Missing King

Acrylic-bob

Acrylic-bob

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At the junction of Dill Hall Lane with Whalley Road, across from The Greyhound, there used to be a Working Men's Club - I forget the name. it is closed now and appears to have been undergoing renovation for the last two years. It occurred to me to wonder what happend to the portrait bust which used to stand outside. If I remember rightly it was a portrait of Edward VII. If I am right it was the only public sculpture of monarch in the borough. It would be a great pity if it has been lost. Anyone have any ideas as to its fate?
 
Acrylic-bob said:
At the junction of Dill Hall Lane with Whalley Road, across from The Greyhound, there used to be a Working Men's Club - I forget the name.
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Was that not the "Top Club"?
 
Did it not close as a working men's club and re-open as a private club,I remember seeing the bust, but that's a long time ago, it would be a shame if it had been destroyed.
 
Gosh, until you posted this l'd totally forgotton that was there.

It was Edward VII.

It would look very nice on top of my bookcase if anyone is holding him to ransom.
 
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it was the top club as park381 says,it was opened at one point by an asian guy as a club after its closure. remember the bust,we used to stand by it to watch the whit walks in days gone by,don,t know what became of it,its funny how you never miss these things until somebody mentions it, things just seem to vanish with no warning.
 
Yes it was the Top club and it was Edward the VII......no idea what happened to it. I can't imagine anyone would smash it up....it stood there for years. I bet there were many drunks who talked to it while they waited for their taxi home.
 
Yes it was known as the Top Club and when it closed an Asian chap took over it and re-opened it as "The New Top Club" and it was a private members club.

It got closed down due to some infringment of some by-laws and top-less bar maids!!!

It was gutted and became an Indian Resturant but that has now closed as well.

I too can recall seeing the bust at the entrance doors but no idea when it was removed or where to.
 
I always thought it was Churchill, still my memory is not what it was, we used to climb up and sit on his shoulders. There were three WmCs in Clayton, Top, Middle and Bottom, are they all closed ?.
 
Top club closed yes, Middle club (gardeners or something like that) not too sure but think it is closed at moment, Bottom club as far as I'm aware is still open (or have i got them mixed up and it could be the other way round)
 
:engsmil: Bottom club near to where the Fort Arms if memory serves me right :confused: and where the "Main Line" No1 service Oswaldtwistle-Clayton Fort Arms turned around. :D So think that still open and middle club maybe closed but will stand corrected if wrong. :cool:
 
Yes definitely Top Club, and definitely Edward VII. Last time I remember seeing that bust it had been painted.

I'd forgotten all about it though until now. I remember I used to wonder why they had a bust of an old king outside a club in Clayton but when it was there you just sort of took it for granted that there it was and that was that.

Presumably when it closed as t'Top Club and was renovated the bust was removed. Perhaps it went to a salvage yard or something? I can't imagine it just being dumped unless the person doing the work had no appreciation of its possible appeal.
 
Wherever it is, with the plethora of antique and salvage programmes on tv, l'd like to think it survived and wasn't destroyed, even if it's not on the top of my bookcase.:(

So that is where that 'club' was? I remember reading about it in London in the National press. If l remember correctly it wasn't just because of the topless barmaids it was closed for, it was the extras you could get with your pint, and l don't mean crisps and nuts.;)
 
garinda said:
it wasn't just because of the topless barmaids it was closed for, it was the extras you could get with your pint, and l don't mean crisps and nuts.;)
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...and it's only a stone's throw from the IES. What a pity it closed! It would've made an interesting alternative to the Crown as a place to while away the time until the Manchester bus comes after the match!:)
 
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