A fine 18th century house but not good enough to get a mention by Pevsner
“The Georgian building at 38 Hill Street was originally built in 1748-49 to the designs by architect Benjamin Timbrell, under the auspices of local landowner Lord Berkeley.
One of the early occupants was John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham (1756-1835), the First Lord of the Admiralty and brother of William Pitt the Younger, who served as Prime Minister between 1793-1801 and 1804-1806. As the London home of the Pitt family, 38 Hill Street hosted political figures, Royalty and senior Naval staff and in the 1800s the building was enlarged at the rear to allow for grand entertaining.
In the late 1890s, the property was purchased by E.G. “Isaac” Raphael, the head of an affluent family who had made a fortune from finance, publishing and property, including the building of Raphael Street in Knightsbridge. In 1905 Raphael commissioned William Flockhart, architect to the Edwardian super-rich, to refurbish 38 Hill Street, including a dark stock brick exterior with canted bay, Portland stone entrance porch, elegant entrance hall with circular staircase and a vast first floor Louis XVI style drawing room.
The mansion remained in private ownership until World War II when it was requisitioned for use as a London headquarters by the Auxiliary Territorial Service, as the women’s arm of the British Army was then known.
As early as 1943, the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) Officers serving in nearby Whitehall had an aspiration to keep in touch when the war was over and have a private member’s club where active and reserve Naval officers could socialise.
In 1946, with the help of the Astor family, the freehold of 38 Hill Street was purchased from the Raphael family, and it has been the home of the RNVR and The Naval Club ever since. Notable members of The Naval Club have included Viscount Astor, Lord Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, and Harold Watkinson, 1st Viscount Watkinson with guests including HM The Queen, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and HRH The Prince of Wales. During the 1950s, members of ‘The Thursday Club’, portrayed in The Crown Netflix TV series as Prince Philip’s weekly escape from Royal life, socialised at The Naval Club.
The Club purchased the freehold in 1946 and has occupied it ever since. In 1987, the house was listed as a Grade II building with particular reference to the grand staircase, with its ornate balustrade decor and wrought ironwork, and the first floor Louis XVI style dining room.” (Buildington)
Not many London clubs own their freehold, Brooks’s does, but the clubs along Pall Mall are all leased from the Crown Estate. Business rates for clubs have increased sharply in the last five years but during the pandemic were waived. Although clubs were closed for a long period in 2020, members continued to pay their subscriptions and the furlough scheme paid most of the salaries for club servants. Nevertheless, somehow The Naval Club at 38 Hill Street went into liquidation and the club house was sold last year to a billionaire from the Middle East, reportedly for £27.5 million. It is usual for London clubs to divide any windfall like this among the members. The last instance I remember was when the Royal Automobile Club sold off the RAC roadside recovery service for about £1 billion some ten years ago. The members shared the lolly.
The Naval Club is an exception as The Telegraph explains.
“A Memorandum of Association, drafted when the club was founded, stated that in the event of a liquidation any surplus proceeds would be given to like-minded organisations or maritime charities. But in a vote last April – involving just 490 of the 860 current members – the Memorandum of Association was amended. While around £6.5 million has been distributed to maritime charities, the existing members will now enjoy a windfall from the remaining surplus.” (The Telegraph)
Some members are very angry about the betrayal of the clearly stated intentions of the founder members. I hope they will urge the trustees to reverse their ill-considered decision.
