Guide Club
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Formation | 1948 |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | 1976 |
| Type | Private members' club |
| Headquarters | 46 Belgrave Square, London |
| Location |
|
| Membership | 1,000 (min.) |
| Owner | Girl Guides Association |
The Guide Club was a London-based private members' club run by the Girl Guide Association (GGA) between 1948 and 1976.[1] Its purpose was to provide accommodation and a place to meet for Guide leaders coming from outside the capital.[2][3]
The idea of a club for Girl Guiding's adult members was initiated by Lady Clarendon and Rosa Ward, the Guide International Service (GIS) chair.[4] In March 1947 a venue was chosen, and 46 Belgrave Square[5] – only "seven minutes' walk from Guide headquarters" on Buckingham Palace Road[6] – was leased for the purpose, using a £9,000 loan from GIS funds.[7]
The building had been badly damaged during the war.[8][9] Seven members of the GIS, who had returned from service in continental Europe, lodged "in great discomfort" in the building's stable[10] while they worked to "bring it up to Grosvenor Estate post-war standards".[11] GIS volunteer Mollie Walter became the club's first housekeeper.[12] By November 1947, the building was converted into accommodation for up to 30 people in single, double and shared rooms covering around 10,000 sq ft.[13] The building included "intercommunicating mews and a four-car garage".[14]
In the run-up to the opening, there was a big push among the Guiding community to collect donated and loaned furniture and decorations. HRH Princess Elizabeth donated money which was used to purchase a chandelier.[15] £10,000 was allocated from the Chief's Memorial Fund to go towards furniture and equipment.[16] The Guide Club opened on 2 November 1948, with the first reviews published in the January 1949 edition of The Guider magazine.[17][18]
The club's facilities included "all the amenities of a West End club"[19] including reception rooms, a writing room, an information bureau, a dining room, a snack bar and a bar. In 1956 the club added televisions[20] and in 1960 hot and cold running water was installed in some bedrooms.[21] A lift was installed in 1961.[22] Membership included access to Belgrave Square's garden and tennis court.[23]
Membership
Initially the following people were eligible to join The Guide Club:[24]
- Active commissioners and Guiders throughout the Empire
- Ex-Guider members of the Trefoil Guild[25]
- GGA council members
- GGA executive committee and sub-committee members
The initial joining fee was £3 3s and the annual subscription was £2 2s (£3 3s for those living within 50 miles of the club). Members were allowed to stay for a maximum of seven consecutive nights for a total maximum of 28 nights per year.[26] In an effort to attract more members, the joining fee was suspended between June and October 1949.[27] In 1950 the joining fee was reduced to £2 2s, and the distance from the club recalibrated to 25 miles.[28]
The initial goal was 1,000 members. This was achieved in 1950, including 64 overseas members. The goal was then increased to 1,500.[29] In 1952 membership was extended to all members of the movement over the age of 18, including Cadets, Rangers and Guides,[30] which became a Junior Membership in the following year, available for a reduced price.[31] By 1954, membership was extended to anyone with a present or past connection to the movement.[32] In 1958 membership stood at 1,100[33] and by 1961 it was 1,417[34] with 30 countries represented in overseas memberships.[35] By the time the club closed membership stood at around 1,200.[36]
Committee
The club's first committee comprised Lady Oaksey (chair), Lady Clarendon (vice-chair), Dame Joan Marsham (hon. treasurer)[37] and G E Maynard (resident secretary).[38] The club's first AGM was held on 31 March 1954 with Marsham as chair and Lady Cochrane present as her successor. It was reported that 1953 was the club's first financially successful year.[39]
Royal visits
Queen Elizabeth paid an "informal visit" to the club on 1 March 1949.[40] She was received by the committee together with Lady Baden-Powell and chief commissioner, Lady Finola Somers.[41] At the time of her visit the club was hosting members from Tristan da Cunha, Barbados, India, Pakistan, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ceylon, Hong Kong, Sierra Leone and Norway.[42]
Mary, Princess Royal visited on "several occasions" in the club's early years[43][44][45] In 1958, on the club's tenth anniversary, the Princess Royal became its president[46] would attend the club's AGM.[47]
