When Clubland goes to war

The gentlemen's club is one of Britain's great institutions - both in peace and during times of conflict - and its influence spread far beyond its traditional London heartland

- Robin Ashcroft

CONSTANT OF British adventure stories are Establishment types settled into deep leather armchairs - invariably cradling a whisky - engaged in discreet but clearly serious discussions. From Phileas Fogg in the Reform Club to James Bond with M at the latter's fictitious club Blades, being clubbable is a given for a British hero in the traditional mould.

The gentlemen's club was essentially a product of Empire and, while no longer a solely British institution, its spiritual home lies within a relatively small area around St James's and Mayfair in London. Those founded in the 18th century were unashamedly aristocratic; they were a home from home away from one's estate and often the venue for playing cards for considerable stakes in private. Those that emerged in the 19th century tended towards art, politics, sports, the Forces and for those home on leave from the Empire.