A CENTURY and a half after a working men’s club was set up as a friendly place for labourers in the mean streets of Victorian Walthamstow, its members are celebrating its survival.
Walthamstow Working Men’s Club, which members claim is the oldest surviving in the country, was founded in 1862 by Lord Henry Solly, who lived in the town and founded the Club and Institute Union, with the aim of educating the working classes and freeing them from alcoholism.
The club’s president, David Huddle, 68, said: “He was a temperance man and he came down to London to work in the City.
“He was residing in Walthamstow in the 1860s, when it was not much larger than a large village.
“He realised there were a lot of good workers in the area and that they didn’t have anything to do other than frequent the pubs and gin houses – there was a lot of alcoholism.
“He decided to open the club as a leisure place. He formed a library, a games room and a discussion room.”
The club has been running ever since and its building behind shops in the High Street has been used for several decades.
“We try to keep it in the same format,” said Mr Huddle. “Although it’s still temperance-based, we do allow a few people who are down in the evenings to bring a can of beer or something.”
Another tradition the club has kept up is restricting the gender of its members.
“We’ve never had any women members, which my wife says is totally politically incorrect,” said Mr Huddle. “We’ve never had any calls for women.
“It’s just one of those things from the club’s history. We’re not against (women joining).”
The club is restricted to 50 members, who can also visit other working men’s clubs across the country and the club also welcomes visitors from other areas.
“I used to work as a carpenter and joiner and do all sorts of posh joinery around the country in mansion houses,” said Mr Huddle.
“If you’re working in a district like Newcastle and you don’t know anyone, you can go into a club and they make you pretty welcome.”
He said the club was strong financially because it owned several shops in the High Street and could depend on the income from leases.
“This is where a lot of clubs are finding it hard, because they rely on members drinking in bars and all that,” he added.
Membership of the Walthamstow club, which includes two of Mr Huddle's sons, is currently full.
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