Royal Ocean Racing Club

Royal Ocean Racing Club has occupied 20 St James's Place since December 1941, when the club's previous Pall Mall premises were destroyed in the Blitz. The Georgian terrace house, listed Grade II and largely refronted in the early twentieth century, was formally opened as the club's London home in July 1942 by King Haakon of Norway. The freehold was acquired in 1950, and the clubhouse later expanded into the neighbouring No. 19 to form a single building.

Founded in 1925 after a race to the Fastnet Rock and granted royal recognition by King George V in 1931, RORC remains the principal organiser of offshore yacht racing in Britain, with more than 4,000 members worldwide. Its St James's clubhouse holds sixteen en-suite bedrooms, a dining room serving a weekly-changing menu, and a bar, alongside four rooms available to hire: the Jolie Brise Room for meetings and private dining, the Fastnet Room for smaller drinks receptions, the Dining Room itself for private parties, and the Bar for larger receptions. Green Park and the Ritz sit a short walk away.

Enquiries for meetings, private dining or receptions are handled directly by the House Manager.