An Evening in the 70s at the Oxford House Social Club

Emily Hughes – Archivist

‘Good in ‘ere en’it!’ reads the sign affixed above the bar. ‘Greatest fights of the century on 16mm film with sound’ advertises a poster pinned to a wooden post. A baby in arms. Men wearing flared trousers and smoking cigarettes. Bags of KP nuts and pints of Stones Bitter. Women in heels and a nice coat drinking a Martini. Couples dancing. 

Origins of the Social Club

The Oxford House Social Club was set up in the 1970s. Following the Second World War, the building had transformed from a settlement house into more of a community centre model. The 70s were alive with community spirit and activism, particularly as this heavily bombed area of East London was striving to rebuild itself. 

‘As long as we can continue to provide a place where people want to come for a drink, a chat, a good giggle and a worthwhile night-out, our successful future is assured’ wrote the 1979 Summer newsletter. The Social Club characterised community spirit at the time as working-class people came together to drink and spend time. Limited to a membership of 400 people, the 1980 newsletter indicates that there was a waiting list amongst the wider Oxford House membership of over 1000 people. Often photographed by Philip Cunningham, a youth worker at Oxford House, snapshots of the bar and social club are both evocative of 1970s East London and rare documentation of working-class life and culture in this decade.

Located in what was then Oxford House’s Holland Hall, Cunningham described the bar as having a ‘really nice clientele’. There were ‘lots of parties that went on there, which was quite good fun,’ he said. Other images of the social club were taken by unknown photographers, of unknown people. While these are the only surviving photographs in our archive of the Oxford House Social Club, the spirit of community is palpable, showing the community engagement that characterised Oxford House and East London during a decade of much social change.

Visit us or get in touch

To see more photographs of 1970s East London, visit our exhibition History House in person until December 2024. Our new digital Oxford House Archive site is also available here! Alternatively, if you have memories of visiting the Oxford House Social Club, know the photographer of any of these items, or perhaps recognise anyone or yourself here, we’d love for you to get in touch with us at OHArchive@oxfordhouse.org.uk