HISTORY OF THE CLUB
Banff is a town that received its charter from Robert the Bruce in 1324 and is the old county town of Banffshire. The town enjoyed considerable growth in the 1700s and features many Georgian townhouses and buildings.
The Town and County Club was incorporated in 1881 by a group of locally-based people mostly drawn from the high-end of Banff society. Through the act of subscription the committee was able to raise the money to purchase the original premises for the club in Banff at 6 South Castle Street (now known as Castle Street). At the inception of the club there were three classes of membership:
Life Members tended to be more aristocratic; Local Members were mostly drawn from the middle class of the town and Reading Members paid to have access to the club’s library.
There is now only one type of membership: Full Member (male or female).
At this point the social club did not have a licence to serve alcohol.
In the 1930s the club applied for a licence, a move which precipitated a large number of resignations from the board. The club also moved into the current premises, the sizeable townhouse on Boyndie Street.
Although the club enjoyed a boom in membership during the Second World War, due to the nearby airbase, by the 1950s it came close to dissolution. However it survived this scare and is an important institution in the town today. It still has a restaurant and bar, a bowling green and snooker rooms for members. In the past it has housed various other social clubs, and even meetings of the former Banff Town Council.
Extracted from Oldest Scottish Companies, with help and thanks to James Gifford
