Charming clubhouse. Members come from a very mixed range of professions and backgrounds, making the In & Out a very enjoyable place to socialise.
Full name: The Naval and Military Club
Location: 4 St James’s Square, London SW1
Type: Originally a military club, now social. Exclusive, non-commercial private members’ club
Formed: 1862
Membership requirements: Proposed and seconded by at least two current members. Growing waiting list.
The Naval and Military Club is today known almost entirely as the In & Out. The name stems from the old clubhouse in Cambridge House, 94 Piccadilly. That clubhouse still stands and still has the stone gateposts with “IN” and “OUT” painted in bold lettering. However, the club sold that building in 1998 and moved to its present location at 4 St James’s Square.
Despite a somewhat modest façade, the new clubhouse is elegant and impressive. The building was originally erected in 1679 for Anthony, 11th Earl of Kent. Apparently, it was home to Charles de Gaulle’s French exile government during the war and has since served as both a courthouse and the home of the Arts Council of Great Britain. The club purchased the building in 1996.
The club started life in 1862 as a general service club, and the military traditions are visible everywhere you go in the clubhouse. However, the club has changed character over the last 50 years. The Albemarle—Oscar Wilde’s old club—joined the In & Out in 1939 and, during the 1960s, a number of ladies’ clubs were absorbed, including the Ladies’ Carlton and the Cowdray Club. As a result, and much unlike many other conservative clubs, women have been part of the In & Out for a considerable time.
The 1960s and ’70s also saw the absorption of the Constitutional and several other smaller civilian clubs. Today, despite proudly displaying its military heritage, the club does not feel like a military club.
Some clubs, like The Canning Club and The Norwegian Club, have opted for a looser arrangement to share the clubhouse rather than amalgamation. These clubs add to the unique blend that is the In & Out – there is a Canning Room and a King Harald V Room, both shared by all the amalgamated clubs and members as one happy family.
The clubhouse, unlike most of the smaller clubs in the St James’s area, benefits from a squash court, a small gym, and a swimming pool.
It is a very enjoyable and friendly club. The courtyard is a wonderful place to sit and relax in the summers. Today, the club has a growing waiting list. Members must be proposed and seconded by at least two current members.
I stayed here as a reciprocal member (NLC) recently. Excellent accommodation and a friendly feeling about the club, where members and reciprocal members talk to each other, in a decidedly non stuffy atmosphere. The Long Bar is a particularly warm and clubbish place. I will be back when next in London.
Two excellent clubs!
Sadly the In & Out is no longer a reciprocal club with the NLC. I shall miss my weekend stays there, which always began with a pint of their excellent In & Out ale in the main bar.
Thanks for the update. What a shame. The number of members at the In&Out has grown rapidly. Perhaps it is related to that.
On the positive side, the NLC has one of the most impressive list of reciprocal clubs in all of clubland!