working men's club Archives - The Stray Ferret

Liquidators appointed for historic Harrogate club as conversion continuesFormer Harrogate working men’s club thriving in its 125th year

A former working men’s club in Harrogate is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year.

The Oatlands is bucking a decades-long nationwide trend that has seen many other similar clubs decline or close.

It has managed not just to survive but to thrive, with membership numbers topping pre-pandemic levels – and rising.

Founded on November 1, 1889, the club has earned its place as a vibrant part of the community through an ability to adapt with the changing times, and a proactive approach to investing in its facilities.

An ethos of inclusivity and a warm welcome has helped, too. Visit The Oatlands on any given day and you’ll find a mix of members. There are the older regulars who drop in for a drink and a chat at the same time every day. The cricket and football teams enjoying a post-match pint. Mums and kids popping in after school pick-up, and dog walkers stopping by for refreshment. Clubs and groups gathering for their weekly sessions.

It’s what the club is all about, said Lucy Hague, the secretary on the 11-strong committee.

“A lot of it is about our community using it. We are here: Come and use us. It’s great when we get new faces – we are really welcoming.”

Changing times

black and white image of a working men's club in harrogate

Oatlands Mount Working Men’s Club in 1967.

Across the UK, there has been an estimated 75 per cent drop in the number of working men’s clubs during the last half century. In Harrogate, the National Reserve Club closed in 2021, while High Harrogate WMC shut in February this year.

But instead of declining, The Oatlands’ membership is growing. From 888 members at the end of 2020, by the end of 2023 there were 1,158. Thirty joined last month alone. And members don’t just come from the local community. Some are from the other side of town and even as far as Leeds.

It’s a diverse membership, too, with men and women of all ages taking advantage of the bargain £10 annual fee. Many have life membership, automatically bestowed after 25 years. One has been a member since 1956.

A name change has been successful in enticing more people through the door. Originally called Oatlands Mount Working Men’s Club, a rebrand in 2019 aimed to dispel the ‘cloth cap image’ and reflect a more modern, diverse and welcoming ethos.

Other clubs in Harrogate have since followed suit, with Bilton ditching the reference in 2022 and Starbeck becoming Forest Club last year. Nationally, around 60 per cent of the clubs still in existence have changed their name.

Lucy, whose late father Ron Hague joined the club aged 16 and served as president in the 1990s, said:

“I remember when I was little, women weren’t allowed in here. Now we are getting a lot more ladies than we ever used to. Our vice president and bar manager are women. There is much better representation than in the past. Kids and dogs are also welcome. It’s a very mixed community.”

“It’s about our community using it”

The Oatlands committee: Gordon Selby, Lucy Hague, Brian Rhodes, Lesley Watson, Ivor Stainton, George Elmes, Rob Jackson, Mark Bowers, Simon Williams and David Dorsey. Absent, Andrew Milestone

The club’s facilities are varied. There’s a lounge, snug and bar area, where live sports matches are regularly televised. A large function room hosts special events such as comedy nights and live music, and can be hired by members free of charge for private celebrations.

On the first floor are two snooker tables, darts, a table tennis room and a meeting room. There’s even a beer garden, where summer barbecues and other outdoor events are held.

Led by members’ suggestions, the committee organises a range of activities, from children’s Halloween discos to charity fundraisers, quiz nights, and coach trips to the coast or the Christmas markets. Lucy said:

“A lot of what we do is about our community using us. There’s always been an issue with clubs like ours getting young people to join but we get all ages here. Young people come to use the pool and snooker tables. We recently held a Beyonce and Rhianna music night, and a lot of young girls came.”

Everyone at the club cares about it and wants to see it do well. The committee works hard to create a hub for the whole community, re-investing money to improve facilities and infrastructure. Over the last couple of years around £65,000 has been spent on refurbishing the toilets, revamping the outdoor space and improving accessibility, among other things. A redesign of the bar is up next.

Even the beer is good: For the second consecutive year, The Oatlands was this month named Club of the Year by the Harrogate & Ripon branch of Camra, the Campaign for Real Ale.

Bar manager Kate Shutt and assistant Elena Watson receive the Camra award from a branch representative.

In November members will be marking the club’s anniversary with a live band, comedy night and a buffet. Lucy said:

“We were worried during covid that things might take a turn for the worse but we’re doing better now than pre-pandemic. We are thriving, and it’s something to celebrate.”

Bid to convert High Harrogate Working Men’s Club to flats

Plans have been submitted to convert High Harrogate Working Men’s Club into two flats.

The club, which forms part of a three-storey building on Devonshire Place, has operated since 1901, according to planning documents sent to North Yorkshire Council.

