A treasury of Clubland nuggets

Our speaker at our monthly meeting on Wednesday was Seth Thévoz, talking about the evolution of London Clubland, from its ad hoc beginnings in the 17th century, through its 19th-century heyday, when the city boasted some 400 clubs—contrasting clubs with salons, the latter ruled over by dictatorial matriarchs, and how the death of the salons led to the rise of women-only clubs—through the decline of the mid-20th century up to what Seth sees as a modern renaissance. Reflecting his latest book, London Clubland: A Companion for the Curious, Seth considered the defining characteristics of a club, the economics of running one and how different models have been popular at different times, the problems likely to stifle a club in its prime and the relative merits of old, established clubs versus thrusting new models. He even treated us to a gallery of typical "characters" one is likely to meet in any club. Many thanks to Seth for a polished and fascinating insight. You can see a video of the full talk at https://youtu.be/tjE_xgyOKgg and you can see more still photos from the evening at https://www.flickr.com/photos/sheridanclub/albums/72177720329124837.