Visited by Paul Doust and Prasit Jangkamol, December 2019
The Lansdowne Club was founded in 1935, and has always welcomed men and women on an equal basis. Since the club dates from the 1930’s, a lot of the club is decorated in an elegant Art Deco style, including the main bar and the gourmet dining room on the 2nd floor. The dining room has an interesting wine list, but unlike some London clubs which have very good value wine lists, the cost of decent wine here was much the same as in nearby restaurants. But the club has extensive gym and sports facilities, including a large swimming pool in the basement, 3 squash courts, a billiards room, and a salle d’armes for fencing. The club has always had a relatively young membership with an active social scene, and a list of all the club’s upcoming events can be found on its website. Accommodation and meeting rooms are also available, however apart from breakfast for people using the accommodation, a lot of the food and beverage facilities are closed at weekends. In the dining room men are required to wear a jacket with a collared shirt, but elsewhere in the club the dress code is smart casual. Just before Covid, we visited the club a few times in the run up to Christmas 2019, and found it very welcoming.
