Earlsdon was incorporated into the City in 1890 but was still almost cut off from it. It was not until 1897, when Albany Road was opened, that development gained pace. The City tramway system was extended along the Butts up Albany Road into the main shopping area, which quickly grew. By 1918, the area was fully developed as it is today and, with little redevelopment, Earlsdon has kept much of its original character.

The Earlsdon Coffee tavern was built in 1899 and functioned under this guise until 1910, when it became The Earlsdon Working Men's Club and was open until 1931 when the club lost it's alcohol license. The story goes that a member of the club had a disgruntled spouse who was fed up with her husband coming home regularly after late drinking sessions. She contacted the authorities about the illegal drinking and the club lost its license.

These days the club aims to provide a bridge of common interest and meaningful interchange between different age, race, ability and economic groups and different cultures in our area and to provide an opportunity for people to engage in community activity.

Interesting to see in these old photos is the pitched roof of the club building which used to incorporate a third floor. If you look at the configuration of the windows it's plain to see how the original building was constructed.

You wouldn't think to look, but the floor in the concert room is raised about 1 metre and the space above the suspended ceiling is about 2 metres!