The Club, formerly known as the Kingfisher Fishing Club, originally started in the old TSB Bank building in Bird Street (exact dates are unknown, as some very early records are missing) before moving across the road into what was the old Lichfield Mercury Bird Street office. It was not until December 1947 that the Club moved to its current home at 85 Birmingham Road, for which, incidentally, it paid £2,650! At the time there was a difference of opinion as to whether a drive on Membership should be undertaken or not, as the then Secretary was reported to be a little worried, as it was “hard enough to acquire enough intoxicating liquor for the current Membership, without increasing it!" Post war rationing was still having an effect!
The current building was originally a small vicarage but with plenty of potential for expansion. (The area from the Pool Table to the brick wall to Ivanhoe Road being a Stable Block and Tack Room and the remainder of the Car Park a lawned garden). As member numbers increased, the financial position improved and over the years it has expanded to its current size.
In 1969 and again in the 1991 the Club had major extensions built to expand the premises. There were two stages to the expansions. You can see from the diagram below the original premises, the first and second extensions to the Club.
By doing this, it had put the Club in a tight financial situation, but with membership numbers increasing, the future looked good for the Club.
Nothing major since then had happened to the Clusb until 2006. In February of that year, the Club’s committee called an EGM (Emergency General Meeting) which required as many Members as possible to attend. The committee had proposed that the club borrow £65,000 to complete a major refurbishment over the summer months, of what was beginning to look a “very tired old Club”.
This was agreed and work started in April of that year. Work was carried out by Harris Brothers, based in Bristol and approved suppliers to the Association of Conservative Clubs. July 2006 saw this completion and on 26th August 2006, the club held a formal official reopening of the refurbished Club.
Please come and visit and enjoy the new premises, we would love your company!
