himself in quite a few private members’ clubs.
Lost Clubs: The United Service Club (1815-1975)

3 weeks ago | clubland.substack.com | Seth Thévoz

116 Pall Mall, John Nash’s clubhouse occupied by the United Service Club from 1828 until 1975; embedding Decimus Burton’s 1850s architectural embellishments. On the left is the 117 Pall Mall annexe acquired by the Club in the 1850s, and embedded into the pre-existing building by Burton.
Clubs in 'Yes, Minister' and 'Yes, Prime Minister' (1980-8)

3 weeks ago | clubland.substack.com | Seth Thévoz

The fondly-remembered TV series Yes, Minister and its sequel Yes, Prime Minister often featured mandarin Sir Humphrey Appleby holding sotto voce off-the-record after-hours meetings in London private members’ clubs. Over the years, I’ve had quite a few questions on the portrayal of these clubs, and hope to shed some light on them here.
The Clubs of Bangalore

3 weeks ago | clubland.substack.com | Seth Thévoz

Bengaluru - still widely known to its residents by its previous name of Bangalore, despite the name change 19 years ago - is not only India’s fourth most populous city, it also has India’s third-largest concentration of clubs (after Kolkata/Calcutta and Mumbai). I have already shared the video of my lecture on Indian clubs, but a focus on this city shows a cross-section of the types of establishments found. The city’s area has been occupied for millennia, acting as a major trading centre.
Lost Clubs: The American Club (1918-1990)

1 month ago | clubland.substack.com | Seth Thévoz

The American Club on Piccadilly only existed for 72 years; but it rapidly became an integral part of the London club landscape. The American Club building at 95 Piccadilly, on the corner of White Horse Street. The boarded-up door on the left, on White Horse Street, was the main entrance. (Picture credit: Brian Mawdsley, via Historic England website.)Seth Thévoz’s Clubland Substack is a reader-supported publication.
John Mortimer's 'Rumpole of the Bailey' stories: The Sheridan Club

1 month ago | clubland.substack.com | Seth Thévoz

One of the best-known fictional London clubs is the Sheridan Club, from John Mortimer’s ‘Rumpole of the Bailey’ stories, about the misadventures of “an Old Bailey hack.” The Club had both literary and onscreen incarnations - Mortimer wrote each version, with the long-running TV series (1978-92) typically having each season adapted into a short story collection; and the depiction of the Club is consistent across both versions.