Issue number 88 April 2014 SUMMER CRICKET BLIND TASTING IN THE LIBRARY HAGGIS NIGHTS KING OF OUDH GIFT SUGGESTIONS From TUMBLERS The East India Square tumbler THE secretary’S OFFICE Engraved with club Club directory crest. £18.50 ATTIRE The East India Club Club ties Decanter 16 St James’s Square, London SW1Y 4LH Silk woven tie in club £75 Telephone: 020 7930 1000 colours. £19.50 Fax: 020 7321 0217 Email: [email protected] Web: www.eastindiaclub.co.uk Cut glass tumbler DINING ROOM Breakfast Engraved with club Monday to Friday 6.45am-10am crest. £25.75 Saturday 7.15am-10am Sunday 8am-10am Lunch BOOKS & CDs The East India Club Monday to Friday 12.30pm-2.30pm Club bow ties Sunday (buffet) 12.30pm-2.30pm – A History Tie your own and, (pianist until 4pm) by Charlie Jacoby. for emergencies, An up-to-date look at Saturday sandwich menu available clip on. £19.50 the characters who have Dinner Scarf made up the East India Monday to Saturday 6.30pm-9.30pm Club. £10 Sundays (light supper) 6.30pm-8.30pm £17 Club song Table reservations should be made with the Front Awake! Awake! Desk or the Dining Room and will only be held for A recording of the club 15 minutes after the booked time. Cufflinks song from the 2009 St Enamelled cufflinks AMERICAN BAR George’s Day dinner. £5 Monday to Friday 11.30am-11pm with club crest, Saturday 11.30am-3pm chain or bar. £24.50 The Gentlemen’s & 5.30pm-11pm Sunday noon-4pm Clubs of London & 6.30pm-10pm New edition of Drinks can be obtained in the Waterloo Room from Anthony Lejeune’s Monday to Sunday. Members resident at the club classic. £28 can obtain drinks from the hall porter after the bar has closed. OTHER ITEMS SMOKING ROOM & WATERLOO ROOM Service from 9am to 10.30pm. Mug Saturday and Sunday 10am to 10pm. £14 BILLIARDS ROOM Club blazers Open to members from 9am to midnight. Chocolate mint £295/£325 (navy) £325 (sports) Pass keys will not be issued after 11pm. creams £8 Club shield GYMNASIUM Club waistcoats £61.50 Open to members from 6am to 10pm. £160 Suitable attire must be worn. BEDROOM CHARGE Includes early morning tea, newspaper, English Golf balls breakfast and VAT. All bedrooms are non smoking. Titleist golf balls. Bearing Members club crest. £29 per dozen Single with bathroom £100 (£61*) Single with shower £86 (£52*) Blazer buttons Single without facilities £70 (£43*) Double breasted. Golf tees Double or twin room for single occupancy £136 £45.00 Tin of 50 ‘personalised’ Double or twin room for double occupancy £152 St James’s Suite £252 Single breasted. East India golf tees. £7.75 £30.00 Reciprocal members & guests Single with bathroom £131 (£80*) Single with shower £114 (£70*) V-necked jumpers Golf umbrellas Double or twin room for single occupancy £158 Lambswool V-necked navy and burgundy Made in club Double or twin room for double occupancy £182 jumpers also available. £46.50 St James’s Suite £282 colours of silver, blue and red. £17 * Special rate on Friday, Saturday, Sunday Club print and bank holidays A picture of the Post and packing for non-breakables from clubhouse on a MEMBERSHIP CARDS £3. Breakable items are for collection Members are required to carry their membership typical London from the club instead of posting. cards at all times when visiting the club. early evening. It is essential that they are produced when 52.5cm by CLUB WINE: signing for charges to accounts. 40cm. See page 17 for details £61.50 2 EAST & WEST – SPRING 2014 With spring in the air, the chairman’s thoughts turn to Club diary... St James’s Square gardens, the club events of the past few months – from Burns Night through gourmet dinner to rugby CHAIRMAN’S REPORT May 5 May Bank holiday lunches. And, of course, his recent letter to members 14 May AGM 26 May Bank holiday CHAIRMAN’S REPORT June 5 June Library lecture and dinner 7 & 8 June Battlefield Tour - Waterloo must say that the gardens in St James’s Burns night in January was, by all reports, 12 June Reception & summer party Square are showing a great and most the best ever. Somehow it all seemed to run Iwelcome improvement. Thanks to like clockwork from the Selkirk grace to the July the Trustees of the freeholders for their lasses’ reply. My figure ‘with weel-swall’d kyte’ 6 July Cricket match and lunch concerted efforts. I understand up-lighting clearly provides too tempting a ‘bent drum’ at Chobham some of the beautiful plane trees and the target still ‘bethankit hums’. 