Trip down memory lane for BTH workers in Rugby – and remembering when the town won at Wembley

Photos going clockwise, from top left: Unknown anglers club with trophy taken by local photographer Speight; Hairdressing was on the curriculum at British Thomson-Houston's girls' club; One of the borough's Girl Guide units gather for a photograph in the 1920s.

New exhibition explores the history of the borough's clubs, societies and associations

A new exhibition at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum will explore the history of the borough's clubs, societies and associations.

Join Our Club opens on Saturday October 1 and includes dozens of items donated to the museum's social history collection by residents.

The exhibition features The Rugby Club, a gentleman's club founded in 1886 for the borough's great and the good.

Hairdressing was on the curriculum at British Thomson-Houston's girls' club

The club's headquarters in North Street was home to billiards and reading rooms, and boasted members including businessmen, dignitaries, Rugby School staff and top brass from British Thomson-Houston (BTH).

In its 1960s heyday, BTH employed around 22,000 people in Rugby and launched a variety of sport and social clubs in a bid to keep workers happy and healthy.

The company's recreation club in Hillmorton Road had tennis courts, bowling greens and pitches for rugby, football, cricket and hockey, delivering on BTH's pledge contained in a handbook presented to new staff, "... to promote healthy outdoor and indoor recreation, and generally encourage good sportsmanship amongst its members."

Join Our Club includes newsletters, programmes and photographs from BTH's sports and social clubs, and features information about the company's girls' club, based at The Firs in Bilton Road, where classes included hairdressing, dressmaking, cooking and handicraft.

One of the borough's Girl Guide units gather for a photograph in the 1920s.

The exhibition also traces how the origins of many of the borough's grassroots rugby clubs tell a story of industry, education and migration, while past and present football clubs feature - including Valley Sports Football Club (now Rugby Town FC), who won the FA Vase at Wembley in 1983.

And Join Our Club also celebrates Rugby's thriving children's associations and organisations, including the Scouts, Brownies, Girl Guides and Boys' Brigade, with a host of memorabilia on display.

Join Our Club runs at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum until June 17, 2023.

Cllr Howard Roberts, Rugby Borough Council portfolio holder for leisure and wellbeing, said: "Join Our Club charts the development of clubs, societies and associations in the borough over more than a century, offering a fascinating insight to how such organisations change with the times and thrive to this day."

For more information about exhibitions and events at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum, visit www.ragm.co.uk