New hopes of bringing Madeley's Anstice Memorial Hall back to life

The Anstice Memorial Hall, a prominent landmark building in Madeley town centre which was the oldest working men's club in England, shut in February last year amid financial troubles, much to the dismay of locals. It came weeks after the hall hit the headlines for its old fashioned rules which only allowed men to be members.

There have since been efforts to find ways to bring it back to life, which are bearing fruit, although the promising developments are only the start of a long road as the building will need costly renovation and improvements.

Kath Petty, clerk of Madeley Town Council, said: "The Anstice is in the process of being bought by the town council on behalf of the local community.

"We don't own it yet, but it won't be long now. The money to purchase the building has come from the Telford & Wrekin Community Pride fund.

"We are working in partnership with ACT – Anstice Community Team – which is a group of local volunteers which will shortly become a charity.

"The long term aim is that the town council will lease the building to ACT which will manage it for the local community.

"The next step, once we own it, is to do a big public consultation to find out what people want and to take professional advice on sustainable uses for heritage buildings.

"The Anstice needs renovating and a number of improvements are needed – not least of which is a lift and proper disabled access. This is all going to be very costly so we will be applying for grant funding."

The listed building, which has a first floor ballroom, has over the years been the venue for dances, concerts, social functions and so on, and holds many memories which are being tapped into for an event later this month.

It is called "Anstice Memories" and is at Jubilee House, the town council headquarters, on March 28 from 2pm to 4pm.

People are being invited to bring along photographs which were taken at the Anstice – perhaps a family party, a dance, a presentation, the darts team, or maybe just an evening in the bar.

They will be copied with a view to potentially using them in a future publication, calendar, or display.

The town council wants people also to come along to share their memories of events and occasions at the Anstice, or general information about local characters who used the club, or their own experiences of visiting.

"We would love to record these stories to preserve them for future generations," said Kath.

"If people have a photograph or memory to share then they can join us for a cup of tea and delicious home-made cakes. There is no charge for this event but donations to cover costs are always welcome."

Owned and run by a private members club, the decision to close the Anstice's doors and liquidate the club was taken at an extraordinary general meeting of members in February last year. It was a private meeting for full members only – which meant that only men could attend.

Because it did not offer equal rights for both sexes, the club did not meet the criteria to apply for grants to maintain the Grade II listed building.

The building, which dates from 1870 but was rebuilt after a fire in 1874, has lain unused since.