London loves a nickname. Especially one that becomes the common usage. Take the ‘In & Out’ for instance. More accurately it should be known as The Naval and Military Club, a private members’ club located in St James’s Square. Not nearly as fun.
Founded by six officers in 1862 because the existing military clubs in London at the time were all full. The club is for officers of the Navy and Army.
This building on St James’s Square has had a few interesting residents. It was originally erected in 1679 for Anthony 11th Earl of Kent, been home to Charles de Gaulle’s French exile government during the war and Nancy Astor, the first woman to sit in Parliament. It has also served as both a courthouse and the home of the Arts Council of Great Britain. The IN & OUT purchased the building in 1996.
So why the name In & Out?
Well the Club was formerly based at Cambridge House at 94 Piccadilly, opposite Green Park. It came to be known as “The In & Out” from the prominent signs on the building’s separate vehicle entrance and exit gates. The name stuck and now the words IN & Out are now proudly displayed on the columns outside the building.
