The World of Jeeves and Wooster

Aline writes: Thanks to our friend Josephine we had the chance to eat in a London club. Josephine, one of our classmates in our London history class, invited us to join her for lunch when our class met around St. James, also known as “clubland.” Her club is called the Over-Seas League. It’s located right near the Ritz hotel, and not only has a private garden terrace but it backs onto the lovely Green Park. It has a café and a restaurant; we had a nice lunch in the café, typical English food. It was just how you might imagine a club to be (especially if you watch Jeeves and Wooster like we do.) Lots of dark wood, comfy chairs, men in suits, and a reading room with a beautiful view over Green Park, wing chairs, all the daily newspapers, and drinks service. It also has hotel rooms so that members who don’t live in London can stay there, as well as reciprocal agreements with other clubs around the world. It’s a whole little community I didn’t know anything about.

Josephine pointed out that this is a very modest club – some are very exclusive and expensive and have multi-year waiting lists. But even to join this one you have to be recommended by a current club member and have a recommendation by some upstanding member of the community like a judge. I guess that lets us out.