The idea for the Bengal Club was conceived of in a meeting of notable Englishmen at the Town Hall of Calcutta in 1826, led by Lieutenant-Colonel (later Lieutenant-General) John Finch, son of the 4th Earl of Aylesford.

The club's original members included influential figures like Charles Metcalfe, Henry Thoby Prinsep and Sir Edward Ryan, along with senior military officials.

Two members were awarded the Victoria Cross: army doctor Arthur Martin-Leake (the first person to have received the honour twice) and Sir Reginald Graham.

[21] According to Macalpine, the club's other milestones in the 20th century included its designation as a public air raid shelter and medical aid post during the Second World War; the grant of honorary membership to around 1,200 armed forces personnel stationed in Kolkata during different phases of the War (above the rank of Lieutenant-colonel); the admittance of Indian members (in 1959); the allowance of women inside the club's premises (initially in fits and starts, and eventually without restriction in 1967); the receipt of valuable paintings and artefacts (gifted by club members and presidents); and visits by many notable dignitaries and public figures.

The 1934 Nepal–India earthquake apparently caused great damage to the club's building and necessitated costly repairs, while a large number of expensive renovations were also undertaken in successive decades.

Macalpine claims that the club's revenues were further dented by strikes by "menial" staff motivated by "anti-British" sentiment, and various excise, prohibition and labour laws.

[25] The international press has provided a similar description of the club, variously referring to its menus, decor, artworks, dress codes and waiters' uniforms.

[31][32] One visitor from that period, John Fletcher Hurst, described the club as "a delightful resort" with "spacious and beautiful" bedrooms and a well-stocked library.

[24] In the present century, the Bengal Club has hosted well-known authors and scholars as part of a "Library Talk" series, such as Nobel laureates Amartya Sen,[102][103] Ben Feringa,[104] Abhijit Banerjee[105][106] and Esther Duflo;[107] authors Amitav Ghosh[108] and Jeffrey Archer;[109] postcolonial theorist Gayatri Spivak;[110] and economist Kaushik Basu.

[111] The club also organises an annual lecture in the memory of Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, delivered by a former international cricket captain.

Past speakers have included Imran Khan, Brian Lara, David Gower, Greg Chappell, Sir Clive Lloyd, Kapil Dev, Mike Brearley, Courtney Walsh and Sourav Ganguly.

[115] In the 1880s, the club's membership was, by contrast, described as comprising "chiefly barristers, merchants, and bankers, with a sprinkling of civilian and military men.

[117][118] During Metcalfe's presidency, the noted editor JH Stocqueler was controversially expelled from the club for writing articles criticising a fellow member (a senior military official).

[118] Bharati Ray writes that the early generation of Indian Bengal Club members "were either educated in the United Kingdom or trained in British corporate ethics.

[125] In 1968, Dorab Pestonjee Maneckjee Kanga, a senior corporate executive and member of the Parsi community, became the first Indian president of the club.

[126] A number of well-known Parsis subsequently became president, such as CR Irani and Dara Pirojshaw Antia, as did a prominent member of India's Armenian community, Pearson Surita.

In 1910, following the Minto–Morley Reforms, Sir Guy Fleetwood Wilson hosted an important dinner for rulers of princely states appointed to the Imperial Legislative Council.

[134] In 1934, Aga Khan III dined at the club as a guest of Sir Edward Benthall, a Member of the Bengal Legislative Assembly and former Governor of the Imperial Bank of India.

[139] It has also been claimed that Ernest Richard Hartley, a British businessman and father of the actress Vivien Leigh, was effectively expelled from the club after marrying her mother, a woman of Anglo-Indian descent.

Macalpine writes that an extraordinary general meeting of the club was held in 1959, where "an overwhelming majority of members voted conclusively" to amend the policy, amidst "pressure from outside".

[145] In August 1959, the Home Minister of India, Govind Ballabh Pant, informed Parliament that the Bengal Club had "recently admitted some Indians as members.

[149] In contrast, W. Somerset Maugham claimed in a memoir that Prince Azam Jah had said to him: "In the Bengal Club at Calcutta they don't allow dogs or Indians".

[151] In several novels and short stories, the club has been mentioned in a humorous or ironic way, as a meeting place for eccentric aristocratic gentlemen.

Farrell,[152] A Division of the Spoils by Paul Scott,[153] A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth,[154] Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh,[155] and Bribery, Corruption Also by H.R.F.

[157] Books like No Full Stops in India by Sir Mark Tully[158] and Calcutta: Two Years in the City by Amit Chaudhuri[159] provide both a more modern and personal description of the club.

In Bengali literature, Satyajit Ray referred to the club in three short stories, The Acharya Murder Case,[160] Ashamanja Babu's Dog[161] and Gagan Chowdhury's Studio.

[163][165] The club also holds a sizeable collection of silverware (including rare sporting trophies from British India) and antique clocks.