For just over 100 years, Aston Cantlow Club has been serving its members and visitors good beer and company. Aston Cantlow Working Men’s Club was created, not only to give the local farm labourers somewhere to come and enjoy a cider or two but also a place to provide education and information to many who could barely read or write.
But times move on and no organization can afford to live in the past. After some years it was noticed that a lot of the clientele were no longer working in the fields, or even shock horror, men! While this undoubtedly caused some consternation at the time, a solution was proposed whereby the two offending words could be dropped from the name and so Aston Cantlow Club was born.
Today Aston Cantlow Club is at the heart of the village, both physically and socially, and despite all the changes it is still somewhere to come along to have a drink, a chat, a laugh.
Of course, there are some things the Edwardian farming folk might not recognise. For instance, the big screen and projector, the sofas in the small bar, the huge range of wines, fresh coffee and the modern refurbished rooms and bathroom facilities are just some of the things that surprise visitors expecting something all-together more basic.
One more thing: Many people who pop their heads around the door are worried about whether they can come in or not. Well don’t worry on that score! Just sign your name in the book when you come in. Eventually, of course, we find most people pay the princely sum of £7 to join and therefore gain all the benefits of membership, including most importantly the right to say how the Club is run. After all it’s your club!
