In the beginning was The Chap, a magazine that remains required reading for people who despair of the vulgarity of modern life and long wistfully for a more elegant and languid world, who idolise David Niven and Terry-Thomas and always wear a tie, even when shaving (with a straight razor, of course). The editors of that magazine founded the original Sheridan Club. This was, in its dreams, a gentleman's club in the traditional sense—a huge, ancient, crumbling building filled with cigar smoke, stuffed leather armchairs and obsequious stewards bearing tumblers of whisky on trays. In practice, it was a monthly social gathering in an upstairs room in a pub.

From this developed the online manifestation of the Sheridan Club, a highly sophisticated and much-visited chat room (or Chap Room, inevitably). As like-minded folk began to exchange good-natured badinage via this site, they naturally decided they would like to meet one another in the flesh, spawning a growing number of ad hoc social gatherings, jaunts, wheezes and days out.

Then, in 2006, the original Sheridan Club closed its doors. Which is where we stepped in. The New Sheridan Club Committee* are four fellows who had come to know each other both through official Chap events and through unofficial meetings organised via the chat room. We knew how much the habitués of the Chappist demi monde would miss the monthly meetings, so we offered to take on the organisation of those, plus other events throughout the year. You will find these listed on the Events page, along with other goings on, organised by third parties, which we think might interest types drawn to This Sort of Thing. We also aim to include a round-up of forthcoming events arranged by visitors to the Sheridan Club chat room, since the popularity of this site can mean that threads proposing activities are sometimes hidden amongst all the chatter.

* "Glorious Committee for Life", to give our full official title.