The Paignton Club – A Century of Tradition
The story of The Paignton Club began on 31 December 1881, when H. Plumbridge Jarman wrote to 56 local gentlemen proposing the formation of a non-political club that would provide a meeting place in the rapidly developing seaside town.
Just over two weeks later, on 17 January 1882, nineteen gentlemen gathered at the Esplanade Hotel and unanimously agreed that The Paignton Club should be formed. Its first home was modest accommodation at 3 Torbay Terrace, where the Club’s Reading Room officially opened on 25 March 1882.
The Club quickly outgrew its original premises. A building fund was established in 1883 and local architect G. L. Bridgeman was commissioned to design a permanent clubhouse. Built by C. & R. E. Drew, the new building was formally opened on 22 December 1884 and became the home around which generations of Club life developed.
Over the following century, the Club witnessed enormous social change. It survived two World Wars, periods of serious financial difficulty and substantial changes to Paignton’s seafront. During the Second World War, part of the grounds was even occupied by a military gun emplacement, while the clubhouse was made available as a temporary rest centre in the event of an attack on the town.
The Club itself evolved too. Lady Associate Members were formally admitted in 1929, while successive generations introduced electricity, new bars, improved heating and major renovations. In 1951, the importance of the clubhouse itself was recognised when it was designated a building of special architectural or historic interest.
Yet amid the changes, the character of The Paignton Club endured. Billiards, cards, reading rooms, good fellowship and a strong sense of tradition remained central to Club life.
In 1982, members celebrated the Club’s centenary and the publication of W. F. “Bob” Loates’ history of its first hundred years — recording the people, decisions, challenges and colourful moments that had shaped a remarkable Paignton institution.
Did You Know?
The Club nearly had no lavatory.
In 1882, the committee decided that neither the funds nor the first premises would allow one to be installed.
A member once fired a gun from the balcony.
In 1891, a military member became drunk, fired a gun from the Club balcony and demanded that the young billiard assistant play him. The boy refused, fearing he might be shot if he won.
The Club received war news by telegram.
During conflicts in Egypt, South Africa and later international crises, press telegrams were delivered directly to the Club and displayed for members alongside maps.
Forty bottles of port went to the local hospital.
In 1903, 40 bottles of unwanted port were discovered in the Club cellars and donated to Paignton Cottage Hospital “for the comfort of the sick”.
The Club once rejected electricity.
In 1911, installing electric lighting was considered “neither advisable nor necessary”. Just two years later, in 1913, the Club changed its mind and approved the installation.
Women became Associate Members in 1929.
The decision was passed unanimously. Within a short time, the Club had 53 Lady Associates.
The grounds became a wartime gun site.
During the Second World War, the rear car park was occupied by the military as a gun emplacement — for a rent of just one shilling a year.
The Club survived an air raid.
During the war, machine-gun fire shattered a window near the Bridge Club secretary’s desk. She had stepped away only moments earlier and escaped injury.
One steward served for 43 years.
Ernest Badcock began as a page boy in 1910 and later became billiard marker and steward. He retired in 1953 after 43 years of service.
A third billiard table arrived in 1968.
After years of discussion — and tests to make sure the floor could take the weight — a third table was installed as a gift from a member of the billiards section.