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big increase in the number of week- end events which the club now hosts. There’s a range of entertaining facilities stretching from the top secret Cabinet Room, which is accessed through a hid- den door in the panelling off the main dining room, to the grandeur of the Library, which covers one whole side of the building on the fi rst fl oor and com- fortably seats 120 for dinner. One of the most surprising aspects of the club is the fact that it has large private gardens (which are shared with the Travellers’ Club next door) in the heart of Carlton Gardens, so Reform Club members can enjoy alfresco dining under some of the fi nest London plane trees still standing.


A palace of all the pleasures An organisation like the Reform Club is not just about hospitality. It provides sustenance of other kinds and the twin glories of the Reform are its magnifi cent collection of books and its unrivalled range of societies. The Library was established by


Panizzi who became principal librarian to the British Museum. From the start it was designed to be a world-class collection with a focus on 19th century literature, politics and political reform. Today it houses 75,000 volumes.


ISSUE 3 2014 © cybertrek 2014


(Top left) The dining rooms overlook the private gardens (top right). The atrium houses portraits and busts of the ‘reformers’


The societies range from bridge and


drawing through economics to Cryptos – which specialises in military history. It’s a club which offers scope and stimula- tion for all interests and the company of like-minded ‘seekers after truth’.


Embracing the future In an uncertain and rapidly changing world, how does an organisation as seemingly traditional and rooted in history as the Reform face up to the challenge of the future? In a word, vision. Ask deputy secretary Ian Kenworthy what is the biggest change in the club this century and he volunteers, “It is totally transformed. The relationship between the staff and the members is completely different today from the way it was when I started working here 22 years ago. “There’s much more of a sense of egalitarianism and a feeling that we’re all part of one community. The staff value the members and the


members value the staff because they’re both working to keep some- thing special alive and vigorous.” The social values and customs of the wider world have changed hugely and the Reform has kept pace with them. Some specifi c developments envisaged over the coming years include the greater use of the club at weekends, and a strategy to ensure it’s used more for family celebrations (rules are relaxed and children are also wel- comed at weekends).


Afternoon tea


Along with the entire London market, the Reform Club is also sensitive to the downward shift in demand for lunch which the capital is experiencing. This is being countered by the rapid growth in demand for afternoon tea and specifi c plans are now in place to take advantage of this trend. The Reform will always be focused on its members and their lifestyle choices. At the same time, it’s sensitive to the demands of new market groups and is catering for a younger and more eclectic clientele. The club – in short – is committed to keeping up with social and commercial trends. And it has also kept a fi rm hold on its magnifi cent palace on Pall Mall. ●


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