Meeting to decide future of working men's club as support fades

A MEETING to decide the future of Burley working men’s club is due at the end of May after several volunteers announced their plans to retire.

The facility, known locally as the Wathen Bartlett, is located opposite Burley Cross and has operated as a working men’s club for more than 100 years.

Ringwood Folk Club, which meets there every Tuesday, announced last week that it will be relocating to Ringwood WI Hall with immediate effect because of the club’s likely closure.

A spokesperson for the Wathen Bartlett told the A&T that any decisions over the premises’ future would be made at the forthcoming AGM on 30th May.

He said: “The issue is not with money but volunteers. A good number of them have been helping out for a long time and they would now like to pass their responsibilities on to the next generation.

“We have every hope that a plan can be made to keep the Wathen Bartlett open, but until the AGM meeting it is very difficult to say what will happen. We hope that the threat of closure will encourage people to step forward and volunteer.”

The facility first opened around 1904 and was gifted to the working men of Burley on a 1,000-year lease on 26th March 1945 by Mrs Vanda Wathen-Bartlett.

The popular bar is now open to the public, with drink discounts for club members.

The original building is believed to date back to 1897, with an extension in the 1970s to create a large function room and new entrance. The AGM will not be open to the public.