YEARS ON 140 LOOKING FORWARD TO 150

Harrovians on the way back to School from central London or OHs nipping out of Westfield may glimpse a large, redbrick building on the far side of the Westway. Founded in 1883, the Harrow Club is one of London’s oldest youth organisations, and is an early example of the Harrow community’s commitment to philanthropy and outreach, now more broadly championed by Shaftesbury Enterprise. Younger OHs will have contributed to the Club through Long Ducker fundraising. Older OHs may remember attending camps. Last year, Harrow beaks Rima and Mark Tremlett undertook ‘The Longest Ducker’, a bike ride from the most southerly point in Europe to the most northerly, raising over £10,000. At a time when public benefit is very much in focus, the history and continued relevance of the Club is a testament to Sir Winston Churchill's (The Head Master’s 18882) statement that “we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give”.

The Mission Club

Concern in the late 19th century about social conditions in the large cities of England saw the launch of a series of philanthropic initiatives. Public schools responded by founding boys’ clubs: Eton in Hackney Wick, Marlborough in Tottenham and Winchester by East India Dock.

Harrow’s was launched at a meeting in June 1883, chaired by the Head Master, Dr Butler (1860–85), where Lord Shaftesbury (The Head Master’s 1813) spoke, and which marked the beginning of a now 140year relationship between Harrow, OHs and the area now known as Notting Hill. Long before Hugh Grant and boutiques, the area was called Notting Dale and Latimer Road tube station “Piggery Junction”. Home to “brickmakers, costermongers, casual labourers. Rich inhabitants were none; the moderately poor were scarce.” The objective was, according the first Club leader,

William Law (The Grove 1864³ ) (and member of the School XI four years running), to 'minister to the wants of the poor and the neglected, and so contribute to bringing together classes of our fellow-countrymen, who know far too little of each other'.

Progress was quick with the current buildings, by Norman Shaw, opening in 1888. In the same year, the Club won the first cricket cup of the London Federation of Boys’ Clubs, held at Lord's. The following year, the Club again reached the final, losing to the Eton Club, again at Lord's. In 1914, the Club provided accommodation for Belgian refugees. The Second World War saw premises shared with bombed-out rivals the Rugby Clubs. The Secretary wrote, 'The Club has become a centre of shelter, recreation and feeding for the district', something that remains true today. More recently the Club has worked with both Afghan and Ukrainian refugees.

Innovation and development

Like Britain as a whole, the post-war period saw huge social and economic change. Physically, the interior of the Club was transformed, with the creation of the sports hall (subsequently a backdrop to Rick Astley’s Never Gone to Give You Up video). The 1980s saw the funding of an Urban Studies Centre and a Technology Centre, led by Harrow Head of Economics John Rees (1966-80). Both represented a tradition of innovation and willingness to address broader issues, which remains central to the Club today. The Technology Centre was pathfinding, offering training in computing to local unemployed people. In 1980, The Harrovian described a ‘flourishing youth club, with a total membership of 600, boys and girls’.

The Club today

The Club operates in Kensington and Chelsea and Hammersmith and Fulham. With changes in youth support and funding, the Club takes a much more proactive approach to engaging with our community and its issues. Open at times until 2am in the morning, we offer a safe space, while still delivering traditional sporting activities and countryside breaks. Kitty Power, daughter of School Chaplain James Power, assists with the anti-gang programme.

Statistics demonstrate the need for the Club’s work: 65% of members are from single-parent families; 75% are eligible for free school meals; 25% have a learning, behavioural or mental health condition. Ninety percent of members are from ethnic minority backgrounds. The Club played a prominent role in the aftermath of the tragedy of Grenfell Tower, offering space and beds. In 2021, the Club supported over 500 young people, offering over 70 hours of activities each week. Focus is very much on targeted interventions, pioneering programmes addressing school exclusion and gang violence, and offering pathways to opportunity through mentoring and placements. Later this year, a Club member will start at the School, on a bursary.

140 Years On – looking forward to 150

The Harrow Mission, an independent charity that supports the Club, has funded a video providing insight both into the Club’s history and its impact. OHs are very welcome to visit the Club. As we celebrate 140 years and look to the 150th, we will be running a series of events to engage with the broader Harrow community. The Club is also launching a Friends group, and we offer ways in which OHs can provide support. We are increasingly running programmes that require mentors. The OH Shaftesbury Enterprise and Harrow Club Group has been launched for OH supporters, and more detail can be found on OH Connect. We are working on exciting plans to refurbish and repurpose our building for the next century.

In 2033, the Club will celebrate its 150th anniversary and an extraordinary legacy in serving a community. While much has changed, those Old Harrovian founders in 1883, and those working with the Club today, would recognise a very similar mission and shared values. More information can be found at harrowclub.org.

Alexander Trotter (The Head Master’s 1980² )

In the year in which Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative Party won a landslide victory at the general election and the USA invaded Grenada, the pages of The Harrovian in 1983 were much more concerned with politics and the world beyond the Hill than was the case in many other years. Two issues feature interviews with prominent politicians from opposite sides of the political spectrum – Chairman of the Greater London Council Ken Livingstone, dubbed Red Ken by his archenemies the tabloid press, on 21 May, and Margaret Thatcher herself, in the issue of 22 October.