As the political landscape in England started to change in the mid to late 1800s, various political parties were doing whatever they thought necessary to grow their base, share and hone their ideas and ultimately effect change in the country.

While the Conservatives, Whigs, Liberals and other political parties had their fair share of property and membership, so too did lesser known parties, like those affiliated with the Free Trade doctrine. For the Free Traders, the Cobden Club was founded. Although not technically a recognized political party, believers in the Free Trade doctrine still had large numbers and a branch of the liberal base.

The original Cobden Club was founded in 1866 and had exclusive membership. All members, no matter what their main political affiliation, were firm believers in free global trade and how it would subsequently bring peace and prosperity to much of the world.

Richard Cobden, shown in the picture, is the man from whom the club takes its name. He was considered to be a radical and was also a Liberal statesman. Cobden was heavily involved with John Bright in the Anti-Corn Law League and helped pass the Cobden-Chevalier Treaty. Cobden died in 1865, one year before the club was opened and named in his honor.

Cobden Club was much unlike any other political club at the time. Instead of a mere place for likeminded people to gather and discuss the day's events, the club was used as a legitimate political headquarters. Cobden Club had its own publishing arm that, surprisingly, had a lot of clout in London during the time.

The Free Trade principles resonated with many more liberal-minded people. The publishing part of the club was also used to publish and release many of Cobden's speeches he had made throughout his life. John Bright published an extensive collection of speeches in 1870.

The momentum that the Free Trade doctrine had picked up started to die down by the start of the 20th century. Even though the Cobden Club was one of most popular locations for a few decades, catering to a host of members from varying backgrounds, the fall of Free Trade as a cause of the populous basically forced the club to go extinct. Cobden Club managed to stay open through most of the 1900s, but with business dwindling significantly, the club had closed its door forever by the end of the 1970s.

There is a Cobden Club open in West London today, however, but it is in no way affiliated with the original private members club. The new Cobden Club opened its doors in 1996 and touted itself as the new Cobden Club, hoping to gain a base off of name recognition.

Today's club is a theater for the performing arts, featuring burlesque shows, musical concerts and other stage productions. The new club is somewhat popular, but there's absolutely no sign of the political atmosphere that existed in the original club.