To many Fielders, Mayfair’s Savile Club will be familiar as the venue for the annual delight that is the Macnab Dinner. However, even those whose exploits with rod and gun have seen them elevated to the piscatorial peerage by grassing a salmon as part of the hat-trick may be unaware of the lodger upstairs. Tucked away above the sumptuous Savile is probably the best-kept secret in clubland. A venerable institution, tracing its origins back to 1884, the Flyfishers’ Club is thriving in its latest (and permanent) home on the aptly named Brook Street.
When I was invited there for dinner as the guest of flyfisher Charles Dring, I arrived a little early. Their attentive steward showed me in and brought me a welcome whisky and soda while I meandered, agog, among the sort of angling ephemera that not only charts the history of the sport but also forms the most exquisite display across several rooms. From the wondrous and vibrant cases of gut-eye salmon irons in the hallway through to a creel that reputedly belonged to Izaak Walton, this temple to trout and salmon is a living, breathing collective of disciples whose shared love for the sport has generated a country-house atmosphere in the heart of Mayfair, embellished with the fruits of their enquiring minds and restless pens.
The club boasts a library of around 3,000 angling titles, many of which were penned by past members and often dedicated to the club. All the greats are here – Halford, Skues, Kite, Falkus, to name a few – and all were members of this hallowed fraternity.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 2021-Ausgabe von The Field.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 2021-Ausgabe von The Field.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Helping hot dogs chill out
From cool coats to clippers, there are a whole host of ways to keep your canine companion comfortable as the summer heat intensifies, says David Tomlinson
Art in the field
Sculpting his wild subjects from life, Fred Gordon is breaking new ground in bronze, says Janet Menzies
How to canapé
A summer celebration is nothing without these tiny works of art. Devised by the country's best canapé cooks, they are just the thing to make your party swing
Ginger-beer childhoods
Summer holidays filled with outdoor adventures are the perfect way to foster a love of the countryside and a lifetime enthusiasm for the field
Glamour, intelligence and drive as standard
Retrieving birds with pace, energy and undeniable elan, these sporting poodles are winning over even traditional gundog breed enthusiasts
The cycle begins
Though it may lie forgotten for much of the year, the kennel bicycle is indispensable in summer when hound exercise gets under way
Turning the tide on the Tyne
The industrial age brought prosperity to Newcastle but at great cost to the Tyne and its salmon. Today its waters are a haven for fish and anglers alike
En garde: a guide to fencing
Not just a clash of swords and some fancy footwork, this ancient sport is an art form that demands agility, discipline and control
Who was Baron Pierre de Coubertin?
It was a diminutive, 19th-century French aristocrat, Baron Pierre de Coubertin (pictured, left), who came up with the idea of reviving the Olympic Games while studying in Paris. He was a sporting sort himself, and had also long despaired of what he perceived as French degeneracy; his country had been humiliated by the loss of the Franco-Prussian War and he attributed this to his countrymen's lack of moral fibre.
A gold-medal guide to Olympic shooting
Everything you need to know, from history, disciplines, rules and regulations to the British sportsmen and women striving for glory
