WM Clubs in Sunderland area, long since gone!


I loved the clubs.

Great bands in the late 70's in the likes of Shiney Row club, Grindon Broadway, Steels, Downhill, Boilermakers, Doxy Park.

Footy, darts & doms, all had their teams, as well as the pigeon and dog lads.

Leek & gardening clubs were popular too. The "Broth" sessions after the Leek Shows were toppa.

Times indeed have moved on, thanks to the local industry being decimated in the 80's & 90's.

I would guess a lot of the SMB are too young to have appreciated how good an institution the clubs were.
đź’Ż %this
 
used to help out on the audits when I was a trainnee, was mint you'd always get a free pint or two and they'd either put a spread on or send you somewhere for dinner. Did most of Sunderland ones and quite a few all owa the north east
 
Nowt in the lounge.
My father used to be secretary at chevington comrades club in the 60s ,women were not allowed in the public bar area.If my mother wanted a drink she had to shout through to my father from the lounge or get her own.

They'd get called slags and told to piss off when they crept into the bar to tell their fella something in Redhouse club.

That place used to go up over nowt.

Ructions when they announced the pints were going up by a few pence. One of the committee men got filled in when he wouldn't turn the heating down when a bloke was saying his missus was too hot.
My local WMC is spot on.

Good beer, pool table, snooker tables, four massive flat-screen tellies on the walls that only show sport.

Bar and lounge were done out a few years back to give them more of a pub-like feel.

Massive changes to the rules around membership in recent times to try and get a younger crowd in.

It was always our starting point when we were young 'uns - four or five decent, cheap pints before heading into the town. This was every Friday, Saturday and most Sundays.

Nowadays, we only go in on a Friday and even then we alternate between other places - WMC, somewhere else, WMC, somewhere else, and so on.

It would be a huge miss if it closed.

Millview is always rammed.
 
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I loved the clubs.
Great bands in the late 70's in the likes of Shiney Row club, Grindon Broadway, Steels, Downhill, Boilermakers, Doxy Park.
Footy, darts & doms, all had their teams, as well as the pigeon and dog lads.
Leek & gardening clubs were popular too. The "Broth" sessions after the Leek Shows were toppa.
Times indeed have moved on, thanks to the local industry being decimated in the 80's & 90's.
I would guess a lot of the SMB are too young to have appreciated how good an institution the clubs were.

When i was serving my time in the yards i can remember the number of lads who used to put half days in on a Monday..the East End club was a popular destination for the domino handicap..Downhill Club for dominos and strippers.
Nowt in the lounge.


They'd get called slags and told to piss off when they crept into the bar to tell their fella something in Redhouse club.

That place used to go up over nowt.

Ructions when they announced the pints were going up by a few pence. One of the committee men got filled in when he wouldn't turn the heating down when a bloke was saying his missus was too hot.


Millview is always rammed.

It's not like..have a drive past about 9pm on a Friday or Saturday..absolutely dead..i went down a few times with me Dad on a Saturday about 7-8 years ago and even the concert room..as soon as the late bingo finished the place emptied.
 
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Still play the old wmcs quite often. Some are still thriving.

The ones that refused to move with the times went the journey. You have to make your club welcoming to younger people. See the Mill View Club, pool rooms, live sport on all the time, live music every single week. Loads happening. Decent prices. Money spent to keep it looking good. They are reasonably friendly as well.

Reasonably because they are still a WMC and have their ways :lol:
Mill View is very good but they have seven figures in the bank and could easily make it better. The number draw is ÂŁ25K every week and they must pay out over a grand on the bingo. Sport on all the tellies, tidy barmaids (some of them) and you could get hammered for twenty quid (they keep good beer as well).
 
It's not like..have a drive past about 9pm on a Friday or Saturday..absolutely dead..i went down a few times with me Dad on a Saturday about 7-8 years ago and even the concert room..as soon as the late bingo finished the place emptied.

It's always packed when I go past. You sure they're not all in another room busting moves at that time? Was chocka last night.
 
