History

The original clubs were established in the West End as early as 1693. Today, the area of St James's is still sometimes called "clubland". Clubs took over the role occupied by coffee houses in 18th century London reaching the height of their influence in the late 19th century, when there were over 400 such establishments. Clubs are often characterised by their members' interest - politics, literature, sport, art, automobiles, travel, and particular countries, in other cases, the connection was membership of the same branch of the armed forces, or the same school or university.