b'THE CARNEGIE CLUBOpposite: several historic clubs gained a reputation for excessive gambling and illicit activitics. This page: modern-day clubs enjoy a much more diverse membership pro lean outward air of dignified respectability,Mycroft was a founding member of theHereditary Clubs are being supplanted by with membership bestowing a certain statusDiogenes Club; in Ian Flemings Bond novels,a more egalitarian system of membership. on an individual, confirming (in varyingM is a member of Blades (modelled in part,While traditional Clubs, in gathering measure) their elevated social standing,it is said, on Flemings own club, Boodles);together individuals of the same class economic privilege and good character.and in PG Wodehouses Jeeves and Woosterand political persuasion, curated largely By the turn of the 20th century, the Clubstories, Old Etonian Bertie Wooster belongedhomogenous groups of individuals, modern was firmly ingrained as part of London lifeto the Drones Club, while his valet Jeeves wasClubs tend to have a much more diverse and so it is unsurprising it found itselfa member of the Junior Ganymedethe clubmembership profile. immortalised in works of literature: it is atfor gentlemens personal gentlemen.Many of the Clubs to open in London the Reform Club that Phileas Fogg acceptsDespite their pedigree, as the 21stin recent years are targeted at people who the bet to traverse the globe in Jules Vernescentury approached, some began to thinktraditionally were excluded from Club life: Around the World in Eighty Days. Perhapsof the Club as a relic of a bygone era. Butfor example, Soho House, Annabels and to avoid offending members and provokingLondons Clubs have always been willing andQuo Vadis encourage younger members with a scandal, though, many of the Clubs thatable to adapt to changes in society, and overtiered fees based on age; AllBright and 1 9 appeared in print were fictional: in Arthurthe past few decades the London Club scenesoon-to-open The Wing are women-only; Conan Doyles Sherlock Holmes mysteries,has undergone a seismic shift in response.and The Conduit actively works to promote economic diversity among the membership with discounted fees for those working in the not-for-profit and social enterprise sectors. The Carnegie Club is a relatively new Club in terms of its ageit will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2020. Being residential, it harks back to those early Clubs that offered members a home-from-home experience. Despite the historic surroundings, though, the Club prides itself on its modern attitude. The key factor for admittance is not who your grandfather was, the school you went to or the line of work that you are in: rather, it is about your character, conviviality and ability to make interesting conversation over dinner. Clubs are something of a dichotomy. By definition, they are exclusive: they exclude. For those inside, however, they foster an intense sense of inclusivity, community and pridemembers dont say the Club I belong to, they say, my Club. It is this sense of ownershipand affectionthat has made the Club an integral part of British culture for centuries, and will undoubtedly continue to be so for many years to come. '