Why UK gentlemen’s club the Garrick is accepting women for first time in nearly 200 years

This year the Guardian published details of the Garrick’s membership this year, revealing the club’s central position as a bulwark of the British establishment. Composite: Jonathan Brady/PA/SIPA/AP/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock/Reuters/Guardian Design

London’s Garrick Club has finally voted to allow women to become members, 193 years after it first opened its doors.

The vote was passed at the end of a private meeting during which several hundred members spent two hours debating whether to permit women to join. In the end, almost 60% backed the move.