What’s Happening?
- An extensive refurbishment of the sports area at Pall Mall is scheduled for the summer and autumn of 2026. Listed Building approval has now been received for the work to take place.
- The last major refurbishment of the area was in 2003 and the facilities are used between 150,000 and 180,000 times a year, so this work is a priority.
What’s the Timetable?
- The exact timetable will be confirmed as soon as contract negotiations and the project plan are completed, which is expected to be in early 2026.
- We currently anticipate the sports area closing in July 2026 and reopening in October 2026.
- Although closing the sports area is disruptive at any time of year, this period has the minimum impact on member usage and competitions.
What changes will I see?
- The first thing you will see upon arrival will be a new reception area and juice bar, with the space leading to the swimming pool decluttered to create a larger and more welcoming area, with additional seating.
- All the changing rooms will be completely refurbished.
- The studio, treatment rooms and corridor will be refurbished, with some minor reconfiguration to create a small welcome desk by the entrance to the area.
- The sauna and steam room in the Turkish Baths will be fully refurbished.
- The gym will also be fully refurbished and the layout redesigned so that it is easier and more efficient to use within much improved surroundings.
- The squash greeting area will be refurbished with displays celebrating the history of squash at the Club and a new seating area.
Are the changing rooms being rearranged?
- The changing rooms along the far side of the pool and in the corner beyond the squash courts (known as the Apse Changing Rooms) will be brought together to create a single large changing area for ladies. This extra capacity is needed for the increasing number of female sports users in proportion to the number of male users.
- To maintain an appropriate balance of changing space, the male changing room next to the Turkish Baths will be expanded by reallocating some of the space used for the Frigidarium cots.
- This will result in a reduction of the number of cots by just two, which we are confident will maintain sufficient capacity for Turkish Baths users. The size, shape and décor of the central space of the Frigidarium will remain unchanged.
And what are you doing behind the scenes?
- The Turkish Baths will benefit from extensive repairs and upgraded infrastructure, to improve the quality and reliability of the experience. This will include tanking the sauna to ensure that there are no further leaks into the area.
- The swimming pool’s filtration system will be replaced, preventing the frequent problems and closures we are currently experiencing.
- Throughout the sports area there will be various upgrades to plumbing, electrical and other infrastructure.
What will be closed while the work takes place?
- The whole sports area will be closed while the work takes place – a period of around three months.
- We have looked carefully into the possibility of conducting the work facility by facility, but this would result in the sports area operating with significant disruption for much longer than the three months required for complete closure. The contractors would need to be on site much longer, the project would be more expensive, and the work on the infrastructure which serves more than one facility would result in repeated closures of the affected areas.
What alternatives will be available while the facilities are closed?
We recognise that the closure will cause considerable inconvenience. However, once the work is complete, members will be able to enjoy much improved facilities for many years to come.
Arrangements will be made to enable members to use alternative facilities for the duration of the project. We are not yet able to confirm the details of these arrangements, but they are expected to include:
- squash courts at the London School of Economics in Lincoln’s Inn Fields and at the MCC
- swimming at the Lansdowne Club
- gym use at the Lansdowne Club and another Central London gym
- personal training with Club staff at a gym near to the clubhouse
- Turkish Baths at the Porchester Spa in Bayswater
- exercise classes in banqueting rooms at Pall Mall
- treatments in dedicated bedrooms at Pall Mall.