Garrick Club
The Garrick Club is a gentlemen's 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.
| Named after | David Garrick |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1831 |
| Founders | James Winston Samuel James Arnold Samuel Beazley General Sir Andrew Barnard |
| Founded at | Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London |
| Type | Gentlemen's club |
| Location |
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| Coordinates | 51.511488°N 0.126327°W |
Membership | 1,500 |
Official language | English |
| Affiliations | The arts, especially theatre |
| Website | www |
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".
The Garrick is one of several members' clubs in London where women are not accepted as members, which has generated both internal disagreement within the club as well as criticism from wider society.