One of the largest private members clubs in London is also one of its oldest and most popular. The polar opposite of the Carlton Club for Conservatives, the Reform Club has been the proud home of Whig Party and Liberal members for nearly 200 years.

Although it's labeled a gentlemans club - because that's how they all started out some centuries ago - the Reform Club has allowed women full membership since the 1980s. Whereas most of these private clubs have tapered off in popularity, the Reform Club has maintained a high membership and remains one of the higher-priced and more elitist clubs in the immediate area .

Edward Ellice, Whig whip and purveyor of Hudson's Bay Company, a wealthy bank in England in the 1800s, founded the Reform Club in 1836. Ellice is credited with nearly single-handedly seeing the Reform Act of 1832 passed, due to his relentless lobbying efforts.

The idea of the club was a lot simpler than the running of the parties at the time. England was breaking from the traditional ways with the Reform Act, and the club was to be a safe haven for members of both Houses of Parliament, in which they could freely express new ideals to further the reform movement. The progressive liberals were seizing the day and occupied most of the clubs seats.

With the influx of new men and new ideas to put into action, a suitable venue was needed. One of the earliest options, Brooks's Club in St James's Street, was considered because of its Whig affiliation, but it was quickly realized that the small venue couldn't house so many new members.

At the time, the Reform Club was strictly for liberal-minded people. Any member that voted or sided with the other side of the House in any way, shape or form would immediately lose their standing and their position in the club. Although the club is a wholly social place today, in the sense that members aren't expelled for going against the liberal grain, the undertones of the once-rampant political atmosphere are still present.

The Reform Club is located at Pall Mall 104 and 105 in London, right next to the Travellers Club. The building was designed by Sir Charles Barry, and most of the original furnishings are present, as well as the structural integrity of the building being in pristine condition.

The club has been taken good care of over the years, with many members passing through its doors, even after the decline of the Liberal Party. For all intents and purposes, the club is like a great state manor, featuring large bedrooms and an encompassing library of over 75,000 books.

The club is famous in London, having been used in novels and Hollywood blockbusters. In Jules Vernes Around the World in Eighty Days, the main characterls initial decision to travel the world came by way of a bet at the Reform Club. And in Die Another Day, the 2002 James Bond movie with Pierce Brosnan, the Reform Club played host to a long fencing scene. The club has also had some famous members, like Winston Churchill and H.G. Wells.