11 July Jazz barbecue The rugby lunches ahead of the Six Nations 17 July Wine tasting Twickenham games have become as firmly The established as the fixtures themselves. Mick August chairman at the Quinn had the assembled company in stitches 25 August Bank holiday gourmet with stories old and new – but England dinner prevailed on that day. Congratulations, September nonetheless, to Ireland for holding the French 18 September First World War at bay and winning a deserved piece of silver commemoration service and lunch in Brian O’Driscoll’s last international game. 25 September Grouse dinner The gourmet dinner featured a wonderful 30 September Lord Mayor’s luncheon evening in the style of the Belle Epoque, the era of the Moulin Rouge, Toulouse Lautrec in Paris and the great days of the Savoy Opera Bank holidays and elegant living in London. Chef Mark For the May bank holidays, bars and catering are closed from 4pm on the Leach astounded us all with a magnificent Sunday of the bank holiday weekend recreation of a 1905 menu from Auguste and all day Monday. Accommodation and Escoffier’s Carlton Hotel (which stood on the continental breakfast remains available. corner of Haymarket and Pall Mall). This is an evening which is not to be missed in future. For the August bank holiday, bars and catering are closed after breakfast on statue of the ‘grocer’ is in the offing. So as Members arriving early in the New Year Sunday 24th August and reopen after spring is sprung and the sun and the flowers could be forgiven for thinking that they were breakfast on Tuesday 26th August. come out to brighten up the view. I think we in the wrong place. The cunningly devised Continental breakfast will be available are allowed to look at the outside view for a scaffolding to facilitate the redecoration on Monday 25th August. moment ourselves – which is why I have not of the front hall certainly gave the feel started this report by referring to the letter I of Piccadilly tube station rather than our sent to all members in February. Suffice to say normally spacious hall. However the job is that there is an update on page 15 of East & now done and the results are excellent. The West and there will be a report accompanying hall had not been decorated in 27 years or the annual report and accounts. more and it was a necessary task that also I hope members will join me in thanking our provided opportunities to improve some ever cheerful and loyal staff aspects. The shields have all for continuing to make the club been removed, restored and the place where we enjoy the I hope members will remounted in chronological best of food, drink, company join me in thanking order. As a result the East East & West and fun. It has indeed been our ever cheerful India Room (formerly ‘business as usual’. The carol and loyal staff. It has the Luncheon Room) is concert at Christmas given by now equipped with some Editor: Charlie Jacoby “ been ‘business as 07850 195353 [email protected] the choir of Wells Cathedral comfortable seating as well usual’ Designer: Chris Haddon was a splendid occasion and as tables and is serving light 01279 422219 [email protected] rounded off the year with a food and drinks through the Photography: Phil McCarthy. To download or flourish. I know that Gerry Murphy would day as well as providing the late bar. Members order photography, login to the members’ area of have loved the evening and would also have may use Kindles and iPads for reading in EastIndiaClub.com and follow the instructions relished the Irish victory in the Six Nations the East India Room so the Sydney Morning Sub-editor: Cicely Drewe championship. His humour and his special ”Herald, the Washington Post or The Straits Printed by: Colour3 (ColourCubed.co.uk) smile of greeting is fondly remembered. We Times can be perused with morning coffee or Published on behalf of The East India Club by also remember with gratitude former deputy a sandwich lunch. I will enjoy the view of the Charlie Jacoby, c/o The East India Club www.charliejacoby.com chairman Geoff Mills whose generosity and gardens from the new East India Room. Cover photo: clubhouse in springtime expertise made a significant contribution to the club we enjoy today. Iain Wolsey, chairman EAST & WEST – SPRING 2014 3 NEWS In Chess, our teaming with the Oriental Club gives us a good Turnbull Cup start against other London clubs and the cricket section looks forward to the Turnbull Cup played at Chobham Cricket new event has been added to our club summer schedule providing SPORTS NEWS Aan opportunity to support the cricket section. On Sunday 6 July the in a row against Chelsea Arts’ captain Mike EIC cricket team will be playing a match Chess Radcliffe. Most importantly, no one stood against a Chobham CC President’s XI at upon their Club Cat called Clarence! This their picturesque ground in Surrey (www.