{{Distinguish|Bulawayo Athletic Club}}{{Short description|Hotel in Zimbabwe}}{{Infobox building | name = Bulawayo Club | image = File:ZW Bulawayo Old B Club.JPG | caption = Hotel illuminated at night, 2010 | address = 8th and Fort Streets | location_town = Bulawayo | location_country = Zimbabwe | coordinates = {{coord|20.154863|S|28.581243|E}} | years_built = 1895 (original building)<br /> 1934 (reconstruction) | owner = Owned and operated by membership | etymology = City of Bulawayo | material = Sandstone, Oregon pine | website = {{URL|https://www.bulawayoclub.com/}} }} The '''Bulawayo Club''' is a hotel and former gentlemen's club located in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Founded more than a century ago, is noted for its remarkable preservation of its vintage state prior to decolonization. It has been described as "one of the last few visible bastions of colonial days" in the country.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1977-12-11 |title=John Knight in Rhodesia |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/808671926 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2026-05-21 |work=Sunday Mirror |pages=20}}</ref>

== History == The Bulawayo Club was founded around the time of the city itself, in 1895.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Bulawayo Club {{!}} Bulawayo {{!}} Zimbabwe {{!}} Expert Africa |url=https://www.expertafrica.com/zimbabwe/bulawayo/bulawayo-club |access-date=2026-05-15 |website=www.expertafrica.com}}</ref>{{Refn|The West Wyalong Advocate reported on its June 7, 1895 edition that the club was new at the time and was still acquiring furniture. The firm date of establishment is not clear.|group=notes}} It was created by British emigrants to the Colony of Rhodesia, who seeked to recreate the Gentlemen's clubs back in England,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=The Bulawayo Club – Accommodation In Bulawayo |url=https://www.bulawayoclub.com/ |access-date=2026-05-15 |language=en-US}}</ref> although its origins were with that of Cecil Rhodes.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1936-11-09 |title=Club Manager Arrives Here |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/863077788 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2026-05-21 |work=Omaha World-Herald |pages=4}}</ref> It was one of many clubs in the city, with Bulawayo being described as "a town of clubs";<ref>{{Cite book |last=Carpenter |first=Frank George |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Uganda_to_the_Cape/V3VLAQAAIAAJ |title=Uganda to the Cape: Uganda, Zanzibar, Tanganyika Territory, Mozambique, Rhodesia, Union of South Africa |date=1924 |publisher=Doubleday, Page |pages=134 |language=en}}</ref> those places were where the English-descent men congregated and were hubs of social life. It was located on Main St and cost 26 pounds and 5 shillings to enter, and an annual membership cost 12 pounds and 12 shillings.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wills |first=Walter H. |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Bulawayo_up_to_date_ed_by_W_H_Wills_and/-WW0eW1ctxkC |title=Bulawayo up-to-date, ed. by W.H. Wills and J. Hall |date=1899 |pages=100 |language=en}}</ref> It was famed among elites in the British Empire for having high-quality coffee and cigars, among the finest available in the world at the time.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lieutenant-Colonel Serjeant |first= |date=1987-03-11 |title=Buluwayo |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/1269385617 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2026-05-21 |work=Brecon and Radnor Express |pages=5}}</ref> During that period in the 1890s, the composition of the club was "mostly friends of Cecil Rhodes."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bowen |first=Mr. G. |date=1987-07-04 |title=The Democratic World |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/392965969 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2026-05-21 |work=Reynolds's Newspaper |pages=6}}</ref>

That building was destroyed during the First Chimurenga a year or so later.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |date=2015-11-26 |title=ZIMBABWE’S HISTORIC HOTELS |journal=British Philatelic Bulletin |volume=2015 |issue=4 |pages=1 |via=Rhodesian Study Circle}}</ref> At the time of the war, of it was the site of a laager and civilian fortification prior to its immediate destruction.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cinamon |first=Bertie |date=1896-05-25 |title=Bulawayo Under Arms: A Lady's Experiences |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/1297573614 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2026-05-21 |work=The Graphic |pages=5}}</ref> It is now Barclay's Bank, located along 8th Avenue and Joshua Nkomo Street.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/100_Years_of_Industry_in_Bulawayo/7c_qAAAAMAAJ |title=100 Years of Industry in Bulawayo |date=1994 |publisher=Matabeleland Chamber of Industries |pages=40 |language=en}}</ref> By 1908, the Bulawayo Club had been relocated to a one-story bungalow with wide verandas circling it.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Carpenter |first=Frank G. |author-link=Frank G. Carpenter |date=1908-08-08 |title=Where Lobengula Ruled |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/73700225 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2026-05-21 |work=Deseret News |pages=20}}</ref> That location was visited by Edward VIII, then-the Prince of Wales at the beginning of his visit to the city during a tour in British Southern Africa.

The current hotel began construction in 1934.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last= |title=Bulawayo Club in Bulawayo |url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/bulawayo-club-zimbabwe |access-date=2026-05-15 |website=Atlas Obscura |language=en}}</ref> On March 28 of that year, the foundation stone was laid by Prince George, Duke of Kent.<ref name=":4" /> Its edifice was constructed from sandstone.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Eula |first=Apo |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Ultimate_Handbook_Guide_to_Bulawayo_Zimb/grnVEQAAQBAJ |title=Ultimate Handbook Guide to Bulawayo |date=2026-01-20 |publisher=SamEnrico |isbn=978-1-5060-7147-3 |language=en}}</ref> It was the first prefabricated building in the city, and its walls were made with pressed paper imported from England.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1952-04-24 |title=Early "Prefab" Doomed |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/1081610 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2026-05-21 |work=The Telegraph |pages=42}}</ref> Electricity was installed around the time of the construction of that building, and is therefore one of the oldest accomodations in the country.<ref name=":3" />

