Brooks's

Brooks's
Type Gentlemen's club
Founded 1764 (1764)
Headquarters

London, United Kingdom

St. James's Street

Brooks's is one of London's most exclusive gentlemen's clubs, founded in 1764 by 27 men, including four dukes. From its inception, it was the meeting place for Whigs of the highest social order.

Their original premises in Pall Mall were "farmed" or managed by William Almack who also set up Almack's Assembly Rooms in nearby Duke Street. The club is named after Almack's successor Brooks, who only survived its rebuilding by three years. The current building on the west side of St. James's Street was designed by Henry Holland and opened in 1778. It faces Boodle's across the street; the Tory Carlton Club and White's are just up the road.

Its primary purpose was originally to provide a home away from home for the gentleman of the time, who was normally not at all domestic. At Brooks's he could meet his friends (and avoid his and others' ladies) at any time of the day or night. The club provided substantial but ordinary meals, to the point that complaints about the everlasting sameness led to the founding of Watier's in 1806.

The gaming rooms used to be one of the main attractions. At several tables in one, gentlemen would stake fortunes on whist and hazard. Gambling all night was common; all day and all night, not unheard of. When the stakes far exceeded any ordinary expenses, all the club accounts were commonly deducted from winnings, so that no bills were rendered to members. Numerous eccentric bets were and are made in the Brooks's betting book. One extraordinary entry from 1785 is "Ld. Cholmondeley has given two guineas to Ld. Derby, to receive 500gs whenever his lordship f**** a woman in a balloon one thousand yards from the earth")[1]. Members' gaming, such as at backgammon, continues today, but somewhat less extravagantly.

In 1978 the St James's Club amalgamated with Brooks's, adding to its membership some European royalty, members of the British diplomatic corps, writers et al.

Contents

Notable former members

Born in the 18th century

Born in the 19th century

Born in the 20th century

Notable members

To view a list of current members see, List of Brooks's members

See also

References

  1. ^ L. G. Mitchell's biography of Charles James Fox. Quoted in Google Books
  2. ^ Mrs. Thatcher's Minister The Private Diaries of Alan Clark, p.9.
Gentlemen's clubs historically aligned with Whigs and/or Liberals
Current
Brooks's 1778–present (No longer politically aligned)  · Reform Club 1836–present (No longer politically aligned)  · National Liberal Club 1883–present
Former
Devonshire Club 1874–1976 (Merged with the apolitical East India Club)  · City Liberal Club 1874–20th century  · Eighty Club 1880-1900s  · 1920 Club 1920–1923