salamandraga (salamandraga) wrote in little_details,
salamandraga
salamandraga
little_details

19th century gentlemen's clubs

I'm trying to find information on how gentlemen's clubs operated. The info I've put together concerns mostly who was a member and what gentlemen did at their clubs, but I can't find anything about the mundane operations of the clubs themselves. Here are my unanswered questions:

1- What sort of staff would be on hand?

2- What would happen if a non-member walked into the place?

3- Could a non-member simply walk through the door or would there be doormen outside of the place ensuring that this didn't happen?

4- How would a club member receive his mail - would he sign for it or would a servant accept it for him?

5- Who was actually in charge of running the place? I'm assuming that there would be a steward or concierge or maitre' d' overseeing the place on a day to day basis. 

The search terms I used lead me mostly to the sort of thing I found on Wikipedia or job postings at clubs or info on strip clubs. I've got a copy of What Jane Austen Ate and Charles DIckens Knew but it doesn't mention anything at all about clubs.

Search terms - 19th century gentlemen's clubs, gentlemen's club operations, private club operations, private club staff
Tags: 1800s (no decades given), uk: nobility, ~male friends
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