Libertarian Circle
In 1969, a group called ‘The Libertarian Circle’ met at the club for about four years. The brain-child of Paul Harris, it began as a broad based coalition composed of Anarchists, Labour Party Young Socialists, SPGB members, International Socialists, non-aligned individuals and, perhaps surprisingly, some young Liberals.
With so many predictably diverse points of views, it would seem obvious that the group was doomed to fail eventually but, even though there was a great deal of heated exchanges, it was surprisingly successful. Apart from Bill McKinney and Paul Harris who were in their mid-twenties, most of the people involved were under twenty years old, though most had already been involved in counter-culture politics for some time.
The group aimed to develop a radical presence in town and, amongst other things, instigated: a campaign against the Biafra genocide, A Claimants Union (with SPGB), a successful free speech campaign, a work creating initiative (Workpiece), a debating chamber (Mouthpiece), a help bureau for young people (Concern), a shelter for young people (Nightpiece) and an alternative newspaper (Bolton Free Press).
The Afternoon Trade
When town centre pubs closed between 3 and 6 o’clock in the afternoon, the club gradually became one of the favourite places to get a drink. This reached its height during the second world war when it was used by many, many service men – when one looks at the ‘visitors’ book it sometimes seems impossible to have so many people in the club at one time. ‘Wood Street Club’, as it became known, gained an unenviable reputation as a haunt of drunks, prostitutes and black-marketeers.
As Jim Paulden remembered, ‘From then on, the club, in spite of generous donations to political and other causes, steadily accumulated funds.
Among Boltonians the club’s notoriety became legendary – persisting into the 1980’s when the drinking laws were relaxed and made famous in Jim Cartwight’s play ‘Road’:
‘Wood street Drinking Club. A woman was crapping behind the piano. Two men were fighting over a pie. A row of prostitutes were sitting there, still made up as in war years. I chose the three pounds thirty-two one and bent her over the billiard table in the back room’. Memories of Wood Street. ‘It were a bad bastard day when they closed it. My friend slashed on the town hall steps in protest. But it were done with.’
Club Closure?
One afternoon in May 1979 the club was raided by police and the club lost it licence for serving drinks to non-members. The decision was taken to close the club. However, the club reopened again a year later but debts soon started to mount.
Substantial funds which the club had built up over many decades were now all gone and in May 1982 a General Meeting of members voted to sell the building. Furniture and fittings were taken out and put into store and an estate agent’s ‘For Sale’ sign went up outside the building.
The Past shapes the Future?
In the summer of 1982 the Club stood empty, awaiting sale. In a dusty corner of the attic, abandoned and unnoticed for decades, a large pile of minute books was discovered. On the cover of the first was written ‘Social Democratic Federation 1896’. The long forgotten history of the Bolton Socialist Club was about to re-emerge.
As the story unfolded, It captured the imagination of the members who read it and inspired them try and stop the sale of the building. Talks were arranged, the local press printed a series of articles, and gradually socialists and labour movement activists in the town began to realise what they were about to lose.
However, legal difficulties arose. it was discovered that Bolton Socialist Hall Ltd owned the building and its committee had not met for ten years and not one single shareholder could be found. Although there was opitimism it took a year to find a way forward.