Antique The United Travellers Club Piccadilly London Martin Hall Silver Plate Serving Dishes 1911-13

Item - A Pair of Unique & Scarce Antique Serving Dishes with covers from The United Travellers Club, Piccadilly, London, England by Martin, Hall & Co of Sheffield, England, Circa 1911-13 (please see all photos).

About the Club

The United Travellers Club opened in November 1911 at 134 Piccadilly, London, England a magnificent building (now Grade II Listed and the home of the Hard Rock Cafe Shop) overlooking the Green Park, with the top of Buckingham Palace peeping over the trees in the distance.

It was formed to meet the requirements of the travellers of the time and had a very influential committee, with Lord Garnock as Chairman, Sir William Stewart Dick-Cunynghand as Vice Chairman, and Sir Arthur Lushington, the Hon. R. D. Yelverton, Mr G. Cecil Whitaker and Captain the Hon. R. L. Pomeroy as members. The membership was limited to One Thousand at a cost of £3000 (approx £376,500 in today's money).

The idea of the promoters was to establish a club not only for the Ladies and Gentlemen of high social standing in London, but for the eminent traveller from America and the Continent who desired the comforts of the club while stopping in the metropolis.

The membership was of exclusive character and foreign members required the membership of the best clubs in America and Europe. Members of the Metropolitan, Union, Knickerbocker, Manhattan and Calumet of New York, for instance are the ones that were welcome at The United Travellers Club, the club was furnished and appointed on a lavish scale and with artistic effect.

The Club appeared to relatively successful in the first couple of years even installing a dogs cloakroom and kennels...as Dogs became more acceptable as pets... The Lady in the West End, who did not have a dog was as much out of fashion as if she did not posses a set of furs or better still a tiger-skin coat.

For a long time much-suffering shopkeepers permitted these favoured animals to enter their stores, but no more, hence the new kennel club at the club. The floors were tiled in a scheme that would satisfy the soul of an artist, and were strewn with finest and sweetest sawdust and straw. The kennels were really little rooms separated by tiled walls, picked out in blue, red and white spotlessly clean with bright, brass chains depending at the back, and elaborate brass gates.

The Canine Club-House was fitted with hot-water pipes, so that the temperature may be satisfactory to it's occupants. Most elaborate arrangements were made for the daily toilet of the dogs, including hot or cold water showers or hosing... the pooches could also be shampooed or singed, combed, brushed and pedicured.

Food was a very special department in the clubhouse. If a mistress or a master does not specify what diet her or his dog is to have, it is fed on water and Molasses Biscuits, which are a particularly high quality biscuit, saturated with molasses. Only the most horrible forgetfulness on the part of the owners ever reduces the members of the club to have exist upon Molasses. Most of the patrons of the club with titled and would bring their dogs in for a couple of hours whilst they went shopping in the West End to then return for dinner to enjoy the epicurean menu in the knowledge that their pets were been treated equally well.

Marchioness X would not permit fluffy to eat anything except the very tenderest cut from the breast of a chicken. The Lady Y would not dream of giving her Plantagenet anything except a delicate morsel of plaice, while Baroness X with her own lovely hands makes a ragout for her Pomeranian... the pets were housed and fed and tended with a loving care that is lavished upon very few humans... it was noted at the time that each pampered pet there was sufficient money was expended each year to keep two working class families. They were the aristocratic pets of aristocrats and didn't they just know it.

The Club had to close it's doors in May 1913 due to what was reported at the time as temporary trouble... but this led to liquidation in October 1913. 

Sources - The Daily British Whig, 8th November 1911, Sydney Sun Lucky Dogs Article, 11th January 1913 & The Pall Mall Gazette 5th May 1913 & 26th July 1913. 

Maker - Martin, Hall & Co of Sheffield

Stamps - Stamped to the underside of the dish with the makers mark of Martin, Hall & Co, EPNS (Electro-Plated Nickel Silver) and the wording HARD SOLDERED. All four pieces are also feature the crest of 'The United Travellers Club' which features a Camel, Steamship, Airship and a Car of the period.

Type - Tableware

Circa - 1911-13

Construction - Silver Plate (EPNS)

Country of Origin - England

Dimensions - 7" in diameter (4.75" in height)

Weight - 1388 gram (684g and 694g)

Condition - Excellent Used Condition (please see pics)

Other Interesting Points - A Superb Pair of Unique and Scarce Covered Dishes from one of the forgotten Aristocratic Clubs of London.

(Please see all Photos).

POSTAGE & PACKAGING

There is a charge of £3.00 for Postage and Packaging to all U.K. Residents (Standard Delivery), we will also ship Worldwide please check table below for delivery costs. If you have any questions please feel free to contact!