A new document has emerged showing that the prolific English novelist and short-story writer Beatrice Kean Seymour, born in Clapham into a working-class family, spoke at the Whitefriars’ 1930 Christmas Banquet at the Trocadero.
Read more
In 1897, the twenty-five-year American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar travelled to England for a literary tour. He recited his works on the London circuit – and, what was not known before, visited the Whitefriars Club.
Read more
Widely considered the father of science fiction, H.G. Wells (1866–1946) was an innovative and prolific writer across many genres. His most famous works – such as The Time Machine, The Invisible Man and The War of the Worlds – are considered modern classics.
Wells spoke at the Whitefriars Club on 31st January 1902 on the topic of ‘The Twenty-First Century’. He became a White Friar, and attended the dinner on 17th March 1905, taking part in the discussion. He was Prior of the Day on 8th November 1907, when the club guest was Sir Oliver Lodge.
