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The Bath and County Club is a private members' club, established in 1858 and situated at Queen's Parade in Bath, Somerset. It offers members the traditional club facilities including a licensed bar, lounge and library, together with several rooms for dining and entertaining. The Club holds regular lunches, dinners and events for members and their guests, and "prides itself on its high standards of cuisine, its wine cellar and its reasonable prices". Its rooms are available for hire. Members also enjoy reciprocal arrangements with a wide range of clubs around the world. New members are welcome.
History
The club was established on 14 April 1858, after demand had been expressed in the city for a club which would be modelled on the style of existing London gentlemen's clubs such as White's and Boodles.
There were pre-existing members' clubs in Bath including the York Club (established 1790 at the York House Hotel) and the New Club (established 1832 at 5 Edgar Buildings). The York Club was absorbed into the new Bath and County Club in 1858. By 1861 the New Club had also merged with the Bath and County Club.
The Bath and County Club opened with 165 members in September 1858. A large house at 21 Queen Square, Bath was leased as its headquarters and furnished using the fittings from the defunct York Club. Its membership was drawn from the many retired and serving army officers living in and around the city, as well as the professional classes, politicians, MPs and landed gentry.
In the 1870s the Club extended its accommodation by acquiring a 75-year lease on 21 and 22 Queen Square, as well as the entire block of buildings behind, facing Queen's Parade and Queen's Parade Place.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries the Bath and County Club was famous for its lavish annual Balls, usually held in April to close the Bath season, and which took place in the Upper Rooms or Bath Assembly Rooms. This followed on from a tradition established by the York Club. Attendees often numbered around 700, dressed splendidly to enjoy the fantastical decorations, sumptuous catering and dancing which went on until dawn.
In 1978, the members agreed to sell 21 and 22 Queen Square, together with the club's Victorian library on the west side of the Square, and to consolidate in the club's premises facing Queen's Parade. This is where it remains today.
References
- https://www.bathandcountyclub.com/
- Bath and County Club promotional leaflet
- A History of the Bath and County Club 1858-1983, F R Stephen, 1983
- The History of the Bath and County Club 1858-1922, Cdr A H B Day RN, 1962
- A History of the Bath and County Club 1858-1983, F R Stephen, 1983
- A Footnote to the History of the Bath and County Club, F R Stephen, 1988
- The History of the Bath and County Club 1858-1922, Cdr A H B Day RN, 1962
- A History of the Bath and County Club 1858-1983, F R Stephen, 1983
- Bath Chronicle, 28 April 1870
- A History of the Bath and County Club 1858-1983, F R Stephen, 1983