Brooks's
Appearance
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Established: 1764
Location: St. James's Street, London, UK.
Venue: Gentleman's Club
History
Brooks' 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 down 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 500 Gs whenever his lordship fucks a woman in a balloon one thousand yards from the Earth." However there is no further indication that the bet was paid, or even how they would check it if it was claimed. 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.
In Kindred Matters
Brooks is far from the most vocal of clubs but its emphasis on history and continuity -- it was founded in 1764 and encourages membership by successive members of the same family -- has made membership an attractive proposition for Kindred and esteemed ghouls who, after absences of a decade or two, can pass themselves off as their own descendants.
