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3 Cromwell Road
London, United Kingdom SW7 2HR MAP
Type: Other
Status: Closed
Open: 1950s
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''Situated in South Kensington opposite the Natural History Museum, 3 Cromwell Road has for the past 70 years lived a rather shady life. It had a number of years as an illegal gambling den often used by John Aspinall. He was legendary in London during the late 1950s for his Chemin de Fer (the original version of Baccarat) gambling parties. At the time gambling houses were only defined as such if gambling related events had taken place more than three times in a given period. Aspinall was very clever at staying one step ahead of the law by firstly renting high-class venues then making sure he never used them more than three times and secondly by getting his mum to pay off corrupt Metropolitan Police officers to ensure they turned a blind eye. However, being somewhat absent-minded, his mum forgot to make one of her regular payments to the police, one of Aspinall's parties was raided and he was subsequently prosecuted. However in a real turn up for the books (or should that be a real turn up for the bookies) Aspinall actually won the court case and this outcome was commonly referred to as ‘Aspinall's Law'. In 1960 the government passed the 1960 Betting and Gaming Act which revolutionised the whole industry and legalised casinos and bingo halls albeit trading as private members clubs.
Two years later Aspinall established the perfectly legal Clermont Club in Mayfair and subsequently 3 Cromwell Road was purchased in 1964 by bar and restaurant owner Tony Mitchell and renamed The Cromwellian Club.''
From www.voicesofeastanglia.com |
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CG295371 Obsolete
Denom: 5/-
Added: 2022-11-15
Last Update: 2022-11-15
Color: Blue
Inlay: HS Gold
Logo: Bust
Contributed by: Garin Williamson
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