The story of Radstock Working Men’s Club begins at Victoria Hall in 1866. The story of Radstock House reaches back even further. In 1954 the two came together — and the club has been here ever since.
Radstock Working Men’s Club traces its roots to the Working Men’s Institute established at Victoria Hall in 1866. Radstock House, meanwhile, was already one of the town’s principal residences and appears on the Waldegrave map of 1759.
Rather than force those histories into one straight line, the timeline below follows them separately until the Coombs family sold Radstock House in 1954 and it became the club’s new home.
Club history on one side; the story of Radstock House on the other. Both are part of the history of the place we know today.
From Victoria Hall to an established club in Radstock.
Bath & North East Somerset records the original building on the Victoria Hall plot as the Working Men’s Institute. This is the starting point of the club story we trace today.
B&NES Victoria Hall history ↗
The enlarged building added a Reading Room, Snooker and Refreshment Rooms on the ground floor and a Meeting Hall above — a useful glimpse of the social life the building was designed to support.
The building was adapted for council use, adding another chapter to Victoria Hall’s place in Radstock while the club’s own story continued.
By 1914 the organisation is recorded by the name Radstock Working Men’s Club, with Arthur Wilcox named as secretary.
View the scanned directory page ↗The league was formed at the Red Lion in Paulton by eight teams. Radstock Working Men’s Club was one of them, alongside the Railway in Radstock and clubs and pubs from Paulton, Midsomer Norton, Clandown and Farrington Gurney.
Paulton & District Skittle League history ↗The Somerset Guardian and Radstock Observer reported a trophy presentation to club members in February 1942, naming J. E. Paget as chairman — evidence of an active sporting and social club through the war years.
British Newspaper Archive record ↗A prominent town-centre residence long before it became the club.
The conservation-area appraisal identifies Radstock House as one of the town’s two principal residences and records it on the Waldegrave estate map of 1759.
B&NES Radstock Conservation Area appraisal ↗Historic England describes the building as mainly late 18th century, probably incorporating an older structure. The listing also records its symmetrical rendered front, slate roof and a late-18th-century top-lit staircase.
Historic England listing ↗
Radstock House later became the home of brewer George Coombs. The Coombs family was closely connected with the town: George Coombs is credited with rebuilding the Bell Inn and was behind the Market Hall, while the family’s brewing business became part of Radstock’s commercial story.
Radstock Museum: Market Hall history ↗
George Coombs sold one of the house’s orchards for a detached Station Master’s house. After the GWR station closed, that house was demolished and the new library was built on the site.
B&NES Radstock Conservation Area appraisal ↗The grounds behind and beside the house included a detached gardener’s cottage and two cottages fronting Wells Hill. The conservation-area appraisal notes that the two Wells Hill cottages still survive.
B&NES Radstock Conservation Area appraisal ↗The National Heritage List records the building now known as the Working Men’s Club as Grade II. The official entry notes that it was previously listed as Radstock House.
National Heritage List entry ↗The Coombs family sold Radstock House in 1954 and it became the home of Radstock Working Men’s Club. More than seven decades later, the club is still here.
B&NES Radstock Conservation Area appraisal ↗From this point the history of the club and the history of the house become the same story.
The story did not stop when the club moved. Surviving records and photographs give us glimpses of club life across the decades since.
Local footballer Eric Doughty later recalled joining Radstock Working Men’s Club in 1964. His memories included the many dances held at the club, and he would go on to serve the club for more than five decades.
Read Eric Doughty’s memories in the Midsomer Norton & Radstock District Journal ↗Seven years after joining, Eric became Club Treasurer in 1971. He later served as Club Secretary, continuing a long period of service to Radstock Working Men’s Club.
Historic England’s archive holds a digital photograph of Radstock House / Working Men’s Club taken on 21 August 2002 by Arthur A. Chapman as part of the national Images of England survey.
View the 2002 archive photograph at Historic England ↗ The archive photograph is copyright © Mr Arthur A. Chapman, so we link to the original rather than reproduce it here.Eric Doughty retired as Club Secretary in 2018 after decades of involvement with the club. He was succeeded by Andrew Fry, continuing the club’s long tradition of member-led management.
After three months without the normal social life of the club, the team prepared Radstock House for reopening with distancing, table service and safety measures. Club Secretary Andy Fry summed up the determination simply: “we will re-open because our members expect us to.”
Read the 2020 Nub News report ↗Radstock House is still home to the club, with live entertainment, televised sport, two pool tables, skittles, a bar and a function room used for celebrations and community events. The surroundings have changed, but the basic idea has lasted: a local place to meet and spend time together.
See the club todaySome of the smaller facts are the ones that make the story feel real.
Radstock Working Men’s Club was one of the original eight teams when the Paulton & District Skittle League began in 1933.
Radstock House was Grade II listed in 1950. The club did not take over the building until 1954.
Part of the Radstock House orchard was sold for the Station Master’s house; the later library ultimately occupied that site.
Arthur Wilcox is the earliest named club official currently traced in our published sources.
We have built this page from published local-history, archive, directory and heritage sources. Where an archive image is not licensed for reuse, we link to the original rather than copy it.
