The Demise of the Workingmens Club

[Kitch]

A few more

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[maygo]

Like owt in life, if you stand still you get left behind

Sad to see the death of clubs, I cut my teeth supping round Redhouse in the club but haven't been in for years. Bet it hasn't changed a jot

 

[The Lads]

Strippers on a sunday morning were always a good laugh.

Just about the only time I ever went to a WMC was to see the strippers.Surprised they haven't been mentioned more in this thread!

 

[Le Chuck]

What a pile of shit.

WMC have been catering for younguns for years.

Have seen some great bands on local WMC over the years

Some might do & those ones will do well, but many don't

 

[sexymuffin]

I deal with a few of them in my job as well as some golf clubs which are ran by committee etc. The demise in lots of examples tends to be because they are ran by archaic systems by people with no financial acumen. The old members tend to be very stuck in their ways and not open to any change and new blood being brought in as they might lose their seat or the course might get busy. Sad times for some that have been around for over a century and don't have the ability to make a change without waiting for the next management meeting in 6 month.

 

[AndrewP]

We've just spent four grand doing ours up!

You cannit play snooker (50p), pool (50p) or darts in 'Spoons. They dinnit have a juke box (quid for five goes). Sky/BT sports (we can put different channels on different screens) not on in there. Dogs? Aye, most welcome in our place (got a supply of dog biscuits if it's peckish and a big watter bowl). How do we survive not selling four quid + pints?

Some spoons have Sky

 

[Lambchops]

Horses for courses indeed. I know I am not a young lad (48) but I like nothing better than sitting in the club with the old blokes having a chat, often a sing song, entering the domino handicap etc. Mind you, I can't f***ing stand women. I'm married, you see?

Im 36 mate and aways head to the club when im home. Beer is usually decent, lads sat with their dads/granda's, pisstaking over the doms, footy on the telly, shouts of 'fix' when the domino card is won, the meat draw, 5p a spin bandits.

 

[Le Chuck]

What exactly could clubs do to attract the younger generation? They offer alcohol,[/b] pool/snooker, darts, live sport etc.[/b]

Unless they have a separate room to accommodate this, they usually have to stop as soon as the bingo starts.
That Australian example posted earlier looks like the way forward.

 

[AndrewP]

Im 36 mate and aways head to the club when im home. Beer is usually decent, lads sat with their dads/granda's, pisstaking over the doms, footy on the telly, shouts of 'fix' when the domino card is won, the meat draw, 5p a spin bandits.

Does Shiney have a club anymore or do people go to Newbottle/Herrington instead?

 

[Voice of fair play]

Ok. Many have closed. But it's not just the last 5 year.

I'm 44. I remember lots of working men clubs thriving. Pubs too. They have been closed more than 20 years.

Murton - travellers, Demi club, legion club, karesbourough, colliery inn. All closed at the end of 80s to early 90s. Tough. Not enough money in the village.

It has been the same in Horden mate,but don't think down to not enough money.

Think it might have to do with other forms of enterainment mate,and changing times,not just about enough money,the days when men went to the pub most nights while the wife stayed in have gone,couples now go out for meals etc,good pubs that do meals seem to be striving,cinemas seem to get plenty of business too,and of course with the internet and Sky tv loads more choices than years ago,so guess I am saying many factors have contributed to the demise of the WMC,but think not all down to money

 

[AndrewP]

They'll probably have women clubs in few years time for them to go to while the men cook their tea.

 

[Ramshanker]

wmc are shit & boring, i await there death,its a good thing all round


or bobby thompson done his act , over & over & over .............

I don't normally rise to this on an Internet forum, but can I just say that you seem like a right twat

 

[Kitch]

No bingo,darts,pool or rock box in the Nash,that's why it's so popular with chaps of a certain age!

 

[Paddy O'Dors]

Some spoons have Sky

The one four hundred yards down the road from us doesn't, that's the only one I'm interested in. Only thing they sell that's cheaper than us is Carlsberg, and if our brewery supplied it (it doesn't) we still wouldn't sell it cos it's crap. Me mate gans in spoons and keeps telling me how wonderful it is cos they sell 10 different real ales, 5 craft beers and 10 different bottled lagers blah blah blah. Just like 75% of the punters in there he drinks nowt but the cheapest beer they sell (John Smiths in his case) and wouldn't touch any of the others with a shitty stick!

 

[AndrewP]

The one four hundred yards down the road from us doesn't, that's the only one I'm interested in. Only thing they sell that's cheaper than us is Carlsberg, and if our brewery supplied it (it doesn't) we still wouldn't sell it cos it's crap. Me mate gans in spoons and keeps telling me how wonderful it is cos they sell 10 different real ales, 5 craft beers and 10 different bottled lagers blah blah blah. Just like 75% of the punters in there he drinks nowt but the cheapest beer they sell (John Smiths in his case) and wouldn't touch any of the others with a shitty stick!

The main thing that puts me off clubs is the pissy ale. Why can't many keep a couple of real ales. Surely old men like real ale?

 

[humbug]

Living in East Durham - makes you realise how much disposable income was lost since the mid eighties. Pubs and clubs closed. I could list many in every pit village.

wingate is a good example.
from top to bottom you had-
the fir tree,
the top house,
the green door(club)
the crossings,
the vic,
the queens,
the consies(club)
the workmans(club)
the rafa club,
the corner house.
(the last 2 are in station town mind)
i used to drink in the workmans as a lad, used to love it. always good crack with the older lads.
it's a crying shame the way there's next to nothing left. wingate used to have a vibrant club/pub scene.

 

[Butcher's Coat]

The killing off of the shipyards, mines etc ended clubland

This 100% I'm afraid

 

[Paddy O'Dors]

The main thing that puts me off clubs is the pissy ale. Why can't many keep a couple of real ales. Surely old men like real ale?

Think real ale went out of fashion in the late 60's with the introduction of keg beer. It was non-existent when I first started gannin out in 1982. Only recently started being trendy again.

 

[Butcher's Coat]

Does Shiney have a club anymore or do people go to Newbottle/Herrington instead?

Shiney club shut years ago, was knocked down and there's houses there now.
They used to have some cracking bands on there every week in the late 70's.
Massive concert room, always packed out for top bands - the likes of Cirkus, Brass Alley etc etc.

 

[AndrewP]

Think real ale went out of fashion in the late 60's with the introduction of keg beer. It was non-existent when I first started gannin out in 1982. Only recently started being trendy again.

It's certainly more popular now but there's always been a market for it. It's popular now so you'd think clubs might think about selling a cask ale or two, maybe a dark and a light one?

Out of interest, when keg beer came in, did ale drinkers not notice it was fizzy piss in comparison?

Shiney club shut years ago, was knocked down and there's houses there now.
They used to have some cracking bands on there every week in the late 70's.
Massive concert room, always packed out for top bands - the likes of Cirkus, Brass Alley etc etc.

Aye, my mam and dad lived in the street next to it in the early 70s. They were always in before me and my brother were born.