Yorkshire retro: 30 nostalgic photos capture golden years of working men's clubs in the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s

Founded by a teetotaller to ‘improve’ the working man and keep him away from the pub, they went from strength to strength, albeit by moving away from their edifying roots to offer a winning combination of cheap booze, bingo, music and comedy.

At their peak, in the 1970s, there were some 4,000 working men’s clubs across Britain.

They provided great entertainment, with some of the country’s top musicians and comedians touring venues on the clubland scene.

But they were also a vital place for communities to come together, showing their worth particularly during times of crisis, like the miners’ strike.

Rising costs and growing competition from home entertainment have contributed to a major decline, with the number of working men’s clubs reportedly more than halving since the 70s.

Many clubs have bucked the trend and are still going strong, however, attracting top bands which play to packed houses each week.

This retro photo gallery takes you back to the golden age of working men’s clubs in Yorkshire, during the 60s, 70s, 80s and into the 90s.

The nostalgic images show packed concert rooms, WMC teams battling it out on the football pitch, friends catching up over a game of pool or snooker,

Among the clubs pictured is Shiregreen WMC, where the finale of hit 1997 film The Full Monty was famously filmed before a live audience.

As well as ordinary punters, a royal visitor is seen meeting members at one club, while rock royalty in the form of Def Leppard are shown unveiling a plaque at the scene of a legendary gig.

Do these photos bring back any memories for you of happy times spent at your local working men’s club?

If you enjoyed this trip down memory lane, you might like this look back at life around Yorkshire during the early 70s.