
The Secunderabad Club located in
Secunderabad
Secunderabad () is a twin cities, twin city of Hyderabad and one of the six zones of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Telangana. It is the headquarters of the South ...
is one of the five oldest clubs in India, the oldest club being the
Bengal Club of
Calcutta
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...
. The club was established on 26 April 1878 and was originally known as the Secunderabad Public Rooms. The club was earlier located somewhere near where Tivoli cinema is located today. The building where the club is located today was a hunting lodge gifted by
Salar Jung. In 1888 it was renamed as the United Services Club and in 1903 it was subsequently renamed as Secunderabad Club. It shared its membership with many
freemasons
Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...
of the nearby
The St. John's (Secunderabad). The Main Club house was given a
heritage status in 2017.
The earliest records state that this Club was formed by the
British Army
The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
Garrison
A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters.
A garrison is usually in a city ...
s that were stationed in Secunderabad under an agreement with the 3rd Nizam -
Sikandar Jah. The club was earlier known as Secunderabad Garrison Club, the Secunderabad Gymkhana Club, and the United Services Club. The club moved to its current location in March 1903.
During the late 19th century, the name of Garrison Club was changed to United Services Club representing the membership from all parts of the services. The Club was no longer an army club and it served all the services represented by the British.

Until 1947, the club only Britishers were allowed to be its president and a few high-ranking nobility from Hyderabad were offered membership.
The first Indian who became the president of the club was
Major General El Edross who was the commander-in-chief of the Hyderabad State Forces. After Hyderabad State joined Indian Union in September 1948,
General Choudary who was then the Military Governor of Hyderabad State, became the President for a few months. Later Mirza Najaf Alikhan an ICS Officer was elected as the President of the Club in 1948.
The club used to have a Golf course at
Bolarum
Bolarum( Telugu :బొల్లారం ) is a locality in Secunderabad in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It is in the Hyderabad Metropolitan Region. The distance from Bolarum to Secunderabad is 10 km.
Demographics
As per the Census 2001 ...
and a Sailing Club as annexes to the Main Club which was nearly in area. The Golf Club was eventually taken over by the Indian Army in 1983 after the expiry of the lease period.
The Sailing Annexe is located at
Hussain Sagar lake and is one of the oldest sailing clubs in India.
The
Hyderabad Sailing Week is organised every July.
In the early hours of the 15th of January, 2022, a massive fire completely gutted the 144-year-old historic main building.
The club's Colonnade Bar, billiards room and the administration office are among the structures that were destroyed in the fire.
The fire is believed to have started in the barroom between 12 and 1 am, and by 3 am, when seven fire tenders were rushed the entire building was on fire. Initial attempts by some club staff to put out the fire did not help with the liquor stores of the club also catching fire.
See also
*
List of India's gentlemen's clubs
References
External links
*
*
{{Coord, 17.45265, N, 78.49780, E, display=title
Gentlemen's clubs in India
Buildings and structures in Secunderabad
Culture of Hyderabad, India
Sport in Secunderabad
1878 establishments in British India
Heritage structures in Hyderabad, India