London clubs

[HappyStroller]

Is there any cricket club in London, and would it be considered a country or a town club for purpose of dress (i.e., brown or not)?

[Concordia]

I agree that Home House is rather painful though it does have a good chef. As a client I have enjoyed being invited to the private dining rooms there. I toured as a prospective member but it was not for me.

By the look of the website, they reside in the glossiest of clubhouses. Almost Upper East Side opulence.

Do they screen prospective members by the interview/reference process, or rely on the price of admission to do that for them?

[whittaker]

Do they screen prospective members by the interview/reference process, or rely on the price of admission to do that for them?

They accept anyone who can pay the fees.

[storeynicholas]

Hee hee. Exactly. Brevity is the soul (or is it hereabouts 'sole') of wit.
NJS

[sartorius]

Happy Stroller - there are hundreds of cricket clubs in London. At one end of the scale you have the Marylebone Cricket Club (home to Middlesex) at Lords in St John's Wood and the Oval (home to Surrey) in Oval/Vauxhall. Dress in the clubhouse at Lords is a jacket and tie but there are no rules about colour (save for the famous MCC tie which is often described as "bacon and eggs", referring to the colour of the stripes). At the smaller end of the scale most clubs have similar rules although many take a more relaxed approach.

[Luca]

If the purpose is purely 'relaxed' business, my suggestion is that you find a good hotel (Goring, Claridge's, Brown's, Dorchester, that sort of thing..) that's convenient for your clients and / or yourself in terms of location and that you routinely frequent the 'tea' area and the bar. For a fraction of a joining fee, spent on well-aimed tips, you will soon be well known to and revered by the staff. The environments is likely to be plusher (if less exclusive) than a club and the overall dining quality better.

I would advise going a few times by yourself or with a colleague to make sure it's not the sort of place that gets overrun with loud/sloppy tourists or party animals in the evenings. That will also allow you to establish that relationship with the staff. Once you've decided on one-two places, speak to the manager, explaining that you entertain a lot of clients and that you'd like to make their hotel a 'base', etc. Their reaction will tell you if it's worth giving them the business or not.

Not as exclusive as a club but some of the better hostelries are v., v. good and of course not loud.

[storeynicholas]

Luca, I agree with all that you say, except I wouldn't mention anything to the staff - just start going there and they will soon get to know you: They don't care what you're talking about and they all want the custom and the tips and soon you will find that, however crowded it might get, there will always be room for one more table - maybe your 'usual sir?' Reserved.
NJS

[HappyStroller]

Great idea, Luca, about the non-club alternative.

Thank you, Sartorius, for your post on the London cricket clubs. Unfortunately, I'm too old to play the game itself.

Do these clubs have lawn bowls, Sir, or does anyone know about any lawn bowl club in London?

[storeynicholas]

Lawn bowls are frequently found in municipal parks allover the country. There are probably private ones too.
NJS

[manton]

All of the big NY clubs have a similar "No business" rule. It is flouted with impunity, and I have never seen it enforced.

Are things different over there?

[RWS]

I've seen that rule enforced at Union, in New York. But it may be unique.

Luca's suggestion of entertaining at a good restaurant is very sensible. Entertaining at a pseudo-club instead would be embarrassing, and breaking the rule against conducting business in a real clubhouse would be even more so -- even if everyone else seems to breaking it.

[manton]

That would make sense, as the Union is the most "social" and exclusive club in NY.

[storeynicholas]

In London clubs they ban the carrying of cases and papers but they don't (so far as I know) bug conversations.
NJS

[RWS]

The rule and its implementation are similar in the States (at least, in my observation). The incident I witnessed arose when the younger of two men brought -- tried to bring -- a briefcase into the dining room; no great fuss, just a nearly wordless turning away.

[storeynicholas]

Well, exactly. A discreet cough and a wink are all that it takes. I suppose that the rule might derive from the days when club members just did not work, except maybe in the forces or the church or the law. Anyhow, whatever the policy behind ostensibly continuing the 'ban' in the modern age, it is good to have somewhere, from time to time, to escape: everyday cares; Our Dear Wives and the mobile telephone - and just have a good natter and a couple of glasses of something reasonably drinkable.
NJS