HISTORY, progress and camaraderie best sum up the hugely successful Saltash Working Men's club, sited in an impressive, airy building off the town's Fore Street, with exceptional views over both bridges across the Tamar.

The club, which was founded in 1919, is now in its fourth premises. Originally £200 was raised to enable a building in Fore Street to be adapted and a billiard room, reading room, smoke room and bar to be provided for the then 200-300 members.

A Second World War bomb saw to that 'home' and the club then moved into The Mansion, which stood roughly on the current building's site, tucked behind the newly opened Cornish Times' office in Fore Street.

An extension was eventually built on the side of the impressive Mansion - into which the club moved because of growing membership - but a fourth building came into the equation when club land was needed for the building of the Saltash tunnel.

As a result of the tunnel The Mansion was gutted and refurbished, and a brand new Working Men's club building came into being, although it still retains the fireplace from the previous building, and keeps the name The Mansion.

The new club, which is wheelchair-friendly, was refurbished three years ago, and now boasts a range of facilities. It has a welcoming bar, with balcony overlooking the tunnel and the two bridges spanning the Tamar, as well as a magnificent function room with eye-catching wooden ceiling which, despite its large size is frequently packed out. One special feature of this is a wonderful mural, on the stage, of the two bridges - railway and road - this completed with expertise by Jim Thompson, in l987.

Members can also make use of a snooker room with two snooker tables, plus a snooker match room for the more important games. The club runs three snooker teams, which play in the Plymouth and district league, three euchre teams which enter the local Saltash based league, and three darts teams.

Membership

It is a regular meeting place for local organisations, such as the Saltash Lions, the Saltash Leos and the Order of Buffalos. Steward Ian Ruse, who has been at the club with the stewardess, his wife Jacqui, since l994, said a monthly quiz, started by Robin Ferris, is now held, with a special quiz recently raising over £400 for Children in Need.

Many local charities are supported, as well as the Saltash under 11s football team, who are assisted in the funds they need for a trip to France each year. The Working Men's club membership is now at about 2,000 - around 1,500 men, and 500 ladies who are associate members - and Ian said because the people are so representative of Saltash and the surrounding area they like to give something back to the community.

Sunday roasts are now available at the club at Sunday lunchtimes, cooked by Ian, after a successful 'trial run'; papers are always available for members who just want to sit, have a drink, relax, and read up on the latest news; and there is a widescreen television where rugby and football matches etc are screened.

Live entertainment is available on Fridays and Saturdays, there is line dancing on Wednesday evenings, and bingo on Fridays and Sundays.

The chairman of the club for the past year is Dave Holwill, who took over the reins following the death of Bill Gray. Dave, of Saltash, has been coming to the club for 15 years plus and praised its friendly atmosphere.

George Rees, who is a member but also helps out behind the bar, became a member in l954, and has been working there since l987. Now retired, he spent his career in the brewery trade, so is well at home with the beer - at very cheap club prices - which he serves three mornings a week.

Robert Hookway is the son of one of the former members - his father Bob, as well as his grandfather John Nicholson putting in £1 to help form the initial club. Robert, a member since l943, has spent two terms on the committee, one covering ten years and the other around 12 months.

He highlighted how families have been involved in the club through the decades by saying that Rosie and Bob Arthur, the grandparents of the current deputy chairman, Alan Arthur, were once the steward and stewardess. Other long-serving members are Percy Rowlands, Len Freeman and Harold Curtis.

Long serving

Robert remembers the stables and cottage that used to stand on the site, and the fact that three schools were built on the land which was excavated to form the tunnel. On Tuesday morning he was joined by Jack Comer, who has also seen the club go through changes during the years - all of them improvements, and all adhering to the original idea of camaraderie.

The treasurer is Francis Magill, who joined the club when he was l8, and has been treasurer for 26 years. He usually pops in every day, bar Sundays, and now he is retired finds he can drop in more often. Another person who has given his services to the club over the years is secretary Uku Lemsalu, whose family arrived in Cornwall having originated from Estonia.

Members are proud, both of the present-day club, and of its history. The Mansion once was a boarding school, apparently run by two aunts, and delving into the past has unearthed a letter written at The Mansion in August 1874 by Lucy Little to her eldest sister, Charlotte, who had just married. She writes of how a royal salute has just been fired from the flagships at Plymouth for the arrival of the Prince of Wales.

Also kept from decades gone by is a press report from The Gazette, of the club's opening ceremony, when chairman, Mr E Webber, said the venture had cost a lot of money, but the working men had 'not solicited help from anyone.

They had started the club, and had paid their way, and spent £60 in fitting the premises up.' He added it would only require work and the exercise of common-sense to make the club a great success. And so it has proved true.