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12
Aug 2021
End of an era: Harrogate working men's club folds after 108 years
Harrogate's National Reserve Club has formally closed after more than 100 years. The club was first registered as a working men's club on July 11, 1913.
The Harrogate National Reserve Club, East Parade, which has formally dissolved.
A Harrogate working men’s club has closed after more than 100 years.
The National Reserve Club, on East Parade near the town centre, formally dissolved with the Financial Conduct Authority at the end of July, according to recently published documents.
According to the FCA, the organisation had been registered as a working men’s club since July 11, 1913, when it was known as the Harrogate Battalion National Reserve of the West Riding of York Club.
However, a formal resolution was passed by members in October last year to dissolve the club.
The special resolution said:
“It is with a heavy heart I inform all members that the proposal to dissolve the club was a 93% unanimous decision in favour of the committee's recommendation from October 1, 2020.”
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The club, which had 28 members at the time of closing, donated its remaining cash to charity.
Although the closure of the National Reserve Club represents the end of an era, the district is still served by working men’s clubs.
Clubs are registered with the Club and Institute Union, which represents more than 1,600 societies across the country.
According to the CIU website, nine clubs are affiliated with the union in the Harrogate district.
In Harrogate itself, punters can find clubs in Oatlands, Starbeck, High Harrogate and Bilton.
The town also has the Londesborough Club on Bower Road and Harrogate Traders Hall on Westmoreland Street.
Knaresborough has two social clubs and Boroughbridge also has its own members’ club.
Meanwhile, Ripon has a Conservative club and Pateley Bridge has its own club on the High Street but these two are not affiliated with the CIU.
Look for an in-depth history of working men's clubs in Harrogate written by historian Malcolm Neesam this weekend on the Stray Ferret .
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