Crab Tree Club

The Crab Tree Club opened in April 1914 at 17 Greek Street in Soho, functioning as a bohemian sanctuary for artists, poets, and musicians on the eve of the First World War. Unlike the typical London club of the era, which usually operated in a subterranean space, this venue occupied the rooms above a leather warehouse. Members reached the club by climbing several flights of wooden stairs. The club was founded by the painter Augustus John and Lord Howard de Walden with a deliberately informal structure that appealed to the cash-strapped artists of the day. Inside, the space featured simple deal tables and chairs, and it lacked a formal waitstaff. Guests often served themselves drinks and left their payment unattended on the counter. The club discouraged stuffiness by imposing a fine of one shilling on any member who arrived wearing formal evening dress. A group of regulars known as the Slade Coster Gang frequently gathered here, often dressing in clothes that mimicked the street costermongers of London. The entertainment was entirely homegrown, with members organizing their own performances, boxing matches, and impromptu musical numbers on a small stage. Jean Rhys, who would later become a celebrated novelist, was a regular attendee who spent much of her time there during the club's existence. The club captured a specific moment of pre-war energy where the lines between high society patrons and struggling bohemians blurred in a room of smoke, absinthe, and shared creative fervor.