THE 150-year-old, last surviving men-only club in Birmingham will now welcome the fairer sex.

A unanimous vote to allow women to join the Jewellery Quarter’s Saint Paul’s Club for the first time in its 150-year history has caused barely a stir.

In rooms converted from three Georgian houses, in St Paul’s Square, are roaring fires, comfy leather armchairs, portraits of Nelson and Victorian caricatures of bustling businessmen.

Falling membership and a desire to modernise are why girls are now allowed, said Bart Dalton, membership committee chairman.

It already has 15 women members and the first to get past the blackball selection was Fiona Toye, CEO of insignia manufacturer Toye Kenning & Spencer.

Mr Dalton, a stockbroker and financial advisor, said: “Until two years ago, this was the best-kept secret in Birmingham. It was kept so well that membership was deteriorating and had decreased from 160 in its heyday to 104, now it’s getting towards the 200 mark.