What do these disparate famous fictional and real people have in common: James Bond, Mycroft Holmes, Phileas Fogg, Bertie Wooster, Gwyneth Paltrow, Prince Phillip, Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, Benjamin Disraeli, William Gladstone, Arthur Conan Doyle, Rudyard Kipling and the Duke of Wellington? They all are or were members of London clubs, famous in fact and fiction. Many of these clubs are just as fascinating, historic and beautiful as the standard London landmarks. It used to be impossible for us “colonials” to enter, much less stay at, these rarified and highly secretive clubs. But that is changing. Let me give you a brief tour, describing a few of the clubs I have stayed at, some of their quirks, and how you can literally “join the club.”

The Carleton Club in St. James

The Carleton Club is a temple to the Conservative Party. It is in a deceptively standard looking Georgian building at 69 St. James Street, but inside a gorgeous interior space features dramatic curving stairs, topped by an amazing large dome that is invisible from the street. The highlight of the Club’s art collection is a portrait of the Queen Mother, with her signature on the nearby register. The Club is just a few hundred yards from St. James’s Palace, and close to the delightful shops of Jermyn Street. It was founded in 1832, and distinguished Club members have included Winston Churchill, Benjamin Disraeli, Rudyard Kipling and Margaret Thatcher. Oddly, Mrs. Thatcher had to be made an “honorary man” in order to enter the Club’s men-only bar.

In September 2010 we stayed at the Carleton Club in a long narrow bedroom that had not been refurbished for many years, en suite with twin beds and air conditioning, for 145 pounds including VAT (value added tax) and full breakfast. This was the weekend discount rate; the cost was 195 pounds during the week.

The Reform Club is the opposite of the Carleton Club—it is a beautiful paean to political and social reform. It is located at 104 Pall Mall, and was built in 1841, inspired by Michelangelo’s Palazzo Farnese. Original members had to support the Great Reform Act of 1832, hence the name. Famous members have included Winston Churchill (yes, he switched back and forth!), Arthur Conan Doyle, H.G. Wells, and Prime Minister William Gladstone. His well known (and very small) “Gladstone bag” was on display when we stayed at the Club in September 2010. Another famous but fictional member was Phileas Fogg, who made his wager in the Reform Club that he could depart the Club and go “Around the World in 80 Days” – and did. The magnificent public rooms include a library with 75,000 volumes, a 120-foot long dining room, card room, billiard room, and a “silence only” study and writing room.

Our bedroom was quite large, about 16 x 16 feet, en suite, attractive and refurbished but with no air conditioning. The rate was 195 pounds including VAT during the week with full breakfast, with a 15 percent reduction on weekends.

Other clubs we have stayed at or visited include: the Caledonian Club in Belgravia, with good refurbished rooms at a reasonable rate; the Lansdowne Club in Mayfair, with slick modern bedrooms and an historic public room where Benjamin Franklin negotiated the treaty which ended the Revolution and gave the US independence; the Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall, surprisingly the most magnificent club in London; and the Travellers Club in Pall Mall, with members including five British Prime ministers, Talleyrand, Prince Phillip and the Prince of Wales. There are about 60 active clubs in London (see Wikipedia.org’s “list of London’s gentlemen’s clubs”), so I have barely scratched the surface.

Some of the most amusing clubs are fictional. The Blades Club is the exclusive gambling and gourmet club frequented by James Bond, his boss M, and his nemesis Goldfinger. It is modeled on the real Boodle’s, where Ian Fleming was a member. The Diogenes Club is the home of Mycroft Holmes, genius brother of Sherlock Holmes. The main rule there is no talking or communications of any kind– three violations and you are expelled. One of the most famous fictional clubs is the Drones Club of Bertie Wooster and his man Jeeves. This whimsical club created by P.G. Wodehouse was based loosely on the Bachelor’s Club and Bucks, and features members with delightful names like Barmy Fotheringay-Phipps and Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright. Club activities include drinking, getting engaged and un-engaged to numerous young ladies, and staging the annual Fat Uncle Contest.

Clubs are almost by definition a bit quirky. Quirky dress codes usually include jacket and tie for men, and at least pants suits for women. Another oddity is the bedrooms—these are often small and un-refurbished. This is because these clubs started out as gentlemen’s retreats, where single men could collapse upstairs after a hard night of gambling and carousing. Always enquire carefully about the accommodations before booking. Food can vary – it is usually excellent for breakfast but often less good at lunch and dinner. The best bargain is at the Travellers, with dinner entrees only 9 to 10 pounds between 6 and 7 pm.

Many clubs have admitted women as members in recent years, but some have no female members and a few bar women entirely. Quirky or silly? – you decide.

The final quirk is, you need to have your own club fax a “letter of introduction” to the London club, in order to visit. To do this, you must be a member of a “reciprocal club,” such as a city, golf, university, alumni, faculty, country, yacht, military or other club that is part of a “reciprocal network” of clubs. If you are not in such a network, you can join a local club that is. See the Wikipedia.org “list of American gentlemen’s clubs,” with over 235 listings. Most of these admit women, and many have reciprocal networks with clubs in London and around the world.

If you would rather join your very own London club, consider the Royal Over-Seas League (ROSL), a non-profit organization with extensive arts, charitable and welfare activities. The League has 18,000 members and its Patron is Queen Elizabeth II. It has a large clubhouse with 80 modern bedrooms renting to members at rates lower than a comparable hotel in downtown London. For example, a double en suite costs from 165 to 185 pounds including VAT and continental breakfast.

Benefits include access to the ROSL clubhouses in London and Edinburgh, and numerous events, including church service at Westminster Abbey attended by the Queen, tea in the House of Lords, and a chance at tickets to the Chelsea Flower Show and Wimbledon. Membership for overseas (non-UK) residents is a modest 112 pounds per year with a 59 pound, one-time joining fee. The ROSL has 80 reciprocal clubs around the world, including nine in the US. For information see www.rosl.org.uk or contact ROSL, St. James St., London SW1A 1LR, 44 (0) 20 7499 6738.

If you prefer, you may be able to join one of the more exclusive London clubs. These usually have rates that are much lower for overseas members than for London residents. The Lansdowne Club will likely welcome foreign inquiries, and has a huge list of 250 reciprocal clubs. The overseas rate for a retired couple is 440 pounds for the entrance fee, and 225 for annual membership.

Enjoy the secret club life, and perhaps you too will become famous in fact and fiction!

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Lew Toulmin is a member of the Cosmos Club in Washington, DC, which has a reciprocal network of over 100 clubs around the world. He lives in Silver Spring,