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The records in this collection, 1734-1997, cover the activities of five individual clubs which over 200 years or so were created and merged. Brooks's Club makes up the bulk of this archive. Its records contains those of its inner club, the Fox Club. In 1975 St. James' Club joined Brooks's bringing with it the furniture, art and members of the Society of Dilettanti and the Bachelors' Club which it had taken in years before. In addition to these there is of course mention of many other British and foreign clubs which had links with these five. 'Clubland' is a place of many interconnections between members and the establishments themselves. They often share a common historical heritage as well as members and the collection hints at these links.

The focus of any club is its members and this is reflected in this collection. The members are very well represented, even through records which are not created by them. Chairmen, committees, secretary's and staff are all concerned with providing a good service. They exist to serve the needs of the members and respond to their questions. The large amount of correspondence, minutes, suggestion books and notices illustrates the sort of concerns the membership presented to the management structure. The property has to be maintained, the food, wine and entertainment needs to be provided and of good quality and subscription accounts need to be managed.

The members had to get elected in the first place and the ballot and candidate books detail this process. The main purpose of these clubs was to provide a meeting place in London for like-minded gentlemen who could chat about politics and current affairs but also enjoy themselves. Many of the records are concerned with the pursuits of drinking, eating and gambling. Dinners, routs, card and backgammon games were an integral part of club life. Amongst the archive material are the "betting books". These are infamous amongst members and record wagers (sporting, political and personal) set as far back as 1770s. They represent the ethos of early club life.

This collection is a fascinating and detailed look at several institutions which in the early nineteeth century had within their membership the major social, economic and politcal players of the time and which continue to hold their attraction for those people today.

(It is evident from the records that throughout the history of Brooks's it's name has been spelt in a variety of ways by historians, reporters and members alike. 'Brooks', 'Brookes' and 'Brooks's' have all been used. For the purpose of this list the latter spelling has been used as it is the most commonly found one and is also how the Club is known today. Similarly, St. James' Club is known by this title rather than by its fully expanded title of 'Saint James' Club'. These are the spellings applied in the list unless it has been used specifically in a different format contemporary to the documents).