| Victoria Working Men's Club, Kew | |
|---|---|
 Exterior view of Victoria Working Men's Club, Kew | |
 Interactive map of the Victoria Working Men's Club, Kew area | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Tin tabernacle |
| Location | Kew,London Borough of Richmond upon Thames,England |
| Completed | 1889 |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Corrugated iron |
TheVictoria Working Men's Club was aworking men's club at 275 Sandycombe Road[1] inKew,Richmond, London which operated from 1892[2][3] until 2015, when the building it occupied was sold to a property developer. In February 2017Richmond upon Thames Council approved a planning application to demolish the building, and erect a new community building and sixflats.[4]
The club was housed inVictoria & St John's, a building in timber[5] clad withcorrugated iron, which from 1876 to 1889 had been aniron church on the opposite side of Sandycombe Road, housingSt 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]
Alderman James Weeks Szlumper, an engineer and major benefactor ofDarell Road School, who had also been mayor ofRichmond,[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 sendcigarettes to British soldiers at thefront in theFirst World War.[3] It was visited by four overseas prime ministers and many British government ministers and by members of theBritish royal family.[3] A photograph shows Alderman Szlumper seated between the Duke and Duchess of York (laterKing George VI andQueen Elizabeth).[8]David Blomfield, former chairman of theRichmond 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]
The building continued to be used by the club as abilliards hall until 2015; it is now empty. As of 2016, an extension at the back of the building was still used by a school forJapanese martial arts.[10]
In February 2017Richmond upon Thames Council approved a planning application to demolish the building, and erect a new community building and sixflats.[4]