The members of the men-only Garrick Club in central London have voted to allow women to join for the first time.
The Garrick Club holds a remarkable collection of art works representing the history of the theatre, much of which is displayed throughout the building. There are over 1000 paintings, drawings and sculptures, a fascinating selection of theatrical memorabilia, and thousands of prints.
The Garrick Club is a private members’ club in London, founded in 1831. It is one of the oldest members’ clubs in the world. Its 1,500 members include at least 160 senior legal professionals and members of the judiciary including King’s Counsel (KCs), Supreme Court and Court of Appeals judges, at least 10 serving members of parliament (MPs) and dozens of members of the House of Lords, many heads of public institutions alongside many actors, members of the arts, and businessmen.
The Garrick was a gentlemen’s club with membership restricted exclusively to men. However, in May 2024 the club voted to allow women to be members.
New candidates must be proposed by an existing member and seconded by another member, before supporting signatures are collected from members and the prospective member goes in front of a series of committees followed by a secret vote on membership. According to the club website, the original assurance of the committee is “that it would be better that ten unobjectionable men should be excluded than one terrible bore should be admitted”.
In May 2024, the club voted to accept women as members for the first time.
The exclusion of women from membership generated disagreement within the club and criticism from wider society, especially as many figures were seen as members of the British establishment, or cultural elite; this criticism increased after a membership list was published in March 2024.
The 193-year-old club’s membership remains a closely guarded secret, but the Guardian newspaper revealed in March that it included about 1,500 men, mostly prominent members of Britain’s establishment.
The report fuelled anger that so many influential men – from King Charles to actor Benedict Cumberbatch – had joined a club that continued to ban women.
On Tuesday evening, amid a bitter dispute over the issue, members met to review the legal wording around the club’s constitution and said there was nothing to prevent women from joining.
About 60 percent of members then voted to allow women to join, according to the BBC and the Guardian.
The last vote on admitting women took place in 2015 and failed narrowly.
Tuesday’s decision was generally welcomed although the Right to Equality campaign group expressed disappointment that it rested “on a legal technicality rather than representing a profound desire by members to associate with women”.
The Garrick, in Covent Garden, was founded in 1831 for actors and “men of refinement and education”. It was one of the last private members’ clubs in London not to allow women to join.
After the membership list was revealed, some members resigned, including spy chief Richard Moore and the head of the Civil Service, Simon Case.
Source: Al-Jazeera