Royal Automobile Club

The Royal Automobile Club stands in Pall Mall, City of Westminster, occupying a large late French Renaissance building designed by Mewès & Davis with E. Keynes Purchase. Its frontage stretches 228 feet along Pall Mall, with a depth of 140 feet at the centre. The clubhouse opened in 1911 on the site of the old War Office and remains one of London’s grandest club buildings. It houses 108 bedrooms, seven banqueting rooms, three restaurants and a full-size Art Deco marble swimming pool. Squash courts, a billiards room and historic Victorian-style Turkish baths are also available. The building reflects the club’s prestige and long-standing influence in British motoring. The club was founded in 1897 as the Automobile Club of Great Britain and became the Royal Automobile Club in 1907 after King Edward VII took an interest. It organised the first Tourist Trophy motorcycle race in 1905 and the first British Grand Prix in 1926. During the First World War, 25 members with their cars accompanied the British Expeditionary Force as volunteer drivers. The club also campaigned successfully for higher speed limits in the early 1900s, shaping early motoring laws. Visitors to the Pall Mall clubhouse find elegant interiors alongside modern facilities. The Art Deco pool is lined in marble and set beneath a glazed roof. The Turkish baths, one of only eleven still open in the UK, retain their Victorian character. Outside, Pall Mall’s grand terrace frames the club’s imposing façade. The club’s history is visible in its architecture and the stories of its members, from early motorists to wartime chauffeurs.