An Eccentrically Charitable Institution
In the early 1960s, Charles Graves (the renowned journalist and writer, son of the actor George Graves) had once pointed out that 'the eccentricity of the Eccentric Club is to be noted primarily in its fantastic generosity to charitable causes.'
Indeed, the club's name used to be associated with many good deeds. Before the First World War, before moving to the fashionable Ryder Street premises in St James’s, the club was famous for its open doors, friendly attitude towards strangers, and good food — both inside and outside of 21 Shaftesbury Avenue: whilst inside it was for the members and their guests, outdoors there were always queues of the poor awaiting the distribution of food, particularly long — before Christmas, when the club members were giving away their famous, 'best in London,' free Christmas hampers.
During the First World War, the Eccentric members entertained the troops on the front line, raised over £25,000 for the limbless soldiers, regularly visited the wounded soldiers in the hospitals, and distributed food, tobacco, and pipes to them. At the same time, the club built several hospitals, hostels, and orphanages.
Indeed, the club's name used to be associated with many good deeds. Before the First World War, before moving to the fashionable Ryder Street premises in St James’s, the club was famous for its open doors, friendly attitude towards strangers, and good food — both inside and outside of 21 Shaftesbury Avenue: whilst inside it was for the members and their guests, outdoors there were always queues of the poor awaiting the distribution of food, particularly long — before Christmas, when the club members were giving away their famous, 'best in London,' free Christmas hampers.
During the First World War, the Eccentric members entertained the troops on the front line, raised over £25,000 for the limbless soldiers, regularly visited the wounded soldiers in the hospitals, and distributed food, tobacco, and pipes to them. At the same time, the club built several hospitals, hostels, and orphanages.
Shortly after the First World War, there was a memorable performance at the White City when over a thousand war veterans were entertained and comforted by the members of the Club. On average, in the 1920s-1940s, the Club spent over £1,000 a year on various charitable needs.
During the Second World War, a further £50,000 was raised to support the victory, and many of the Club's members fought on the frontline. Meanwhile, back home, enemy bombs seriously damaged the premises in Ryder Street, and a large part of the Club's original archive and library burned down.
In the 1940s-1980s, the Club raised considerable funds for good causes, including restoring ruined buildings in post-war London, helping the National Flood Distress Fund in 1947, and promoting amateur and professional sports.
In 1965, the Club donated a substantial amount to the Sail Training Association for the building of the schooner Sir Winston Churchill to participate in the Tall Ships Race. In 1970, the Club became a new home to 600 bridge players from the Crockford’s gaming club, which was then closed. In 1975, the Eccentric Club members, Joe Davis and Noel Miller-Cheevers, were among the founders of the International Snooker League. The Club’s Snooker Room, acknowledged by many as ‘the finest in London’, was later named after Joe Davis.
The Eccentric Club Golfing Society has arranged numerous competitions in Britain and abroad. The Lord’s Taverners Cricket Club members have been associate members of the Eccentric Club since their club formation in 1950. The Eccentric Club continued participating in many charitable projects until the mid-1980s.
The revived club aims to honour these traditions. We believe that supporting our local and national charities is essential today, in the age of globalisation. Far too often, they remain undervalued and underfunded while the larger international organisations' needs seem to take priority.
Local environmental and historical conservation issues may seem less important than those of starving nations elsewhere, but they cannot and should not be ignored — for the sake of our children and our country.
The revived club aims to honour these traditions. We believe that supporting our local and national charities is essential today, in the age of globalisation. Far too often, they remain undervalued and underfunded while the larger international organisations' needs seem to take priority.
Local environmental and historical conservation issues may seem less important than those of starving nations elsewhere, but they cannot and should not be ignored — for the sake of our children and our country.
Having said that, our club has never withheld its support for charitable causes abroad and responds swiftly to the Red Cross and similar emergency appeals.
