During 1947 JEB Wright formed the Mountaineering Association to provide training courses in mountaineering. Many of its members felt that there should be a regional club which they could join after completing these courses and, in 1952, of the many people interested, FE Bacon, AW Hart, EW Hince, RJ Layzell and EGC Warr pressed for the formation of such a club.
The 6th May 1953 saw the inaugural meeting of the "London and Home Counties Group". It was the original intention that the Group should only be open to MA members who had passed the Intermediate Course. There was an outcry when this item of the proposed constitution was read out. It was agreed that all MA members should be eligible but that only "Intermediate" passed members and members approved by the Committee could attend climbing meets. The membership quickly grew to 250 in 1954 and has remained at or around this figure ever since.
There were many restrictions during the next few years in the grades at which members could climb and lead and in 1956 the MA insisted that membership should only be open to those who held an lntermediate passed certificate. During the same year, after lengthy discussions, the Group broke away from the MA and formed the London Mountaineering Club.
The inaugural meeting of the LMC was held on 31 May 1956. Membership was open to all, but there were strict regulations as to the grades at which members were permitted to climb and lead. This system was found to be unsatisfactory and in 1960 new membership regulations were introduced, which were further amended in 1968. Applicants for Temporary membership now need not have previous rock climbing experience but must live or work within London and the Home Counties. A Temporary member might apply for Full membership at any time during their twelve rnonths' Temporary membership. In 1994 the rules were changed so that transition to Full membership requires only the support of two Full members.
In August 1958 the Club purchased the freehold of "Fronwydyr" from the Vaynol Estate for £250. The property was, and is, held in trust for the club. George Beaver, Gerhard Schwartz and Cyril Puddicombe were the first trustees and at the time were the Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary of the Club. In 1984, after the death of Gerhard Schwartz, John Antill and Lawrence Wragg were appointed trustees to make four in all. Extensive work had to be done by the members and a builder before Fronwydyr could be opened for use on Good Friday 1959. By 1965 working parties under the guidance of Eric Hince had completed many improvements, such as the installation of electricity and a hot and cold water system. A combined effort by members and a builder again under the care of Eric Hince saw the installation of flush toilets and a septic tank. The Ted Warr Memorial Fund enabled the extension to be added to the cottage and this was opened in 1965. In the years that followed the roof of Fronwydyr had to be re-slated and internal alterations were carried out to increase the living and cooking areas. Fronwydyr became one of the best Club huts of its size in the country.
Since then the members have maintained the hut with major works from time to time directed by the incumbent Hut Warden. The original metal-framed bunks were removed in 1978 when Les Weeks installed the current matratzenlager style beds. At the same time this working party installed the shower room and shower. That all this was achieved in a single Bank Holiday weekend is eloquent testimony to Les' organisational skills and the dedication of the workers. Extensive rewiring, damp and ventilation control as well as work on the roof has been carried out since then. Damp had been a continuing problem for many years and caused mildew to form on bedding and black mould to grow on the walls. The problem was, we hope, finally resolved in 1988 when one of Andy Johnson's working parties installed night storage heaters to maintain a warm dry atmosphere throughout the year. In 1989 it was decided to comply as far as possible with recommendations of the local fire protection officers. This led to the construction of fire retardant partitions and the installation of a fire alarm system.
It was in 1970 that the Committee first started to consider the possibility of building a car park adjacent to Fronwydyr with access from the lane. Three sets of planning permissions were obtained and expired whilst the Welsh Office deliberated over the legal work entailed in the break up of the Vaynol Estate. The hard work of countless committees finally came to fruition in 1985 when Mr. M Pritchard, the tenant of Ty Isaf farm, was able to buy his land and subsequently sell the car park area to the Club. Following the now well-established tradition of Bank Holiday Working Parties the car park was constructed over a single bank holiday weekend after some extravagant excavation by a JCB operator and the laying of two lorry loads of blocks. Frank Dunning masterminded the whole operation.
The Club recently succeeded in its application for money from the National Lottery to carry out further alterations to Fronwydyr, which will improve further the facilities of the hut, including provision of two new showers. Work on these alterations commenced in spring 1998.
From its inauguration the Club produced a Journal, "The London Mountaineer". In 1971 it became an annual publication supplemented by quarterly newsletters, which featured a regular meets programme. Successive editors found the task of gathering suitable material for an annual publication increasingly difficult whilst at the same time the newsletter became an increasingly important instrument for communication. In 1983 it was decided to cease publishing the Journal and concentrate on improving and expanding the newsletter. The newsletter then assumed the old title of "The London Mountaineer" which it has retained ever since.
Prior to 1968 the social programme of the Club was part of the secretary's duties. The post of social secretary was set up following a motion proposed by Dave Abbott who subsequently became the first holder of the post. At that time all social meetings were held at the Bull and Mouth pub in Bloomsbury Way. Then followed a short period at The Plough in Museum Street after which we moved on to The Ski Club in Eaton Square where we remained until 1983 when the fees for use of the room became excessive. The subsequent move to the Windmill in Tabernacle Street coincided with an upsurge in the number of active members and a corresponding increase in the numbers attending At Homes. This venue proved both suitable and popular but sadly the pub closed as part of a redevelopment scheme in 1988. We moved on to the Rugby Tavern in Great James Street and finally, in late 1997, to The Yorkshire Grey at the junction of Theobalds Road and Grays Inn Road. The At Homes usually take place on the third Thursday of each month.
In 1984 Les Weeks computerised the membership list. While the information is used only for Club records and administration and is therefore outside of the scope of the Data Protection Act, the Committee have (following best practices) registered a Data Protection Policy with the Information Commissioner's Office.
The Club is affiliated to the British Mountaineering Council and has representation on BMC area committees.
(Original text by Don Peacock, revised and updated by Les Weeks 1986-90, and by Richard McElligott in 1994)