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Victoria Working Men's Club
The Victoria Working Men's Club was a working men's club at 275 Sandycombe Road[1] in Kew, Richmond, London which operated from 1892[2][3] until 2015, when the building it occupied was sold to a property developer. In February 2017 Richmond upon Thames Council approved a planning application to demolish the building, and erect a new community building and six flats.[4] The buildingThe club was housed in Victoria & St John's, a building in timber[5] clad with corrugated iron, which from 1876 to 1889 had been an iron church on the opposite side of Sandycombe Road, housing St Luke's Church and St Luke's School.[3] It was moved to its present position in 1889 when the current St Luke's Church was built in The Avenue.[3] Its close association with the history of Kew led to it being listed in 2005 by the local council as a Building of Townscape Merit.[6][7] The clubAlderman James Weeks Szlumper, an engineer and major benefactor of Darell Road School, who had also been mayor of Richmond,[8] was, for many years, the club's president and patron.[8][9] The club was renowned for the amount of money it raised to send cigarettes to British soldiers at the front in the First World War.[3] It was visited by four overseas prime ministers and many British government ministers and by members of the British Royal Family.[3] A photograph shows Alderman Szlumper seated between the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth).[8] David Blomfield, former chairman of the Richmond Local History Society, said: "In all, the club boasted of visits from 50 such VIPs over seven years – probably a unique record for a club of its size, and most certainly for one set in such accommodation".[3] Current useThe building continued to be used by the club as a billiards hall until 2015; it is now empty. As of 2016, an extension at the back of the building was still used by a school for Japanese martial arts.[10] In February 2017 Richmond upon Thames Council approved a planning application to demolish the building, and erect a new community building and six flats.[4] References
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