We also believe that just like the paintings and sculptures are being returned to the museums and galleries, the history of the Eccentric Club and its many members, recovered and preserved by us, will return to British people and mankind a huge chunk of their historical and cultural heritage. For more than two centuries, a great number of the most outstanding individuals were related in one way or another to the club. They have promoted its values by enriching mankind with their thoughts, inventions, creations and acts, but only a handful of them are remembered today, despite the significant role they have played in the past. These ‘eccentrics’ are the missing pieces of our heritage's historic and cultural mosaic. Neither they nor one of the most important clubs in British history, such as The Eccentric, should ever be forgotten.
Since 2007, the Committee of the Eccentric Club has been undertaking painstaking in-depth research into the Club’s history, uncovering many important documents, earlier thought to be lost, helping dozens of individuals and their families to learn more of the past of their ancestors, commemorating the former club members who had spent their lives for the benefit of the public, living by the ‘Nil Nisi Bonum’ motto, and then undeservedly forgotten. One of the most significant discoveries was the establishment of the connection between the club, founded by Jack Harrison in 1890, and the Eccentric Society, an offshoot of the Brilliants Club, which existed as long ago as the 1760s, though with a better-documented history from the 1780s to the 1800s.
We also believe that just like the paintings and sculptures are being returned to the museums and galleries, the history of the Eccentric Club and its many members, recovered and preserved by us, will return to British people and mankind a huge chunk of their historical and cultural heritage. For more than two centuries, a great number of the most outstanding individuals were related in one way or another to the club. They have promoted its values by enriching mankind with their thoughts, inventions, creations and acts, but only a handful of them are remembered today, despite the significant role they have played in the past. These ‘eccentrics’ are the missing pieces of our heritage's historic and cultural mosaic. Neither they nor one of the most important clubs in British history, such as The Eccentric, should ever be forgotten.
Since 2007, the Committee of the Eccentric Club has been undertaking painstaking in-depth research into the Club’s history, uncovering many important documents, earlier thought to be lost, helping dozens of individuals and their families to learn more of the past of their ancestors, commemorating the former club members who had spent their lives for the benefit of the public, living by the ‘Nil Nisi Bonum’ motto, and then undeservedly forgotten. One of the most significant discoveries was the establishment of the connection between the club, founded by Jack Harrison in 1890, and the Eccentric Society, an offshoot of the Brilliants Club, which existed as long ago as the 1760s, though with a better-documented history from the 1780s to the 1800s.
Since 2008, we have raised funds and made donations to the following charities and good causes:
Comic Relief
Red Cross Typhoon Haiyan Appeal
BBC Children in Need
The Barn Owl Trust
Eagle Heights Wildlife Park
Hawk Conservancy Trust
British Wildlife Centre
Cancer Research UK
Save the Children
National Trust
Help for Heroes
Combat Stress
The Rotary Club Campaign
‘End Polio Now!’
The Pushkin House
Red Cross Typhoon Haiyan Appeal
BBC Children in Need
The Barn Owl Trust
Eagle Heights Wildlife Park
Hawk Conservancy Trust
British Wildlife Centre
Cancer Research UK
Save the Children
National Trust
Help for Heroes
Combat Stress
The Rotary Club Campaign
‘End Polio Now!’
The Pushkin House
The Dame Vera Lynn Trust for Children with Cerebral Palsy
The British Heart Foundation
London Youth
Metropolitan Masonic Charity
(Cyberknife Appeal)
The Children's Hospital
Royal National Children's Foundation
Movember (Prostate Cancer Charity)
The Royal Berks Charity Variety
(The Children's Charity)
Keep Wales Tidy Campaign
Lymphoma Association Fund
PGM London Fund of Benevolence
(‘Driving to help those in need’ Mini-Bus Appeal)
Whether you are an Eccentric Club member or not, you can show your goodwill by donating to the Eccentric Club. All donations, however large or small, help us continue our charitable work, research, restore, and preserve important segments of our historical and cultural heritage, help those in need, and uphold this country's charitable traditions.