A working men’s club with an unusual name
HASTINGS IN EAST SUSSEX has long had a thriving fishing fleet. It is the largest beach-launched fleet in Europe. Unlike many other fishing ports where the boats are moored in harbours, those at Hastings are moored along the town’s shingle beach when they are at rest. This is part of the beach where in 1066, William the Conqueror famously set foot on English soil.
In 1900, a group of Hastings fishermen met in the (now non-existent) Prince Albert pub – a popular meeting place for these men. The members of the group discussed the idea of raising money to give the poor children of the borough a happy time at Christmas. At that time, regulars of another Hastings pub, the Royal Oak, formed a charitable organisation called the Acorn Club. A website (https://winkleclub.org/early-times/) revealed:
“Apparently at that time in another Hastings pub, the Royal Oak, an Acorn Club had been formed. All members had always to carry acorns, failure to do so involving a fine, all such money being devoted to charity. The fishermen decided to organise an effort on the same lines but one of them … said: `Why an acorn? This is the Old Town; can’t we have something to do with fishing?’ Just then, so the story goes, Providence took a hand. Somebody appeared with a pail of winkles collected from the rocks. Inspiration! Let’s make it the Hastings Winkle Club.”
Thus, the Winkle Club of Hastings was ‘born’.
Members of the Winkle Club must carry a winkle shell at all times. When challenged by a member with the words “Winkle up”, the challenged member must produce his winkle shell and show it to the challenger. For, if they are discovered without their winkle, they are fined. Originally, the fine was one (old) penny, now it is £1. If the person who discovered a member without a winkle did not report him, he would also be fined. All the fines are donated to raise money to achieve the club’s objectives.
In the past, the Winkle Club raised money for poor children as already mentioned. Now, the club raises money for local good causes. Over the years, the Club has included some famous members, who were not fishermen. These include Winston Churchill, the Duke of Windsor, and Lord Montgomery of Alamein.
Close to The Stade, the part of Hastings where the fishing boats are moored, there is a traffic island known as Winkle Island. It is used for various local festivals and is the symbolic meeting place for members of the Winkle Club. A huge sculpture of a winkle shell (see photograph above) stands on Winkle Island. It serves as a public collecting box for the charity. Seeing this marine sculpture is what aroused my interest in this thoroughly worthy charitable organisation.
