You can find me in da club...
Fifth-week blues getting you down? Feeling cramped in your room, piled high with stacks of unread texts? Sick of the going to the college bar for a pint cheek-by-jowl with hefty rugger buggers? Do you long for palatial comfort and gourmet cuisine in elegant surroundings?
Then don't gawp eagerly at the door of your college's SCR. Instead, look in another direction: the Oxford and Cambridge Club in London- a hop, skip, and jump away on the Oxford Tube. Founded in 1821 as the United University Club, it exists for the use of its members, who can be anyone currently reading for, or have graduated with, a degree from either of the two universities. Under-21s pay £157 for membership - excellent value for money, considering that most London clubs charge much more for fewer events and less well-kept premises. In many cases, such as at the Lansdowne in Mayfair, a joining fee of at least £200 is added. But not at the Oxford and Cambridge; rates are bracketed according to age, and whether or not you reside in London post-graduation.
So what do you get for your £157? You can start the evening with a drink in the curiously-named Morning Room, the members' bar that stays open until late. Relaxing in the leather chairs, you can chat to fellow members, who, true to the spirit of what clubs are all about, enjoy meeting new people. It's certainly an interesting alternative to going to a nightclub or the Purple Turtle. The brave and adventurous can dine in the Club Table, the central gathering-point in the Coffee Room, where discussion is as learned, witty, and free-flowing as that in college at High Table. One day you might speak of the British Party system with a professor, another on the 'culture' of EastEnders with a journalist.
Meanwhile, English and French dishes are served, ranging from traditional roast beef and Dover sole to daily specials such as confit de canard or fresh seafood. The average price of a meal is about £15-20 - not bad for an evening out in London. Move over, Terence Conran - club cuisine is more filling and service is better. And you don't have surly waiters hovering over you while you fumble for change for the tip. There is a fixed amount of £1.50 (quaintly termed 'table money') that is added to the bill, however much you eat.
What makes the Oxford and Cambridge unique is its blend of history and awareness of the needs of today's members. Entering the impressive, red-carpeted hall, you feel transported to an earlier age, one of gaslight and waistcoats. But this is a club very much in the present day. It admits women as full members- a phenomenon generally taken for granted, but many 'Gentleman's Clubs' in St James' Street and Pall Mall, the area known as London's Clubland, still do not take on women. The East India has a strict male-only rule, and the Savile's website specifically refers to 'gentleman' members. Meanwhile, the Carlton, although it allows women in as 'lady associates,' does not confer eligibility for places on committee or entrance to certain rooms.
So how do you join? It isn't difficult. Technically, you need a proposer and a seconder, who must be current members. But if you contact the Club, they will most likely invite you to attend an event to meet some Committee members. Your name is posted on the 'list for election', and after about a month, you are contacted again with full membership details. I'll see you at the Club!
19th Feb 2004