The establishment of a students' union was recognised with the construction of the north building of Beit Quad in 1910-11 designed by Sir Aston Webb.

The original idea for the building came from Sir Arthur Acland, a member of the governing body, who saw the need for a place for students to congregate and develop a collegiate social life.

[13] Imperial College Union has a large number of student-led clubs, volunteering projects and societies (known as CSPs), with over 400 in total.

Imperial College also owns a mountain hut in Snowdonia, Wales, which it lets clubs use free of charge.

The RCS Motor Club looks after Jezebel Dennis I which is a 1916 Dennis N-Type Fire Engine, the RSM Motor Club looks after Clementine Morris II which is a 1926 Morris T-Type one-tonne truck and Team Bo' looks after Boanerges II and Derrick I which are a 1902 James and Browne Veteran Car and a 1926 Ner-a-car motorcycle respectively.

[citation needed][tone] Currently, the Union owns a fleet of 2 Peugeot Boxer and 2 Ford Transit minibuses as well as a Volkswagen Amarok pick-up truck all of which are available for clubs to hire.

Both of the transits have aftermarket roof racks and one of them is converted to a 9 seater minibus to accommodate trips to continental Europe while the Amarok has a tow bar for CSPs that require one.

For example, in Felix Issue 985[16] from January 1994 it was noted that a minibus was involved in a hit-and-run incident over the previous Xmas break.

This same minibus was also involved in an accident over the summer holiday of 1993 and it was since found abandoned and burned out although it wasn't entirely certain if the number plates had been swapped and used on a different vehicle.

It later transpired in Felix Issue 987[17] that the ownership of the vehicle had reverted back to the insurers and the remains were sold on to a salvage merchant.

The source of the recall was the brake pipes in all Peugeot Boxers manufactured between 2016 and 2019 potentially not meeting or conforming to safety requirements and questions were being asked about whether the Union had competent enough permanent staff members in its Student Activities Team to look after such a fleet.

The Union also runs the Reynolds Bar situated in Charing Cross Hospital, largely frequented by the students of Imperial College School of Medicine, and h-bar in Sherfield Building on the South Kensington campus, primarily advertised towards the postgraduate cohort.

The bar boasts Guinness and Stella Artois Cidre on tap and also has a small selection of bottled ales and ciders.

The bar television almost exclusively shows The Big Bang Theory, and there is a small stereo in the main room which students can hook up to their own musical collections if desired.

The Union's kitchen received a food standards rating of 2/5 following an inspection in August of that year by a local council Environmental Health Officer (EHO).

The officer found mice in the bar and cockroaches in the kitchen which managed to get in via cracks around the edges in the buildings as a result of age.

This whole ordeal only came about to the Union's full attention as a result of a complaint submitted due to alleged racist comments on a WhatsApp group chat used by bar staff members to discuss work related topics.

The majority of performances are put on by the student societies of Imperial College, ranging from serious drama through to Gilbert & Sullivan Marathons.

In early 2015, the Dramatic Society installed a considerable amount of new cabling which will make the venue even more useful to anyone who wishes to use it.