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The Royal Automobile Club is a private club
Club

A club is an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal. A service club, for example, exists for voluntary or charitable activities; there are clubs devoted to hobbies and sports, social activities clubs, political and religious clubs, and so forth....
 and is not to be confused with RAC plc
RAC plc

RAC plc is a breakdown company in the United Kingdom supplying products and services for motorists....
, a motorists' organisation, which it formerly owned.

It has two club houses, one in London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
 at 89-91 Pall Mall
Pall Mall, London

Pall Mall is a street in the City of Westminster, London, situated in London SW1 and parallel to The Mall , from St. James's Street across Waterloo Place to the Haymarket; while Pall Mall East continues into Trafalgar Square....
, and the other in the countryside at Woodcote Park, Surrey
Surrey

Surrey is a counties of England in the South East England of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire, and Berkshire....
, next to the City of London Freemen's School
City of London Freemen's School

City of London Freemen's School is a public school, day and boarding located at Ashtead Park in Surrey, England. It is the sister school of the City of London School and the City of London School for Girls, both independent single-sex schools located within the City of London itself....
. Like most other "gentlemen's clubs" in London today, the Royal Automobile Club now has women as well as men as members.

It was founded on 10 August 1897 as the Automobile Club of Great Britain (and later, Ireland).






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The Royal Automobile Club is a private club
Club

A club is an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal. A service club, for example, exists for voluntary or charitable activities; there are clubs devoted to hobbies and sports, social activities clubs, political and religious clubs, and so forth....
 and is not to be confused with RAC plc
RAC plc

RAC plc is a breakdown company in the United Kingdom supplying products and services for motorists....
, a motorists' organisation, which it formerly owned.

It has two club houses, one in London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
 at 89-91 Pall Mall
Pall Mall, London

Pall Mall is a street in the City of Westminster, London, situated in London SW1 and parallel to The Mall , from St. James's Street across Waterloo Place to the Haymarket; while Pall Mall East continues into Trafalgar Square....
, and the other in the countryside at Woodcote Park, Surrey
Surrey

Surrey is a counties of England in the South East England of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire, and Berkshire....
, next to the City of London Freemen's School
City of London Freemen's School

City of London Freemen's School is a public school, day and boarding located at Ashtead Park in Surrey, England. It is the sister school of the City of London School and the City of London School for Girls, both independent single-sex schools located within the City of London itself....
. Like most other "gentlemen's clubs" in London today, the Royal Automobile Club now has women as well as men as members.

It was founded on 10 August 1897 as the Automobile Club of Great Britain (and later, Ireland). King Edward VII
Edward VII of the United Kingdom

Edward VII was Monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death on 6 May 1910....
's interest in motoring led to the command "that the Automobile Club of Great Britain and Ireland should henceforth be known as The Royal Automobile Club". The headquarters were originally in a block of flats at 4 Whitehall Court
Whitehall Court

Whitehall Court in London, England is one contiguous building but consists of two separate constructions; the end occupied by the National Liberal Club was designed by Alfred Waterhouse, the major part was designed by Archer & Green....
, moving to 119 Piccadilly
Piccadilly

Piccadilly is a major London street, running from Hyde Park Corner in the west to Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is completely within the city of Westminster....
 in 1902. In 1911 they moved to the current address, part of the site of the old War Office
War Office

The War Office was a former department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1963, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence ....
. The club house was (and remains) one of the largest in London, with a frontage to Pall Mall of 228 feet and a depth, in the centre, of 140 feet. It cost over a quarter of a million pounds and is described in the Survey of London
Survey of London

The Survey of London is a research project to produce a comprehensive historical and architectural survey of the former County of London. It was founded in 1894 by Charles Robert Ashbee, an Arts and Crafts movement architect and social thinker, and was motivated by a desire to record and preserve London's ancient monuments....
 as "a polished essay in the late French Renaissance manner".

In 1905, the Club organised the first Tourist Trophy
Isle of Man TT

The Isle of Man TT Race is a Motorcycle sport event held on the Isle of Man since 1907. The race is run in a Time trial format on public roads closed for racing by the provisions of an Act of Tynwald ....
 (TT) motorcycle
Motorcycle

A motorcycle is a Single track, two-wheeled motor vehicle powered by an Motorcycle engine. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as Touring motorcycle travel, navigating Naked bike, Cruiser , Motorcycle sport and Motorbike racing, or off-road conditions....
 race, the oldest regularly run motor race. The Club became the governing body for motor sport in Britain.

The RAC was responsible for organising the first British Grand Prix
British Grand Prix

The British Grand Prix is a race in the calendar of the F?d?ration Internationale de l'Automobile Formula One World Championship. It is currently held at the Silverstone Circuit near the village of Silverstone in Northamptonshire....
 motor race at Brooklands
Brooklands

Brooklands was a 2.75 miles Auto racing circuit and airfield built near Weybridge in Surrey, England. It opened in 1907, and was the world's first purpose-built motorsport venue....
, Surrey
Surrey

Surrey is a counties of England in the South East England of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire, and Berkshire....
 in 1926 and also runs its sister organisation, the MSA
Motor Sports Association

The Motor Sports Association , a sister organisation of the Royal Automobile Club , is the official governing body of Auto racing in the United Kingdom....
 (formerly RAC MSA).

The Club is one of the best equipped of all the Pall Mall "gentlemen's" clubs. It possesses recently renovated Victorian Turkish baths, an Italian marble swimming pool, squash courts (including a doubles court), a snooker room, and three restaurants.

Various parts of the Pall Mall club house have been used as the location for numerous films and television programmes, including "Where Eagles Dare" and "Snatch".

As of 2009, the membership subscription is £1,125 per year, with a £405-755 rate for younger members. The entrance fee is on a sliding scale, ranging from an additional £940 (for the youngest members) to £2,600 (for most members). Although the club's subscription is slightly less than the Carlton
Carlton Club

The Carlton Club is a gentlemen's club in London....
, it has the highest entrance fee of any London club.

External links

  • - illustrated architectural account of the London club house


See also

  • List of London's gentlemen's clubs
    List of London's gentlemen's clubs

    This is a list of gentlemen's clubs in London, England, including those no longer functioning and some which are fictional....