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| The Liberal Club was different from the other Clubs in Burton in that it was housed in part of the Burton Coffee House (pictured opposite), an unlicensed premises. What little we know about its history comes from a report in The Kettering Leader dated 22nd January 1915: "On Thursday evening the final meeting of The Liberal Club, which ceased as an institution last May and became the Palace Restaurant, was held at The Palace." The article seems to suggest that the Club took over part of the Coffee House some ten years earlier (1904 or 1905) at its inception, possibly with the help of members of the Whitney and Westley families, who are mentioned as being part of the committee. We do know that Winston Churchill was invited to speak at one of its meetings, but was not able to grace Burton with his presence. Exactly why the life of the Club was so short remains a matter for conjecture, although one might fairly assume that the outbreak of the First World War was a significant factor. |
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