I can't comment on a decline as I wasn't around during the "heyday".

What I can say is that I can go to a traditinal style (floorspots/ guests at least once a month with singarounds etc as well) club any day of the week within about 45 mins drive.

I live in the middle of nowhere in North Yorks.

There's Stockton, The Cutty Wren (Skelton in Cleveland), The Black Swan in York, Bedale, 2 clubs in Guisborough (Fri and Sun), Foggy Furze in Hartlepool, Foresters Folk Club, Croxdale Folk Club, The Wilsons Club, Richmond Folk Club, Saltburn, Otley, Barnard Castle...... I could go on! Oh and Kirkby Fleetham. Attendances vary but most are pretty well supported.

Then there are a myriad singarounds, sessions and "acoustic" nights as well. There are also things like The Pot House in Hartlepool which doesn't quite fit either model (they have very occaisional guests) and a brilliant attendance of audience as well as singers.

The last guest we had at Kirkby Fleetham was Steve Tilston. Audience was about 2 thirds "folkies" and one third local residents, though calling it a folk club does put off some people round here.

I would say there was a regional bias but as some of you know my other half gets around to quite alot of clubs gigging. She was at Balerno F.C. in Edinburgh this week.... about 70 in the audience.

She has also been at The Topic (Bradford), Horsham, Croydon, Glasgow (The Star....about a foot of snow for this one!), Newcastle (The Bridge), Reading, Redditch, Bridlington and a few more this year.

Audiences have varied but she not played to under 30 (as far as I can remeber)and often 50+. My point is that despite her not being that well known, in most places people still seem to want to come to folk clubs to see booked acts.

So what was the heyday like?