About the Club

The embryonic idea of the Whitefriars Club emerged when, towards the end of 1867, a group of journalists gathering for dinner at Spiers and Pond’s Ludgate Hill restaurant, near Fleet Street, decided that it would be a good idea to form a small club “where both dinner and conversation could be enjoyed without the disturbing influence of the general public”. The inaugural dinner was held at Radley’s Hotel on New Bridge Street on 21st February 1868, and by the time of its first annual meeting on 8th January 1869 the club consisted of forty members.

The name of the club derives from the ancient ecclesiastical precincts of Whitefriars contained within Fleet Street, New Bridge Street, the Temple and, on the southern side, the Thames. This area – formerly a religious space offering sanctuary to debtors – was once occupied by Carmelite monks and colloquially known as “Alsatia” (after Alsace, the “debatable land” between Germany and France). This is what led the original club members to call each other “Friar” – which is still the correct manner of address today.

The club moved to the Mitre Tavern in 1871, and in 1873 it elected its first president, the larger-than-life Crawford Wilson. The tradition of inviting eminent men of letters, artists or statesmen as special guests at the club’s dinners was inaugurated in 1896, when it was also agreed that ladies could be brought as guests to most of the club’s functions. Over the years, as the club grew, it moved between many homes, from Anderton’s Hotel, Dr Johnson’s Buildings, the Waldorf Hotel and the Cock Tavern to the Arts Club, the Athenaeum and the Royal Overseas Club. For the last three decades we have been regularly meeting at the Savile Club in Brook Street.

Membership in the club has gradually evolved from just members of the Fourth Estate and now includes lawyers, politicians, publishers, doctors and accomplished professionals in other disciplines, all of whom enjoy relaxing in each other’s company with stimulating conversation and an entertaining speaker.

Our evenings start at 7pm with pre-dinner drinks, and dinner is served at 7.30pm. The speaker is introduced by the “Prior of the Day”, who acts as MC for the evening. In addition to dinners, we organize excursions – or “pilgrimages” – out of town from time to time.

The Whitefriars Club has an eminent roster of previous speakers. Below is a small selection: