Athenaeum Club, London

The Athenaeum is a private members' club in London, founded in 1824. It has admitted women since 2002. It is primarily a club for men and women with intellectual interests, and particularly (but not exclusively) for those who have attained some distinction in science, engineering, literature or the arts.

The impressive clubhouse (at 107 Pall Mall at the corner of Waterloo Place) was designed by Decimus Burton in the Neoclassical style with a Doric portico, above which is a statue of the classical goddess of wisdom, Athena, from whom the Club derives its name. The bas-relief frieze is a copy of the frieze of the Parthenon in Athens.

The club's facilities include an extensive library, a dining room known as the Coffee Room, a Morning Room, a Drawing Room on the first floor, a newly restored Smoking Room, where smoking is not permitted, and a suite of bedrooms.

The Athenaeum was founded in 1824 at the instigation of John Wilson Croker, then Secretary to the Admiralty, who was largely responsible for the organisation and early development of the Club. In March 1823 he had written to Sir Humphry Davy, who was a personal friend and also at that time the president of the Royal Society, proposing the foundation of a club "for Literary and Scientific men and followers of the Fine Arts". A Committee was formed, the names being proposed by Croker, who wrote that "all depends on having a Committee with a great many good names and a few working hands".

The first meeting was held on 16 February 1824, when fourteen men were present, and a small sub-committee was appointed with full powers to do what was necessary to get the club started. It was resolved that there should be 400 members, of whom 300 were to be appointed by the Committee and the remainder elected by ballot. This first committee also included Sir Thomas Lawrence (who designed the club seal with the head of Athene), Francis Chantrey and Viscount Palmerston. Sir Humphry Davy became the first Chairman of the club and Michael Faraday the first secretary, though he soon found that he could not spare the time required and resigned, though he remained as a member of the club.The total number of members was increased to 1,000 by December 1824.

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