University Women's Club

Spear’s Review

University Women’s Club was founded in 1883 in New Bond Street by the Cambridge-educated Gertrude Jackson, who attended Girton, the institution’s first women’s college. Women of achievement and distinction have been using it as an unfussy London base ever since.

Jackson wanted to create a salon for women in education, a place to socialise away from home and their husbands. Eventually the numbers expanded sufficiently to necessitate a move to 2 Audley Square in 1921, where it has been permanently seated as a hub for poetry, music and film nights, and the diverse range of events that take place today. 

Men are welcome to the club as guests, and women who apply for membership don’t need a university degree – they can be from any background or profession.

What sets it apart from other women’s clubs in the City is the egalitarian and collaborative approach it has towards members’ autonomy and decision-making – they help set the club rates, shape its strategy and oversee the accounts.