Wollaston's Social Clubs in 1910
At the peak of the boot and shoe era, three clubs stood at the heart of Wollaston community life — providing fellowship, recreation and self-improvement for working families.
1893–1930 · Newton Road / Council Street
Wollaston Club & Coffee Tavern
The building today — Wollaston Thrift Shop
Parish Council commemorative plaque, 2000
Known as The Fountain, this was Wollaston's first Coffee House and Public Reading Room, opened in November 1893 at the junction of Newton Road and Council Street. With reading and news rooms, a billiard room and around 160 members, it offered a sober alternative to the public house — fellowship, news and recreation without alcohol.
Manager in 1910 was George Green. The building closed as The Fountain in 1930. A Wollaston Parish Council plaque, placed in AD 2000, marks the site today.
The building is now home to the Wollaston Thrift Shop, which raises funds for the community library — a fitting continuation of the spirit of public service that The Fountain embodied.
Est. before 1910
Wollaston Working Men's Club Ltd
A formally constituted limited company — reflecting the scale and ambition of the working men's club movement in Edwardian Northamptonshire. Secretary in 1910 was John Green.
Working men's clubs were a cornerstone of community life in industrial villages across England, providing affordable recreation, mutual support and a social space outside the home and the pub.
Est. before 1910
Wollaston Excelsior Band Club & Institute
Combined a brass band with a social club and institute — music, fellowship and self-improvement under one roof. Listed in Kelly's Directory of 1910.
Brass bands were central to the social life of Northamptonshire's boot and shoe communities. The Excelsior Band would have performed at village events, feast days and public occasions throughout the year.
Source: Kelly's Directory of Northamptonshire, 1910. Wollaston Parish Council commemorative plaque, 2000.
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