ON A WARM afternoon at Fulham Pier in west London, the Thames glints(闪烁，闪闪发光) in the sun and members of Lighthouse Social, a private club, drift(漂移，漫无目的地移动) between coffee, meetings and glasses of Aperol spritz(一种意大利鸡尾酒) on the terrace. The relaxed mood is no accident(绝非偶然). Much effort has gone into assembling the right mix of members in the right space.(为了在合适的空间聚集合适的会员组合，投入了大量精力。) “It’s like whispers of smoke(一缕青烟般的微妙感觉),” says Glen Sutton, the Pier’s director. “You can’t grab what makes a club. But you know when you’re in one that isn’t working.”
在伦敦西部富勒姆码头一个温暖的下午，泰晤士河在阳光下闪闪发光，私人俱乐部Lighthouse Social的会员们在露台上穿梭于咖啡、会议和阿佩罗开胃酒之间。轻松的氛围并非偶然。为了在合适的空间聚集合适的会员组合，投入了大量精力。“就像一缕青烟，”码头总监Glen Sutton说，“你抓不住俱乐部的精髓。但当你身处一个运转不佳的俱乐部时，你能感觉到。”
London has long been a city of clubs. From the 18th century the grand houses of St James’s(伦敦圣詹姆斯区，传统高端俱乐部聚集地) offered a home from home(像家一样舒适的地方) for aristocrats and politicians. More recently came the “anti-clubs”: the Groucho, opened in 1985, drew a rowdy(吵闹的，喧闹的) creative set(一群人，圈子); Soho House followed a decade later, aimed at a similar crowd. Both ended up full of bankers. Debauchery was dialled down(调低，减弱), but revenue(收入，财政收入) went up.
伦敦长期以来都是一个俱乐部之城。从18世纪开始，圣詹姆斯区的豪宅为贵族和政治家提供了家外之家。最近出现了“反俱乐部”：1985年开业的Groucho吸引了一群喧闹的创意人士；十年后Soho House紧随其后，瞄准了类似的人群。两者最终都挤满了银行家。放荡程度被调低了，但收入却上升了。
Now, London clubs are proliferating(激增，快速增加) again, part of a wider trend: a report in 2024 by Knight Frank(莱坊，全球房地产咨询公司), a property consultancy(咨询公司), pointed to an acceleration(加速) of club openings in Europe and America. Today London has over 130 members’ clubs (excluding those that are primarily gyms or sports clubs), roughly double the number in 1985, according to Seth Thévoz, a historian of clubland. In a city where working and social lives are less tied to(与…联系在一起) offices, clubs offer a place to spend time—and money—throughout(贯穿，在整个期间) the day.
如今，伦敦俱乐部再次激增，这是一股更广泛趋势的一部分：2024年房地产咨询公司莱坊的一份报告指出，欧洲和美国的俱乐部开业速度正在加快。根据俱乐部行业历史学家Seth Thévoz的说法，如今伦敦有超过130家会员俱乐部（不包括那些主要是健身房或体育俱乐部的），大约是1985年的两倍。在一个工作和社交生活与办公室联系不那么紧密的城市里，俱乐部提供了一个全天消磨时间——和金钱——的场所。
Survival of the fittest
适者生存