For more than forty years, the name Almack's was erased from the London landscape. But in 1904, it surfaced again, albeit in less flamboyant guise. With Sir Hugh Houghton Stewart, Bt, as its secretary, Almack's established itself as arguably London's most fashionable bridge club. For twenty four years, until 1928, it was comfortably housed, initially at 20, Berkeley Street, then, briefly, at 54, Grosvenor Street, and, for seven years, at 1, Hyde Park Place. It then suffered an unsettled period, closing for a year, before re-opening at 19, Upper Grosvenor Street.

By the beginning of 1934, it had - according to one contemporary newspaper report - secured its future by merging with the Kenmar Club, thereby creating a "flourishing concern with a membership of 600". The report added that Almack's premises, 1, Great Stanhope Street, had formerly been occupied by the Duke of Manchester, and were "handsome and spacious". Nevertheless, this account concluded, the amalgamated clubs were soon likely to acquire new buildings, "with the added amenities of a swimming pool and a squash rackets court".

Perhaps this was why, by the end of the year, Almack's was negotiating for the lease of another house in Great Stanhope Street. Despite its promising address, the property's previous owner was a man of distinctly equivocal reputation: Clarence Hatry, a financier sentenced to fourteen years' imprisonment.

During his four years at No 5, Hatry spent £70,000 on the house. His improvements were of questionable, though indisputably exuberant, taste, as a contemporary newspaper report recorded: "He installed - among other luxurious things - a swimming bath on the principal bedroom floor, and a stone-floored Tudor-style cocktail bar in the sub-basement."

Until his imprisonment, Hatry swam in the pool every morning, throughout the year. (Released after serving nine years' hard labour, Hatry abandoned finance to try his hand, successively, at writing, publishing and the coffee bar trade. He died, aged 76, in 1965). In the event, it seems that Almack's found Hatry's style resistible. In 1936, it moved, for the last time, paying an annual rent of £3,000 for the lease of a house in Savile Row, where its members played Bridge and poker for high stakes. That year, its secretary was obliged to appear before Bow Street magistrates, for allowing alcoholic drinks to be brought into the club from one of its neighbours, the Albany Club, and for supplying the Albany with three "automatic gaming machines".
The prosecution acknowledged that both clubs were "bona fide and respectably conducted"; the defence, reported the Daily Telegraph, said that Almack's was "beautifully furnished", that its members included nine international Bridge players, and pointed out that the club secretary had been ill at the time of the offences. "The mistake had been made of thinking to keep within the licensing laws by making members of Almack's Club honorary members of the Albany Club."

It was to no avail: Almack's was fined £25, with £21 costs. It was a minor blow; the post-War years proved more of a challenge, just as they did to many of London'ssmaller clubs, which variously suffered amalgamation - sometimes, repeatedly so - or closed forever. Almack's was more durable than most but, eventually, it, too, admitted defeat, closing late in 1963.