A great club! Charming library, great service, and good food. Can be quite busy at times.
Full name: Oxford and Cambridge Club
Location: 71-77 Pall Mall, London SW1
Type: University club. Exclusive, non-commercial private members’ club
Formed: 1830
Membership requirements: Proposed and seconded by at least two current members. Must have a connection to either Oxford or Cambridge Universities.
Membership requirements: Proposed and seconded by at least two current members. Must have a connection to either Oxford or Cambridge Universities.
The Oxford and Cambridge Club, as the name indicates, is a traditional gentlemen’s club primarily for former Oxbridge students, though people holding honorary degrees and members of an Oxbridge college or hall may also be admitted. Due to a merger with the United University Club in the early ’70s—which had, for a brief time in what we can only imagine was a deep state of desperation, admitted students from other selected universities—there are even a few non-Oxbridge members.
The Oxford and Cambridge is an exceptionally handsome club, the building having been designed for the club by the famed Sir Robert Smirke. The library is one of the best in clubland, consisting of more than 24,000 volumes. The library, which spans several rooms, is charmingly decorated with red leather upholstered chairs and heavy walnut tables.
Unlike many Tier 1 and Tier 2 clubs, the Oxford and Cambridge is open both on weekdays and weekends. The Queen allows female members, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark being the first Honorary Lady Member.
The club has 42 bedrooms of assorted sizes and décor. The main restaurant serves some of the best food in clubland, and the service—though formal—is impeccable. There is a Club Table for those members dining alone.
The club has a close link with the National Liberal Club. Gladstone was an active member of the Oxford and Cambridge in its early years—sitting on the general committee when the current clubhouse was built. He resigned his membership when the idea of a new National Liberal Club was born, but even today the two clubs have reciprocal arrangements allowing members of the Oxford and Cambridge to use the NLC’s spectacular clubhouse in Whitehall Place—including the balcony overlooking the Thames—during the weekdays, while members of the NLC may use the Oxford and Cambridge clubhouse on weekends.
