Garrick, the Men-Only London Club, Votes to Accept Female Members

Europe|Garrick Club of London Votes to Accept Female Members for First Time

One of London’s oldest, astir celebrated men’s clubs, the Garrick, voted connected Tuesday to admit women arsenic members, according to 2 members. The ballot ended a decades-long quality that had divided the club, generated aggregate conflicting ineligible arguments and made beingness acutely awkward for immoderate of its astir salient members.

The ballot — by a borderline of astir 60 percent to 40 percent, according to the 2 members — volition unfastened rank to women for the archetypal clip since the club’s founding successful 1831. Some members had said they planned to swiftly nominate a slate of salient women, including the histrion Judi Dench and the classics student Mary Beard.

The determination came aft the latest circular of debate, occasionally bitter, which pitted a set of committed campaigners against mostly older members, galore of whom had lamented that admitting women would everlastingly alteration the quality of the Garrick, a bastion of the British establishment.

The nine did not remark connected the meeting, which lasted astir 2 hours, oregon the results of the vote, and the members asked not to beryllium identified due to the fact that they had been asked not to sermon it. They said the statement had been civil, and the vote, which was conducted electronically, had been conducted briskly.

The Garrick has agelong welcomed women arsenic guests, including astatine a communal array successful the majestic eating country successful the club’s imposing gathering successful Covent Garden. However, women were barred from the members’ lounge, known arsenic Under the Stairs, wherever men stitchery aft meal to fume and drink.

While the Garrick is not the lone male-only nine successful London, it is easy the astir star-studded, with a rank roster that includes the actors Brian Cox, Benedict Cumberbatch and Stephen Fry; the musicians Sting and Mark Knopfler; the BBC satellite affairs exertion John Simpson; and Oliver Dowden, Britain’s lawman premier minister. King Charles III is an honorary member.