Could you turn the page and post another photo, I'm on the lookout for a bike.
Old fella goes into the echo office to place a death notice.
He tells the desk girl that his wife of 50 marvelous years has died and asks her how much does a classified ad cost?
The girl tells him - it's ÂŁ5 a word.
I've only got ÂŁ15 so I'll just have three words.
Mary Has Died.
The girl feels sorry for him and almost in tears she goes off to speak to the manager.
She returns and tells him the manager has said you can have 4 free words.
That's wonderful, I'm so grateful.
Mary Has Died. Ford Fiesta for sale.
 
Mill View is very good but they have seven figures in the bank and could easily make it better. The number draw is ÂŁ25K every week and they must pay out over a grand on the bingo. Sport on all the tellies, tidy barmaids (some of them) and you could get hammered for twenty quid (they keep good beer as well).

@Cheesy Feet ^ they'd not be throwing that sort of cash about if they weren't getting the punters in.
 
It's always packed when I go past. You sure they're not all in another room busting moves at that time? Was chocka last night.

Maybe but i got in the concert room with me Dad and his mates and come 10.15 there was a mass exodus for the last bus..it always seemed that the turns they had on were playing rock music that no one could dance round their handbags to..whenever i go past i always have look because i know the big group of lads who sit in front of the window..be lucky if there's 10 people in.
 
@Cheesy Feet ^ they'd not be throwing that sort of cash about if they weren't getting the punters in.

A mate of mine won the ÂŁ25,000 number draw last year..that million pound they've got in the bank is something that's been mentioned for ages..it was only a few years ago that they posted a loss for the first time in the clubs history.
 
When i was serving my time in the yards i can remember the number of lads who used to put half days in on a Monday..the East End club was a popular destination for the domino handicap..Downhill Club for dominos and strippers.


It's not like..have a drive past about 9pm on a Friday or Saturday..absolutely dead..i went down a few times with me Dad on a Saturday about 7-8 years ago and even the concert room..as soon as the late bingo finished the place emptied.
This is wrong...at 9pm on a friday or saturday you'll have at least a few hundred in.
 
Won't dispute that mind. But that's different to it not getting busy frequently marra.

But to be fair the room wasn't exactly packed anyway.
This is wrong...at 9pm on a friday or saturday you'll have at least a few hundred in.

Should've stated i was on about the bar..always looks dead...i haven't used it for ages but i've gone along the odd time to watch a match on BT Sport..by 9.30 the bars deserted.
 
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I never really went but looking back it is amazing a whole (well quite a few) community went to the same place on a Friday and Saturday.

It was at the heart of any estate. Brilliant concept that has died.

I was from Dawdon, had been drinking through the town from the age of 16, no chance of getting in the club, my dad took me in on my 18th Birthday, it was such a huge part of the community, no strippers at Dawdon Club, we had to come through the town for that :)
 
But to be fair the room wasn't exactly packed anyway.


Should've stated i was on about the bar..always looks dead...i haven't used it for ages but i've gone along the odd time to watch a match on BT Sport..by 9.30 the bars deserted.
Ahhh...even them I'm surprised.

The concert room holds 300+, then you've got the bar, the games room, the pool room, the snooker room, the lounge, the blue room (where all the folks having affairs go)...I'm sure I'm missing one. As a club the place is bouncing... I just think they could make one of the rooms a top notch sports bar in it's own right and get all the young 'uns in
 
Ahhh...even them I'm surprised.

The concert room holds 300+, then you've got the bar, the games room, the pool room, the snooker room, the lounge, the blue room (where all the folks having affairs go)...I'm sure I'm missing one. As a club the place is bouncing... I just think they could make one of the rooms a top notch sports bar in it's own right and get all the young 'uns in

That's kind of the key to it..i've been using it sparingly since about 1987 time..there was loads of young'uns got in then..but drinking habits have changed with the young'uns going out later.
 
I was from Dawdon, had been drinking through the town from the age of 16, no chance of getting in the club, my dad took me in on my 18th Birthday, it was such a huge part of the community, no strippers at Dawdon Club, we had to come through the town for that :)
Sure they advertised as “Caesar’s Palace of the North”
 

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