Surprisingly, the number of club licences was on the increase. Growing by almost 13% over the course of the decade. What were these new clubs? I’d really like to know, because I don’t think new workingmen’s clubs were being formed.
I frequented clubs a little. Not the dancey type of club, but the workingmen's sort.
When I first starting drinking, clubs were this mysterious, closed-off world. Inaccessible, just like pubs had been in my early teenage years.
Clubs remained alien when I first started visiting pubs. That all changed in my second year at university. Some of my friends had moved to Chapeltown. Into a house directly opposite the Trades Club.
My friends realised that the student union was affiliated to the Clubs and Institutes Union (CIU). As were most working men’s clubs. Meaning we could go and play on their snooker tables. There being fuck all tables outside clubs then.
The draught beer was crap. But they had Guinness. Because of the large West Indian contingent in the clientele. We could hear the thwack of every domino they smacked down.
Old political allegiances meant that inner city Leeds had many Liberal clubs. When I lived on Burley Road, there was a club not that far away called, funnily enough, The Burley Road Liberal Club.
We used our CIU cards to get in to play snooker. Often enough that at one point they asked: “Do you want to become members, lads?” Which is what we did.
There was an obvious Scottish & Newcastle tie. But they had hand pulls serving Younger’s IPA and No.3. Of course, I drank the latter. Being dark and vaguely Mild-like. Now, knowing more of Scottish brewing practice, I suspect No. 3 was just IPA with added caramel.
We mostly went to the club to play snooker. But, of course, we’d have a couple of pints to accompany the game. They looked after the beer pretty well. And I’ve always had a soft spot for Younger’s No. 3.
As an American I'm really confused by the differences between pubs and clubs, so please excuse my ignorance. I'd sort of assumed clubs involved licensing for live music, but now it sounds like you could just go and drink like in a pub?
ReplyDeleteWas it a legal distinction? Was there a cover charge or membership required? Were there clubs which were essentially indistinguishable from pubs except for what might be on tap? And for that matter were there pubs back then which also played live music?
Anonymous: To enter a club you have to be a member or an affiliated club (CIU) member. My last British club was in the 70s, as covered by Ron's article here. Then I migrated to Australia.
DeleteYou could sign guests in, for example family members or friends.
I think there was an annual fee called a sub but my memory fails me.
Quite sports oriented, they had a basic restaurant, domino's night, darts and nowadays of course big screen sports.
And music nights with bands.
My old club west of Newcastle upon Tyne is still going strong:
https://www.facebook.com/blucherclub/
Here in Australia we have literally thousands of almost identical clubs but based on Returned Services League, (like your veterans), Lawn Bowls Clubs and various sports oriented clubs. Here's my local:
https://cluboldbar.com.au/
As with the UK there's a common attitude that pubs are mainly for people who they won't let into clubs!!
There were several large breweries set up to supply clubs. The South Wales and Monmouthshire Crown Brewery based at Pontyclun, still going until the early 70s but living in Cardiff I never tried their product that seemed to be restricted to the Valleys.
ReplyDeleteThe Yorkshire Clubs Brewery, which was taken over by the Federation brewery on Tyneside and closed in 1975.
http://breweryhistory.com/wiki/index.php?title=Yorkshire_Clubs_Brewery_Ltd
The good old Federation brewery, I was a member of a couple of Tyneside CIU clubs and their Federation Special on tank was pretty good, definitely smoother and richer than Newcastle Exhibition. Around 1042? They also did real ales. Probably for small clubs that didn't have tanks. As an underage drinker in the late 60s I went to a few parties where they had a cask of Fed delivered, I remember the floaty hops in the glass, so clearly cask hopped!!
They did a light old men's ordinary bitter that got referred to as "Scotch" by the oldies, despite being very pale. Plus a sort of Newky Broon lookalike.
Another innovation, they put out a series of canned beers that you could buy on the free trade. Even as late as 2000 they were still supplying the odd pub and branched out into a strong Stella strength lager on keg, and others.
Then Scottish and Newcastle bought them out and moved to the site then eventually moved all its production to Tadcaster, and end of an era. Sad.
A number of Dublin pubs are thinking of having their own brewery.
DeleteOscar
@anonymous
ReplyDeleteIn the US, clubs were a part of the drinking culture, even into the 70s. After prohibition, by-the-drink alcohol was restricted in many jurisdictions, and clubs provided a workaround. In around 1980 we were visiting friends in the Pennsylvania countryside. Bars were forced to close on Sunday (meaning Saturday at midnight). Late Saturday evening, we were taken to a volunteer firehouse bar (a "club") that was jumping.
In Liverpool lots of religion-aligned clubs as well, subsidised by the church/ parish. Bar for socialising and snooker, big room for the acts (organist before the main singer or comedian - or both if you're lucky!) and bingo in the intermission. Keg beer only, in my experience. Outings for pensioners. Lots of lame on stage. Same rules about membership and signing in etc.
ReplyDeleteIreland has a couple of Working Men’s clubs.
ReplyDeleteOscar
Thanks to all for the background. That helps clarify things.
ReplyDelete