George Gissing, the celebrated author of the novel New Grub Street, which satirizes the literary and journalistic world of 1880s London, attended the 20th April 1900 Dinner as a guest of Friar Edward Clodd.
On 16th June 1899, more than twenty-five years from his first visit, the celebrated humorist Mark Twain returned to the Whitefriars Club.
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This is a selection of some of our most recent events. A complete list of our past events is available here. If you are a member of the club, you can also read the reports and articles from the Whitefriars Journal (for the years 1900–23) and The Whitefriar (2001 onwards) by clicking here.
29th October 2025
The Sir Jeremy Hunt Dinner was a perfect Whitefriars evening – marked by great conviviality, a wonderful speaker and a brilliant atmosphere all round. The Ballroom was full to capacity: we broke our attendance record by a large margin and welcomed fi…
24th September 2025
We started the new season on a real high with an engaging, riveting talk by Dominic Grieve KC, the former Conservative politician and Attorney General. This was another quintessential Whitefriars triumph – a sell-out dinner with excellent food, great…
25th June 2025
On a glorious afternoon of late June, the Friars turned Pilgrims and made their way to Stratford Place for a visit to the Oriental Club, one of the most prestigious clubland institutions, founded in 1824. Meeting time was 16:00, with a much-needed we…
28th May 2025
A one-minute silence was observed before dinner in memory of Friar Richard Model and Friar Ivan Elliott. A short tribute to the late Friar Ivan Elliott was read by Friar Colin Smythe. Following a wonderful dinner in the drawing room of the Saville Cl…
30th April 2025
On this rather warm spring evening, the Friars and their guests enjoyed a generous three-course dinner served in the Drawing Room of the Savile Club, followed by a speech by Quentin Letts. The Savile kitchens served chef’s specials – springtime lamb…
23rd April 2025
On the 23rd of April 2025 we ventured south of the river to the Globe Theatre complex to honour William Shakespeare in his playhouse on his birthday. We gathered at the Swan Restaurant’s Balcony Room (but not that balcony) overlooking the Thames and…
