London Connections

The Peak takes a look at four of the latest private members’ clubs in London, all offering fine drinking and dining, topnotch décor and a convivial atmosphere.

- Victoria Burrows

Once upon a time, that quintessentially British institution of the private members’ club was a place where men could escape their wives, drink prodigiously, and talk business over endless rounds of oysters, pheasant and Eton mess. Dress codes were strict, and the door policy even stricter. But Britain’s new members’ clubs are a much more progressive affair. While they still have an air of exclusivity and offer an environment sympathetic to over-indulging, the latest incarnations, especially in London, have attitudes as informal as their dress codes.

Along with informality, they are also much more inclusive.

“People join clubs now not to hide from the hoi polloi, but to broaden their networks, meet people from different backgrounds, change their perspectives, and build broader social and professional communities. At least, that’s the dream!” says Jackson Boxer, one of the UK’s star chefs who helms the culinary team at new private members’ club Chess Club in Mayfair, London. “It’s about diversity and inclusivity.”

Members’ clubs also offer an alternative working space for the growing number of people globally who work freelance. They get these freelancers out of the house – or hotel, if they’re travelling on business – into “a more social sphere, where you have all your needs catered to”, says Jeremy Lee, chef proprietor at Quo Vadis in London’s Soho district. “At night, they are places that are open late where you can eat your favourite food, drink your favourite drinks, and enjoy the company of people you’ve got to know and love.”