ABOUT US

Birchmoor WMC is one of the Premier social clubs in the Tamworth area. We have a very proud history of serving our members within the Club environment and also the local community, following a long standing tradition of the Working Men’s Club movement.

The Club was formed around June 1910, by miners from Birchmoor Colliery, who played football on the pitch which is still in use today. It was decided to form a committee and the first Club Secretary was Mr Deakin. The committee bought the premises where the club is now situated around October 1910. The building was build approx 1876. It was originally a Bakers, then became a Butchers shop until Birchmoor WMC purchased the property. In April 2011 Birchmoor WMC will be celebrating 100 years of C.I.U. Affiliation.

Birchmoor Colliery which was also known as "Cockspur Colliery", was open from 1860 until 1927. A tramway was used to transport the coal from the site to the canal, for nationwide distribution by barge, the tramway run overland to Tamworth Road where the wharf, known as "Polesworth Basin" was located. Poole Colliery was also linked to this line, Pooley Colliery was still working up until 1965 having begun life in 1897. Several other mines where located in the area, including Birch Coppice and Hall End being two major sites, both pit's starting around 1875. These mines were in operation for over a hundred years, finally closing around 1987. Although 28 years prior to the foundation of Birchmoor Workingmen's Club, Roger Evans portrayal of The 1882 Baddesley Colliery Disaster (where 32 local miners lost their lives), gives us a graphic insight into what being a miner around 1910 would have been like. The local area has been associated with both Mining & Brickmaking and probably goes back earlier than Alvecote Priory 1159.

"Cockspur" and "Gamecock" are words synonymous with Cock fighting. The village pub the "Gamecock Inn" was famous for Cock fights in the 18th & 19th Century and had a cockpit in the attic. Cock fighting was made illegal in 1849 but fighting continued in secret well into the 20th Century. Richard Basset became the landlord of the "Gamecock Inn" in 1875. William Gilliver was renowned throughout the World for breeding Fighting Cocks and his association with the "Gamecock Inn" landlord, ensured the village of Birchmoor would be eternally famous & linked to the 'Sport of Kings', as A Birchmoor Tale relates. The club ran into financial difficulties in the 1950's and was taken over by CISWO until the members again regained possession in the 1960's.

The Working Men's Club and Institute Union is the largest non-profit-making social entertainment and leisure organisation in the UK, representing the interests of over six million club members.

The Working Men's Club and Institute has come a long way since 1862, however, a lot of working men's clubs have suffered from an old-fashioned image among young people and some have found it very hard to compete with modern trends, resulting in many closures in recent years. Coventry Working Men's Club first opened its doors in 1862 but sadly is no longer in business, a sad reflection of the trend in closures across the country, which currently see's 4 clubs a week closing. Birchmoor WMC has adapted over the years, catering for all generations and although never complacent, are currently bucking the trend.

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Club History

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