SALON NO.127: Class Culture - London's Working Mens' Clubs + Gardens

Neglected worlds of the city's social history

7.00pm Thursday 25th September 2025

The Horse Hospital

Colonade

London 

WC1N 1JD

Admission: Tickets £13.50 inc. in advance only HERE

Dr RUTH CHERRNGTON takes us on a tour through the history of Working Men’s Clubs from the 19th Century to today, focusing on those in the capital and their importance, not only for entertainment but for social life and community. Ruth grew up with a Working Men’s Club just across the street, which her own family and hundreds of others used regularly.

Through that personal experience and deep research, she has brought to light the contribution the clubs have made, not just to members and their families but to the wider culture. She traces how their popularity led to a huge expansion in the 20th century, discusses their subsequent decline and outlines the current challenges and opportunities facing those that remain.

---

Meanwhile, Dr MARGARET WILES takes us on a tour through the history of London's working-class gardens. Britain has been described as a nation of gardeners, and those living in and around the capital are no exception. For centuries, the pressure on space, especially in the centre of the city, has been intense, but London’s population has had to be fed, so market gardens were always vital. For recreation, a tiny yard or a window box might suffice. But communal gardens and allotments became - and remain - an important source of both produce and enjoyment.

From what has been a neglected area of gardening history, Margaret tells stories of an 18th-century market garden in Bethnal Green, the habits of Spitalfields silk weavers growing plants at home and the allotments of The Great Dust Heap at Kings Cross.

---

RUTH CHERRINGTON is the author of “Not Just Beer and Bingo! A social history of Working Men’s Clubs, and The Dirty Stop Outs Guide to Coventry’s Working Men’s Clubs. She is the acknowledged expert on Clubs and a regular media commentator on the subject,

MARGARET WILES turned to writing books on retirement. Her Gardens of the British Working Class was published in 2014 by Yale University Press and was recently chosen as one of their most important titles.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Our home, THE HORSE HOSPITAL, is a unique Grade II listed not for profit, independent arts venue within the only existing unspoilt example of a two-floor, purpose-built stable with public access in London. 

Built in 1797 by James Burton. the shell is constructed with London Stocks whilst the interior features a mock cobbled re-inforced concrete floor and ramps with slats to prevent the horses from slipping. Each floor has 5 cast iron pillars and several original iron tethering rings.

DIRECTIONS AND ACCESSIBILITY