English Club

Categories / Population/Urban Living
ENGLISH CLUB, English assembly, one of the first club-type establishments in Russia. It was founded on March 12, 1770 at Her Majesty Catherine II's pleasure by English entrepreneurs F. Gardner and C. Gardiner. They designed it as an assembly of pleasant conversationalists and followed the example of English clubs. People of different estates and nationalities could become members of the club, but women were not permitted. In 1771 it consisted of 250 members. The club occupied Kuzel's House (nowadays 17 Malaya Morskaya Street), in 1774 - Buturlin's House on 54 Moika Embankment (presently State Russian Pedagogical Herzen University is situated there), since 1778 - Skavronsky's House, was situated on the same place (not preserved), in 1813-30 - the house of merchant Talle (58 Moika River Embankment; it has been rebuilt), in 1830 - Demidov's House (64 Moika River Embankment; not preserved), since the 1890s the club had its own lodgings (16 Dvortsovaya Embankment). Club's budget was formed from annual fees, donations, interest income from card games. Gradually the English Club transformed from a merchant assembly into an aristocratic club-type establishment; among its members were representatives of the highest nobility (princes Golitsyn, princes Volkonsky, counts Tatishchev, and others), top officials, and cultural figures. By the end of the 18th century the English club had become one of the main meeting-points for eminent representatives of St. Petersburg society. In the end of the 1790s by the order of Emperor Pavel I the club was closed; in the early 1800s it was re-opened at His Majesty Alexander I's pleasure. In the first third of the 19th century its members were Decembrists M.S. Lunin, N.M. Muravyev and others, cultural figures V.A. Zhukovsky, I.A. Krylov, A.S. Pushkin, V.P. Stasov, N.I. Gnedich, etc. The prime of the English Club was the 1830-50s. In 1853 the rules and regulations of the club were reconsidered, the number of its members reached 400 (while some hundreds were on the waiting list of candidates). In the mid-19th century the English club was on the top of the establishments for elite, and a large-scale unofficial gambling-house as well. Among its resident gamblers were Minister of Finance A.A. Abaza, General I.O. Sukhozanet, traveller E.P. Kovalevsky, poet N.A. Nekrasov and many others. Since the 1860s the English club had been gradually transforming into an aristocratic-only club establishment. In 1916 it ceased to exist. In the 1990s an attempt was made to revive the English Club that takes under its patronage museums, orphanages, establishes prizes for contribution into cultural development, supporting different cultural projects. Since the 1990s the name English Club has been used by various courses and schools teaching English.

References: Столетие С.-Петербургского английского собрания, 1770-1870: Ист. очерк. Воспоминания. Список старшинам. Списки почетным членам. СПб., 1870; Стодвадцатипятилетие С.-Петербургского английского собрания 1-го марта 1895 года. СПб., 1895; Герасимов В. В. Из истории Санкт-Петербургского Английского клуба // Петербургские вечера. СПб., 1995. p. 11-29; Завьялова Л.В. Петербургский Английский клуб (1770-1917) // Петербургские чтения-95. СПб., 1995. p. 171-173.

Y. N. Kruzhnov. Abaza Alexander Aggeevich
Alexander I, Emperor
Buturlin Alexander Borisovich
Catherine II, Empress
Demidov Pavel Nikolaevich
Gardiner K.
Gardner Franz Yakovlevich
Gnedich Nikolay Ivanovich
Gusev Vladimir Alexandrovich
Herzen Alexander Ivanovich
Kovalevsky Evgraf Petrovich
Krylov Ivan Andreevich
Kuzel
Lavrov Kirill Yurievich
Lunin Mikhail Sergeevich
Muravyev Nikita Mikhailovich
Nekrasov Nikolay Alexeevich
Paul (Pavel) I, Emperor
Pushkin Alexander Sergeevich
Skavronsky
Stasov Vasily Petrovich
Sukhozanet Ivan Onufrievich
Talle
the Golitsyns
the Tatishchevs
the Volkonskys, Dukes
Zhukovsky Vasily Andreevich
Dvortsovaya Embankment/Saint Petersburg, city, house 16
Malaya Morskaya St./Saint Petersburg, city, house 17
Moika River Embankment/Saint Petersburg, city, house 54
Moika River Embankment/Saint Petersburg, city, house 64
Moika River Embankment/Saint Petersburg, city, house 58
Герасимов В. В. Из истории Санкт-Петербургского Английского клуба // Петербургские вечера. СПб., 1995
Столетие С.-Петербургского английского собрания, 1770-1870: Ист. очерк. Воспоминания. Список старшинам. Списки почетным членам. СПб., 1870
Завьялова Л. В. Петербургский Английский клуб (1770-1917) // Петербургские чтения-95. СПб., 1995
Стодвадцатипятилетие С.-Петербургского английского собрания 1-го марта 1895 года. СПб. Pedagogical University
Decembrists
1770