The documents add the club, which last posted on Facebook on May last year, is currently closed.

It was granted permission in 2022 to convert the first and second floors into six flats while retaining and refurbishing the ground floor bar.

But a planning and heritage statement in support of the new application says “the continued public house / working men’s club facility within the building is now no longer considered to be viable”.

A planning document showing where the club is.

The statement highlighted a marketing exercise by Nationwide Building Sales. It said:

“This states that the costs of the approved refurbishment substantially outweigh the valuation of the completed bar and that any investment would not be protected in the property value should the business not be successful.

“Interested parties have been deterred by the costs of the refurbishment and NBS have not been able to progress a sale beyond the initial enquiries.

“Potential buyers were also unconvinced that the area warrants another new bar when the area is already saturated.”

The statement also refers to a viability and marketing report prepared by commercial property consultants Everard Cole in September last year, which said “poor trading performance and the provision of alternative facilities nearby” deterred buyers. It added:

“To refurbish the working men’s club, a capital expenditure of circa £600,000 to £750,000 would be required and this would not see a return sufficient to be viable, especially due to its out of town location.”

The planning documents do not give the name of the applicant but identify the agent as Nicholas Gallagher, of Leeds agents Nicholas and Nicholas Ltd.

The club, which is a registered society under the Cooperative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014, opened in a local public house before moving into 5 Devonshire Place.

You can view the planning documents on the council’s website here. Type in reference number ZC24/00704/FUL

Starbeck Working Men’s Club changes name in ‘family-friendly’ move

Starbeck Working Men’s Club (WMC) has become the latest social club in Harrogate to change its name.

Now known as the Forest Club, it was founded in 1901 and has played a pivotal role in community life ever since.

The newly rebranded club does everything the WMC did, but members felt they should move with the times and voted overwhelmingly to rebrand at the club’s annual general meeting back in April.

The club is working with the CIU (Club and Institute Union) to change the name officially by the end of the year, and in the meantime will be developing a new website, email and logo.

Club secretary Catriona Patterson said:

“People have an image of what a Working Men’s Club is, and we’re not that – we’re trying to distance ourselves from it.

“We want to be more family-friendly. We’ve got a large function room, which we’ve used for big family events such as the King’s coronation and a beach party on the August bank holiday.

“We’re planning to hold another big one on New Year’s Eve, with games for the children and a big screen showing the countdown live from London. People often struggle to get babysitters on New Year’s Eve, so this will allow the whole family to come out and celebrate.”

She said the name change was a response to a wider cultural shift that has seen many licensed premises – including Working Men’s Clubs – fall victim to the growing trend for home drinking, exacerbated in part by increases in beer duty. She said:

“Covid hit us hard, and habits changed – people just don’t go out as much as they used to – so we had to do something.

“There isn’t a Working Men’s Club in the country that isn’t struggling, and we need to attract younger members. A name-change will help bring us into a new era.”

But she stressed that the Forest Club was not about to lose touch with its roots as a Working Men’s Club with over a century of service to the community. She said:

“We’re rebranding our lounge as the Heritage Lounge, and we’ll be keeping all the old WMC memorabilia there. It’s an important part of our history, and we shouldn’t forget it.”

The Forest Club’s name change, which reflects its location in the ancient Forest of Knaresborough, is part of a wider trend. Last year, Bilton Working Men’s Club slimmed its name down to simply Bilton Club, and a few months later, High Harrogate Working Men’s Club on Skipton Road rebranded to High Harrogate Bar and Lounge.

Working Men’s Clubs were first created in the mid-19th century, predominantly in industrial areas outside the south of England, to provide recreation and education for working-class men and their families.

There are several in our district, including those in High Harrogate and Bilton, as well as Harlow Hill Club, Knaresborough WMC, The Oatlands, and Boroughbridge Social Club.

The Forest Club will be holding a Disco Inferno night of 70s, 80s and 90s disco classics – for members and non-members – on Saturday, October 28 from 7pm till late.

Harrogate Working Men’s Club set for major refurbishment and new name

High Harrogate Working Men’s Club on Devonshire Place is set to get a major refurbishment as well as a new name.

The WMC has been a part of the High Harrogate community since 1889 and it recently secured a loan from Co-operative & Community Finance to help secure its future.

The refurbishment will involve converting and extending the first and second floors to form six apartments.

The ground floor, first floor and the building’s exterior will be fully renovated.

The newly named High Harrogate Bar and Lounge will be able to space for judo, pilates and meditation classes as well as other indoor sports.

A modernised function room will also be available for events, parties and live music to help bring in extra revenue for the club.

