Club Level

The Right Crowd and No Crowding

THE STORY OF THE BROOKLANDS CLUB

The Clubhouse

From the outset in 1907 the Brooklands Clubhouse was designed to be the centre of the Brooklands circuit. The Club housed the track officials such as Clerk of the Course, Clerk of the Scales and the Stewards. It was originally where the cars and drivers were weighed prior to their races and contained changing rooms and a large open viewing stand for the Press.

The Club also housed a Dining Room and bar for the exclusive use of the Brooklands Automobile Racing Club. An additional luncheon room was added in 1913 with stairs leading direclty from the Paddock. Motor racing was still very much the preserve of the wealthy amateur at this time and in 1930 the Clubhouse was extended to accommodate this growth of interest, with the Club races becoming an essential part of the social “season” along with Henley, Wimbledon and Ascot. Those improvements included a Ladies Reading Room, Billiard Room, Member's Lounge and Tea Room.

The circuit closed in 1939 with the advent of the Second World War and the clubhouse was altered to accomodate drawing offices and also included the office of Sir Barnes Wallis as part of the Vickers Armstrong Research and Development Department. Through the many years of aircraft manufacture at the site the club house fell into some disrepair and was largely used for storage.

In 1983 British Aerospace sold the northern end of the Brooklands site , including the clubhouse, to Gallahers and in 1984, following the leaseback of the 30 acre museum site, major restoration work began resulting in the building you see today preserved very much as it appeared in its 30’s heyday.

Clubhouse Bar in use

The Brooklands Museum Trust was formed in 1987 and the clubhouse underwent a programme of refitting to make it suitable to house exhibits as well as to host corporate functions. Further renovation was required following the severe flooding of 2000 which damaged large sections of the ground floor. The members bar itself was last refurbished in 2001 to keep it’s familiar art deco styling and one of the museum's major benefactors, Ron Gerard, who was then patron of the Brooklands Club, pulled the ceremonial first pint on its reopening. You can still see his portrait hanging in the bar.

CLUB LEVEL MEMBERSHIP TODAY

Art Deco BARC Bar

Today, as a Brooklands Trust Club Level Member, you and your guests can enjoy the relaxing Edwardian atmosphere of the unique Art Deco BARC bar whilst enjoying refreshments and lunches either inside the clubhouse or out on the white painted balcony overlooking the paddock and Motoring Village. The balcony is a great vantage point from which to view the bustle on busy event days or to simply soak up the unique Brooklands atmosphere. There is an exclusive menu availble which includes a special dish of the day plus regular light snacks including the famous Brooklands Club Sandwich. We hold occasional live music sessions specially for Club members featuring a variety of music from Trad Jazz, to Harmonica melodies and even a little rock n roll. On Sundays during the motor racing season we show the F1 Grand Prix and Moto GP racing on our large screen TV usually with an associated dish of the day from the country in which the race takes place. The bar is open exclusively for Club Level members on Thursday, Friday, Sunday and Bank Holiday lunchtimes and occasional Saturdays when events are taking place.

Jazz on a Summer day

As a Club Level Member your increased support for the Museum entitles you to all the benefits of the other membership levels but with greatly enhanced free entry benefits. A Club Level Member is entitled to free entry to the Museum for the member, a second adult at the same address and three children aged 16yrs or under. In addition the Club Level Member may bring two other guests to the Museum free of charge at any one time.

There are also extra parking priviliges available to Club Level Members which include entering along the original Campbell Circuit and parking your own vehicle within the Museum grounds at weekends (for some special events you may be asked to use the Heights car park where priority bays will be reserved near the entrance, or to park in specifed areas on site at the direction of the gate staff). During the week priority parking is in marked bays in the main Museum car park behind Mercedes Benz World, follow the brown Brooklands Museum signs. If you visit the Museum in a classic, vintage or historic vehicle then you may use the Campbell Gate to park within the grounds at all times (subject to special events and the gate staff's directions).

Club Level members receive a unique free enamel lapel badge and shield car windscreen sticker in addtion to the normal Membership pack when joining which are not available to Members at the other levels of membership.

For more details of Club level Membership and how to join click here.

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