A Short History of Head Office

52 Clapham High Street has been the head office of the Socialist Party of Great Britain for over sixty years. The Party had been forced to move from its previous premises in the West End mainly due to the objection of the landlord to political meetings and displays. The latter had always been a problem with rented accommodation and this time the inclination was to purchase a property outright. A body called the New Premises Committee was set up to search for suitable locations and in January 1951 pinpointed no. 52 as a possibility. On the 23rd the matter was brought before the Executive Committee. It was decided by 6 votes to 7 to reject the purchase on grounds of cost (the asking price was £4000). This was hardly by an overwhelming majority and on 6th February the matter was raised again. This time the voting was 7 to 7. Because of the deadlock it was decided to refer the matter to the membership. A special meeting was called at Holborn Hall on 18th February 1951. At this meeting, the resolution to go ahead with the purchase was carried by 181 to 38. The cost was met by a call for donations and by a £900 ‘loan’ from a member. The purchase was completed on 16th March 1951 with the Party moving in on that day.  A lot of work was required to make the building usable, including the construction of the stairs between the meeting area on the ground floor and the balcony area above. Such work has continued to the present day and work on a new shop-front facia will shortly begin.

Why not drop by for a cup of tea and a comradely chat about socialism.