There were so many great things about our recent trip to England but one event that stands out was Open House London. Over the two days I managed to see the Foreign Office & India Office, Marlborough House, the old Turkish Baths and my favorite… the Reform Club.
The Reform Club is a private gentleman's club (although they now allow ladies as well) from the 19th century. Dickens, Thackeray, Henry James and H.G. Wells were all members. I was able to secure a spot in a small tour of the club when it was closed to members and had a wonderful time going around all of the common area rooms. Especially impressive is the mezzanine that was featured in the Bond film Die Another Day (you can see the mezzanine at about .30 in this clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_2d_8yFtCY). Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos of the club but trust me, it was lovely and properly English.