Records of the Oriental Club charting the development of the club from its foundation in 1824 through to the present day; most areas of the club's history are well documented.
A particularly full set of minute books are held 1824-1978 for Annual General Meetings, the meetings of Trustees, the Committee of Management, the House Committee and various sub-committees. These volumes record both the major developments in club policy as well as the more routine occurrences and issues which affected the club. Together they give a rounded picture of club life.
Membership records are held 1825-2002 as are staff records 1858-1968. Some closure periods apply to both of these series and you are advised to consult the list in full.
For a wideranging series of records outlining the many different facets of club life, the secretary's papers are useful. Although the collection does not contain a complete set of secretary's correspondence, material held includes administrative files on a wide range of issues, letters dealing with complaints, files arranging club events, notices to members and staff, letters regarding honorary membership, and portrait subscription papers
Records relating to financial matters and club property are also held. Material includes deeds, plans and photographs, as well as a number of chairman's files relating to the financial policies used to save the club in the 1950s, to the purchase of Stratford House and to the leasing of the Hanover Square site.
A number of ephemeral items are also held. These include scrapbooks recording the history of the club, photographs, historical documents and printed material. Most noteworthy are a series of nineteenth century photographs of India and Japan and an important contemporary account of the battle with the Rohillas in 1790s, complete with a coloured drawing depicting the deployment of forces on the battlefield.
