updated with Tom Radford's info from UK's Oldest Folk Club thread


The Fo'c's'le in Southampton has been running since 1963; first organised by John Paddy Browne and John Edgar Mann.
It started at the old Bassett Hotel, an off shoot of the Balladeer Jazz club. It has had many venues and different organizers over the years, but still continues to flourish, now at the Richmond Inn, Portswood - nearly every Friday!!
I was involved as a resident singer way back in the early 1970's when it was at The Bay Tree - and I remember singing in the 10 year anniversary concert at the theatre at So'ton University - and forgot my words...........
Someone should write a history of this great club!!!

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I should correct my own error - The Balladeer was the original name for the club, and it was an off shoot of the Concorde Jazz Club at The Bassett on Burgess Road, Southampton, that started in 1957!!

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San Francisco Folk Music Club (US)- founded 1948
Bush Music Club (Aus) - founded 1954
Topic in Bradford (UK) - founded 1956
Edinburgh University Folk Society - April 1958
The Folksong Society of Greater Boston (US) - 1959
Victorian Folk Music Club (Aus) - 1959
Swindon Folksingers Club (UK) - Jan 1960
Dunfermline Folk Club - 1961
Stockton folk club (UK) - 1962
Aberdeen Folk Club - 1962
Birtley Folk Club - 1962
Herga (UK) - 1963
The Fo'c's'le, (formerly Balladeer) Southampton - 1963
The Pick'n & Sing'n Gather'n (US - NY state) - pushing 50
Grimsby Folk Club - 1964
Washington DC - 1964
Black Diamond Folk Club, Birmingham (UK) - 1964
Southport's Bothy Folksong Club (UK) - 1965
Cutty Wren Folk Club, Redcar (UK) - 1965
Folk at the Royal Oak, Lewes (UK) - 1965
Orpington Folk Club (UK) - 1965
Whitby (UK) - similar age to Orpington
Folklore Society Of Greater Washington (US) - 1965 'only' 45½
Croydon Folk Club (UK) - 1965
Frodsham Folk Club (Cheshire UK) - Jan 1968
Durham City Folk Club - 1969
Fleetwood - 1969 (40 slightly interrupted years)
Calgary Folk Club (Can)- 1972
Islington Folk Club (UK) - 1972
Llantrisant Folk Club (UK) - 1980
Somers Traditional Folk Club (UK) - 1981