East India Club - Club House

Club House

The East India Club club house is situated on the west side of St. James's Square, London SW1.

The first occupant of the house was Thomas Jermyn, 2nd Baron Jermyn (?1670-1676). He passed the house on to Robert Villiers, 3rd Viscount Purbeck, who occupied the house for two years (1676–1678). After Viscount Purbeck, a Swedish Ambassador occupied the house, followed by two successive Earls of Suffolk and the Earl of Romney. The house was then taken over by Sir John Germain, 1st Baronet, the lover and, later, husband of Mary Howard, Duchess of Norfolk. When Sir John died in 1719, he left the house to his second wife, Lady Elizabeth Berkeley, 2nd daughter of the 2nd Earl of Berkeley. She was to occupy the house for no less than 50 years. When Lady Elizabeth died, the house went to George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville. It then became the home of Admiral Vere Beauclerk, 1st Baron Vere and then of his son, Aubrey Beauclerk, 5th Duke of St Albans.

In 1785, George Anson bought No. 16. When he died in 1789, the house was passed on to his son, Thomas Anson, 1st Viscount Anson. In 1804, Viscount Anson sold the house to Edmund Boehm, a successful merchant. Mr and Mrs Boehm were very active socially and hosted many dinner parties. On June 21, 1815, the Prince Regent (later George IV) was the principal guest at the dinner party. He heard the news of the victory at Waterloo at the house, where Major Henry Percy, aide-de-camp to the Duke of Wellington, presented the Prince Regent with four captured French eagles and Wellington’s victory despatch.

When Edmund Boehm was declared bankrupt, Robert Vyner became the owner of No. 16. In 1825, Mr Vyner sold the house to the Marquess of Clanricarde. During Lord Clanricarde's tenancy, he let the house for a time to the Marquess Wellesley. In 1849, the East India Club Committee signed a lease with Lord Clanricarde. The club bought the house from Lord Clanricarde in 1863.