A new website is also being created to help broaden the club’s appeal.

Plans for the renovation have been popular with locals. At the club’s last AGM around 80 members attended and unanimously expressed their support for the proposals.

Kevin Lloyd-Evans, lending and relationship manager at Co-operative & Community Finance said:

“We are delighted to be lending again to a Working Men’s Club. Being able to respond to access to finance challenges is paramount to our work. We support membership organisations which are democratically controlled and collectively owned. This is a brilliant start as we now look to support other Working Men’s Clubs across the country.”

Developers appeal Harrogate working men’s club flats plan

Developers behind plans to convert a former Harrogate working men’s club into flats has appealed a council decision to refuse the proposal.

The National Reserve Club, on East Parade, formally closed in July following a unanimous resolution from its members last year. It was also known as ‘The Nash’.

The organisation had been registered as a working men’s club since July 11, 1913, when it was known as the Harrogate Battalion National Reserve of the West Riding of York Club.

ID Planning, which submitted a plan to convert the club into flats on behalf of Ashleigh and Caroline Wells, said in its application that the scheme would provide a viable use for the building.

However, Harrogate Borough Council rejected the plan in May this year.

The council said in its refusal that the owner had not been able to prove that it was no longer viable before submitting planning permission.

Now, the developers have launched an appeal to the government’s Planning Inspectorate to challenge the decision.

It said in a statement to the planning inspector:

“Based on the assessment provided, it is considered that the reasons for refusal of the planning application given by Harrogate Borough Council are unfounded and the proposed development accords with all relevant local and national planning policy.”

A government planning inspector will make a decision on the appeal at a later date.

Demise of working men’s clubs

Working men’s clubs were once the heart of the community across the country but many have faced dwindling membership numbers with some forced to close.

The Nash never reopened after the first covid lockdown two years ago.

It had 28 members at the time and donated its remaining cash to charity.

However, other Harrogate clubs such as The Londesborough Club and Bilton WMC are still going strong.

Read Harrogate historian Malcolm Neesam’s history of the town’s working men’s clubs here.

Bilton Working Men’s Club decides on new name

Bilton Working Men’s Club is to be renamed Bilton Club in an attempt to broaden its appeal.

The club revealed last month it planned to change its name for the first time since it was founded in 1913.

Names such as The Bilton and The Club @Bilton were among those suggested.

But Alan Huddart, the club treasurer, said the choice of Bilton Club was almost unanimous and would probably come into effect at the start of July. He said:

“We want to make the club as inclusive as possible.”

The club has also appointed Phil Smith to the newly created post of manager.

Mr Huddart said Mr Smith, who previously managed Sports Direct in Harrogate, would be responsible for the day-to-day running of the club, which is on Skipton Road.

He will also be involved in moves to convert some of the unused space on the first and second floors into commercial and residential use.

Mr Huddart said the club was expecting “huge increases” in its energy bills and needed to find ways to generate more income.

Anyone can visit the club but members, who pay £10 to join and then an annual £10 fee, are entitled to 50p off the price of a pint. Membership costs half as much for seniors.

Plan to convert former Harrogate working men’s club into apartments

Plans have been submitted to convert a former Harrogate working men’s club into apartments.

The National Reserve Club, East Parade, formally closed in July following an unanimous resolution from its members last year.

The organisation had been registered as a working men’s club since July 11, 1913, when it was known as the Harrogate Battalion National Reserve of the West Riding of York Club.

Now, documents submitted by ID Planning to Harrogate Borough Council propose converting the building into two apartments.

According to the proposals, a three bedroom and two bedroom apartment would be built.

ID Planning, which has submitted the plan on behalf of Ashleigh and Caroline Wells, said in its plans that the scheme would help a viable use for the building.

It said:

“The proposed development offers an opportunity to secure a long-term, viable use for the building while delivering two dwellings in a highly sustainable, brownfield location.”

Harrogate Borough Council will make a decision on the plan at a later date.

Although the closure of the National Reserve Club represented the end of an era, the district is still served by working men’s clubs.

Clubs are registered with the Club and Institute Union, which represents more than 1,600 societies across the country.

According to the CIU website, nine clubs are affiliated with the union in the Harrogate district.

You can read an in-depth history on working men’s clubs in Harrogate written by historian Malcolm Ness for the Stray Ferret here.

Malcolm Neesam History: Harrogate’s thriving working men’s clubs

This week the National Reserve Working Men’s Club closed on East Parade after more than 100 years. It’s prompted celebrated Harrogate historian, Malcolm Neesam to look back at the birth and growth of Working Men’s Clubs in the district.