Women were historically not allowed within the club, and were only permitted once or twice a year for certain co-ed functions.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2020-01-16 |title=Visiting Zimbabwe’s Colonial Past at The Bulawayo Club |url=https://beninwanderland.com/visiting-zimbabwes-colonial-past-at-the-bulawayo-club/ |access-date=2026-05-15 |website=Ben In Wanderland |language=en-AU}}</ref> This persisted through at least the early 2000s.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ranger |first=T. O. |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Bulawayo_Burning/2mvIIYquwmEC |title=Bulawayo Burning: The Social History of a Southern African City, 1893-1960 |date=2010 |publisher=Boydell & Brewer |isbn=978-1-84701-020-9 |pages=2 |language=en}}</ref> In modern times, any paying guest is allowed in.<ref name=":0" /> In the 1930s and 1940s of the colonial period, many Nyasa people emigrated to the city for economic opportunities, and became dominant in the service industry, with the Nyasa providing a majority of the waitstaff position in the club, including the Maître d'hôtel.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ranger |first=Terence |date=2004 |title=Dignifying Death: The Politics of Burial in Bulawayo |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1581483 |journal=Journal of Religion in Africa |volume=34 |issue=1/2 |pages=118 |issn=0022-4200}}</ref> At least through the late 1980s, a strict dress code was maintained, requiring suit jackets on its guests, which was controversial as a holdover requirement from the olden days.<ref name=":6">{{Cite news |last=Ross |first=Oakland |date=1988-01-28 |title=Belly to the bar, Bulawayo-style |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/1217975171 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2026-05-21 |work=The Globe and Mail |pages=8}}</ref>

In 2008-2009, the building opened to the public;<ref name=":1" /> non-members of the club are allowed admission, mostly for historical appreciation of the contents of the club.<ref name=":0" />

== Description == The Globe and Mail described the club as "[occupying] an imposing three-story cream building with tall pillars and a broad, second-floor balustrade."<ref name=":6" /> The floors are made from Oregon pine.<ref name=":2" />

There are thousands of hunting trophies, paintings, prints, and other military memorabilia available both on display and in storage at the club.<ref name=":1" /> 8 of Thomas Baines' paintings of Mosi-oa-Tunya are located in the gallery.<ref name=":3" /> A bust of Cecil Rhodes stands in the lobby,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rushby |first=Kevin |date=2012-11-02 |title=A historic pub crawl of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe |url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2012/nov/02/bulawayo-zimbabwe-beer-pub-crawl |access-date=2026-05-21 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> and the snooker room contains plaques commemorating the members who died in the World Wars.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2024-09-12 |title=Travelling Back In Time In A City Called Slaughter |url=https://www.thehungrytravellers.blog/travelling-back-in-time-in-a-city-called-slaughter/ |access-date=2026-05-15 |website=The Hungry Travellers |language=en-GB}}</ref>

== Ammenities == The club offers hotel accomodations with 15 rooms for both locals and tourists. It offers free internet, a snooker room, and a historic library. They hold conferences, seminars, and private events, and are equipped with a catering operation, two bars, and a restaurant.<ref name=":1" />

One of the bars is themed to Southern African rugby, and boasts a large sum of merchandise and photographs related to the history of the sport in the region.<ref name=":1" /> Such items were relocated to the club from the Hartsfield Rugby Grounds in the city in May 2015.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |date=2026-05-15 |title=The Bulawayo Club: A timeless treasure in the heart of city |url=https://www.heraldonline.co.zw/the-bulawayo-club-a-timeless-treasure-in-the-heart-of-city/ |access-date=2026-05-15 |website=Zimbabwe Herald |language=en-US}}</ref> The restaurant is located in an atrium at the center of the complex, serving breakfast and lunch.<ref name=":2" />

== Notable members ==

* David Coltart<ref>{{Cite web |date=1998-10-08 |title=Speech – Bulawayo Club |url=https://www.davidcoltart.com/1998/10/speech-bulawayo-club/ |access-date=2026-05-15 |language=en-ZA}}</ref> * Herbert Stephen Henderson<ref>{{Cite book |last=Addison |first=Henry Robert |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Who_s_who/vDsJAAAAIAAJ |title=Who's who |last2=Oakes |first2=Charles Henry |last3=Lawson |first3=William John |last4=Sladen |first4=Douglas Brooke Wheelton |date=1905 |publisher=A. & C. Black |pages=744 |language=en}}</ref> * Jairos Jiri, the first black member of the club<ref name=":5" />

=== Founding Members === <ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/African_Review/oNhNAQAAMAAJ |title=African Review |date=1896 |publisher=African Review Publishing Company |pages=108 |language=en}}</ref>

* Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone * Sir Frederick Carrington * Charles Grey, 5th Earl Grey * Sir Weston Jarvis * Sir Richard Martin * Captain John Sanctuary Nicholson * Hans Sauer * John Christopher Willoughby, 5th Baronet

== Notes == {{Reflist|group=notes}}

== Referenecs == <references />

== External links ==

* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VM4CYJ10Nt4 Bulawayo Club Boutique Hotel & Interview (2011)] at YouTube * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuY6DKsBkcE The Bulawayo Club, Zimbabwe Tour] at YouTube {{Authority control|qid=Q139807703}} Category:Hotels in Bulawayo Category:Buildings and structures in Bulawayo Category:Gentlemen's clubs Category:1895 establishments in Africa Category:1895 establishments in the British Empire Category:Hotel buildings completed in 1934 Category:Organisations based in Rhodesia Category:British colonial architecture in Africa Category:Sandstone buildings