Blades is a fictional London gentlemen's club appearing and referenced in several of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels, most notably Moonraker. Blades is situated on "Park Street" (correct name Park Place) off St James's Street, at the approximate location of the real-life club Pratt's. Inspirations Based on Fleming's notes as well as details of the club included in the novels, Blades is an amalgam of several nearby clubs, several of which Fleming mentions by name in various Bond books. These include: Boodle's, where Fleming himself was a member and which has a lineage similar to that of Blades (both being descended from the earlier Savoir Vivre Club) as well as having similar architecture; The Portland Club, which features bridge and where Fleming was a member, preferring the bridge games there because, as at Blades, they were played for high stakes; White's, with which (like Blades), Beau Brummell, Horace Walpole, and Edward Gibbon had some association and where M's real-life counterpart, Sir Stewart Menzies, was a member, and where Fleming too was a member until moving to Boodle's; and Brooks's, located quite close to Blades, founded at the same time, sharing its emphasis on gaming and its association with the Hellfire Club, and providing at least one of the famous bets to be found in Blades's betting book. Fictional history Blades was founded between 1774 and 1776 and is of a calibre equal to or greater than that of any other club. In fact, Fleming writes that when the club closes for the month of September each year, any of its members who are still in London typically pass the time at White's or Boodle's, disliking the clientele at each for different reasons. It excels in terms of member accommodations, staff, food, and furnishings, and its members include some of the finest card players in the world. The club membership is restricted to 200 at any given time, and there are only two qualifications for being elected a member: behaving like a gentleman and being able to prove a net worth of at least £100,000 (£ in pounds) in cash or gilt-edged securities. M is a member of Blades, and James Bond, though not a member, is an occasional guest. M often lunches at Blades, usually eating a spare meal of grilled Dover sole and Stilton cheese, and always pays his bill with a five-pound note in order to receive newly