Harrogate’s first known club for working men was set up shortly after the 1841 Harrogate Improvement Act, which stimulated the town’s urbanisation, which in turn attracted numbers of working men to the town.

This club does not seem to have thrived, as the press for November 9, 1867 reported “…On Wednesday evening last, a grand amateur concert was given by members of the funds for liquidating the debt remaining on the late Working Men’s Club…” However, attitudes appear to have changed by the end of the century, and between 1899 and 1913 no fewer than eight working mens clubs sprang into existence in a remarkable burst of enthusiasm.

The first seems to have been the Oatlands Working Men’s Club, which first met on 16 October 1899 in Oatlands Board School, before moving into Florence House in Hookstone Road. By the 1960’s it had a membership of 420 men and 110 women. Then, a year later in 1900, Starbeck Working Men’s Club was founded, which had a high number of railway workers in its membership, which by the middle of the century had reached 1,250, including ladies. In 1901, the High Harrogate Working Men’s Club opened in a local public house before moving into no.5 Devonshire Place, and by the middle of the century, it had 682 members, including 200 women.

Step forward two years to 1903, when Trades Hall opened in Westmoreland Street, originally founded for members of Trade Unions only. By the middle of the century, this Club had a total of over 400 members, and the spacious building was thoroughly renovated a couple of years ago.

High Harrogate Working Men’s Club 1911

There is some uncertainty as to the founding date for the Londesborough Club, one source stating it was founded in 1911 as the Legion of Frontiersmen Club, the premises of which were in the Westminster Arcade, before the move to 19 and 12 Bower Road was made in c.1914. Another version has the club founded by workers at the Royal Baths. The name Londesborough was adopted in 1916, and at one time, only people whose fathers had been members were allowed to join.

Oatland’s Working Men’s Club 1967

The next working men’s club to be established was the Harlow Hill Working Men’s Club, which opened in 1912. Finally, April 12 1913 saw four detachments of the Harrogate Battalion of the National Reserve marching to East Parade for the opening of the National Reserve Club at 29 East Parade, the closure of which has just been announced. In its day, this Club had many distinguished members, such as Prince Christopher of Greece, and it would be fascinating to examine any archive the Club may possess. In this same year of 1913, the impressively Gothic building of 1868, located in Skipton Road, became home to Bilton Working Men’s Club, an institution which like so many of the above, continues to thrive.

In my short account of these clubs, I have ignored such special organisations at the political clubs, or the Home Guard Club, which are equally deserving of examination. The greatest change with all these clubs over the last century must be the increasing participation of ladies in their membership, which in some cases began earlier than some might have guessed.

Did you know that the Stray Ferret has teamed up with Malcolm to produce audio walking tours of Harrogate? The walks are sponsored by the Harrogate Business Improvement District (BID) and take you back to the Golden Age of the Harrogate Spa and a walk through the Commercial Heart of Harrogate. Why not take a walk back in time and learn about Harrogate’s glorious past. They’re easy to do and a great day out. For more information click here.

End of an era: Harrogate working men’s club folds after 108 years

A Harrogate working men’s club has closed after more than 100 years.

The National Reserve Club, on East Parade near the town centre, formally dissolved with the Financial Conduct Authority at the end of July, according to recently published documents.

According to the FCA, the organisation had been registered as a working men’s club since July 11, 1913, when it was known as the Harrogate Battalion National Reserve of the West Riding of York Club.

However, a formal resolution was passed by members in October last year to dissolve the club.

The special resolution said:

“It is with a heavy heart I inform all members that the proposal to dissolve the club was a 93% unanimous decision in favour of the committee’s recommendation from October 1, 2020.”

The club, which had 28 members at the time of closing, donated its remaining cash to charity.

Although the closure of the National Reserve Club represents the end of an era, the district is still served by working men’s clubs.

Clubs are registered with the Club and Institute Union, which represents more than 1,600 societies across the country.

According to the CIU website, nine clubs are affiliated with the union in the Harrogate district.

In Harrogate itself, punters can find clubs in Oatlands, Starbeck, High Harrogate and Bilton.

The town also has the Londesborough Club on Bower Road and Harrogate Traders Hall on Westmoreland Street.

Knaresborough has two social clubs and Boroughbridge also has its own members’ club.

Meanwhile, Ripon has a Conservative club and Pateley Bridge has its own club on the High Street but these two are not affiliated with the CIU.

Look for an in-depth history of working men’s clubs in Harrogate written by historian Malcolm Neesam this weekend on the Stray Ferret .

Changing times

“It’s about our community using it”

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Demise of working men’s clubs

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