Working Men's, Sports and Social clubs

The Stanton Club was a working mens club but there was a club on the corner of Cambridge St/Stoney Stanton Road which was the Transport Club and was a private members club for the Coventry Transport employees. It is now an a restaurant/fast food outlet - like we need another one of those! As far as I know that Stanton club is still there but I think it is now a private club On the subject of club outings, as my dad was a member of a few WMC's I seem to remember that it didn't seem to matter which club outing we went on, we always went to either Drayton Manor or Wicksteed Park. Did Coventry WMC's have a discount thing going with these parks or was it just that back in those days there just wasn't the places to go.

I remember going to Wicksteed Park and Drayton Manor, but also remember going to Skegness a couple of times.

A bit of both I think? It may also have been that both were able to provide excellent fish and chip dinners for large parties. (Best I've ever tasted ).

I turned up for a lecture in what was called D block only to find it was a cupboard with no chairs, tables or even any sort of blackboard or overhead projection screen!

I remember the Gas Working mens Club directly oposite the Gas Works main entrance next to A L Dunn and Co. I can remember the building being destroyed by fire about 1964ish another club was opened to replace it (though I'm not sure if that was before or after the fire) a little further up the road, the oposite end of the row of shops oposite Arbury Avenue and next door to The Foleshill Social Club. It was one of my Uncles that was the first Steward in the new club which in fact is still one of the few coventry clubs that is still surviving.

Hi & welcome Tomo I knew some of the folk from the Gas club in Abbots lane, but even that is going back thirty years or so. I hope you have a happy time with us on here

My dad was a member of several clubs in the 50s and 60s. The Brassworkers Club in King St was next to the Coachmakers Club. I remember the Brassworkers as having a very quiet atmosphere, rather like a London gentlemen's club with highly polished furniture and a billiard room lined with cases of stuffed specimen fish. The club premises were demolished, I believe, and relocated to Middleborough Road off the Radford Rd. There were quite large cash tombola prizes on Fridays and Sundays at the new club. Dad was also a member of the Royal Naval club in Lincoln St off the Foleshill Rd. In those days working men's club members smartly turned out, normally wearing suit or blazer with white shirt and tie and a certain standard of behaviour was expected. There was often great entertainment available at weekends with comedians and singers, usually with subsidised drinks and buffet food laid on. There were many snooker and darts leagues and outings and parties organised. The only disadvantage I can remember was the very smoky atmosphere of most clubs, the air was literally blue with cigarette smoke which is why I rarely visited "the club" with my dad in later years. Ironically the smoking ban is one of the main reasons given for the decline of clubs and pubs now but I personally believe that pubs find it difficult to compete with a 40 inch TV and cheap drink in the fridge in your own home.

I went to the Radford Club with my parents in the mid 60s.I only 15 or 16, so not allowed to play bingo or drink of course. A blind eye was turned as I should not have really been let in but my dad used buy the doorman a couple of pints. I felt so grown up, plenty of talent to eye up too.

My mother was a member of the Brassworkers Club (in Middleborough Road) and played in their darts team. She was friends with a very nice lady called Norah Porter and I still have a pairs trophy engraved with their names. Mum was the reason I started playing darts, she made it look easy and I thought "I can do that". I am still playing 47 years later although my skills are very much diminished.

Cox Street Working Mens Club. Does anyone have any info of its history and founding please as I have been told my grandfather and either his son or brother were involved in founding it.

Hello to you both andy and mayjan, I wonder if you remember a group called The Barry James Trio. The dad was the leader and his two sons formed the group. The mother was the manager, well she sorted the money (no change there then). I used to organise the GPO Dinner Dance every year at the Berkeley Hotel and then the Royal Court Hotel. Have to say this, the owner Mr Kilpatrick was a bit of a hard man to deal with but did he know how to put on a show. It maybe that you remember them playing there. Regards. Colin

Going off topic for a moment, this guy Kilpatrick he is a self made man. He started with a pork and stuffing batch shop in Ford Street, he had two Irish woman serving and always had a big pork joint in the window steaming away and the shop was always packed with people and as you say he knew how to draw people in.

Funnily enough I remember the steamer in the window. It was a feature of many diners in the Pool Meadow area.

Andy, was he the drummer?

What a small world! I was an 18 year old wine waiter in the ballroom back in the very early 1980s when the Barry James Trio were playing. If I remember correctly Barry had a beard? I used to work Wednesday, Friday & Saturday evenings & had a great time as virtually everyone who worked there was the same age. I played golf with the band on several occasions & was one of the people in the band going out with a girl from behind the bar? John