Description

TQ 2980 SE CITY OF WESTMINSTER PALL MALL, SW1
82/66 (south side)
5.2.70 No. 104: The Reform
Club
G.V. I
Gentlemen's Club, 1837-41 by Charles Barry. Portland stone ashlar, with
rusticated quoins, low pitched tiled roof. The mature accomplishment of
Barry's palazzo style first introduced by him at the Travellers' Club next
door. 2 main storeys and attic storey, on podium-basement. 9 windows wide
with 8-window west return and garden elevation repeating entrance front.
Central entrance, approached by flight of steps, has tall, Peruzzi-inspired
Roman doorway with eared architrave and carved jambs, rich double consoles
supporting dentilled and modillioned cornice-hood. Recessed original
casement windows, those on ground floor in architraves rising from
pedestal-course with console-flanked apron panels below and consoled
cornices above; the 1st floor windows treated as Ionic columned and
pedimented aedicules also rising from pedestal-course with shallow, console
bracketed balustered balconettes, their bases as forward breaks in the
ground floor cornice; architraved attic casements with sills breaking from
sill course; the whole front finished off with a finely carved great Roman
eaves cornice carried all the way round. Tall panelled chimney stacks with
bracketed cornices. Stone balustrade to area raised on rusticated plinth
with 2 iron lampstandards surmounting the dies flanking steps. To left is
a slightly recessed 2 storey, 1-window wide extension with rusticated
semicircular arched doorway and 1st floor balustrade to set back 1st floor.
The grand club interior also conceived in the Italian manner, organised
about a central almost square saloon "cortile" with coved glazed roof, the
ambulatories on both floors screened by a 2 storey peristyle with
Corinthian yellow marble columns above Ionic ground floor ones; Italian
Renaissance staircase rising between solid walls to return in 2 flights;
magnificent library behind the garden front divided into 3 sections by
columns; morning room with half-size copy of the Parthenon frieze;
splendidly rich colour scheme; much of original furniture as designed by
Barry etc. (Loose items of furniture not covered by listing.) Following the Travellers'
Club, a most influential design.
Survey of London; Vol. XXIX.

Listing NGR: TQ2963780274

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Reform Club at Wikipedia
• Reform Club official website
• Wikidata Q962177

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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