The WMC (Working Mens Club) celebrated its 150th birthday in 2012, but over the past 3 decades before that the number of WMC’s in Britain has halved from 4,000 to 2,000, a worrying statistic for any institution or organisation. As a 90’s child of a working class family I find myself looking back at WMC’s with a fond sense of nostalgia, vaguely remembering the family gatherings for a distant relatives 32nd birthday. Long past their peak nowadays most WMC’s struggle for custom and have to put in extra effort to pull in customers, even such phrases as having a ‘turn’ on at the club aren’t recognised by much of todays youth. The history of the WMC is full of conflict mainly focusing around the issue of gender equality. The clue is in the name, originally WMC didn't even allow women inside, however even as late as the early 2000’s in some Clubs women would not be allowed to be full time members. It was later made law to allow women to be allowed into clubs and allow them to be full time members in the year 2007.
As well as being connected by their recent decline, most clubs have a certain aesthetic, that seems to be accidental in its appearance. In the pursuit of neutral and cheap furniture the majority of clubs share a certain style and it just so results in the typical look of a working mens club. They have in a sense created their own artistic style that is a thing of beauty. In this project the aim is to use the aesthetic and sense of nostalgia already created to help save or preserve the memory of the WMC. By order of the Committee, is working men's club brand and style guide. The book makes it possible to recreate a typical WMC, by telling the reader how to keep the original style that has been created by the clubs of old. The piece includes both original photography and a collection of nostalgic family photos showing the unique decoration that WMC’s often abide by. The Tone of voice in the project is set so a member of the local club can pick up the book and understand it as well as designers. I feel that this project is important in playing a role in the documentation of this once booming industry that has a place in so many peoples hearts. It would be a great shame to loose such strong places that have their roots in the working class culture, although I feel sadly that this will be the case eventually. This guide will hopefully inspire someone to start up a fresh club, or will encourage change amongst the WMC’s of the present to update into the 21st century.