Location and Parking
Liverpool Bridge Club is located in Toxteth on the corner of Croxteth Road and Greenheys Road, not far from the University and within easy reach of the City Centre. It has its own walled Car Park, with attendant, to the rear of the building. There is also ample off-street parking nearby.

Club Amenities
The club has 2 main large playing rooms, with an additional overflow room for busy sessions, and can accommodate up to 16 tables. With its own bar, tea/coffee/hot chocolate machine, small 'Bridge Library' and in recent years a much improved central-heating system, you can always be sure of a warm welcome and a comfortable game.

Club History & Personalities - by Ralph Churney
The Liverpool Bridge Club started life above a Bold Street shop, when Bold Street was the leading up-market shopping area in Liverpool a few years after World War II finished. T. Ralli was a prime mover together with Mrs V. Gluckstein, Mrs D. Rushton, Mrs T. Lyons, Mrs. T Richardson, Edgar Gordon and Edmund Phillips. Stan Shaw, Eric Figgis and Nathan Silverbeck were also influential among the early or founder members. At first it was a Rubber Bridge Club and then moved to Upper Duke Street above the KEW Estates Offices, at the junction of Rodney St. and Upper Duke St. by the Anglican Cathedral. It was there that I joined the club with Terry Lipson in 1956.

We were 'adopted' by Dorothy Rushton, who all her very long life took a keen and helpful interest in new young players. Laura Halewood was the secretary and resident kibitzer. Although she never played even one hand at the game, she was there most evenings at the bar with glass in hand filling in the Times, Manchester Guardian and Telegraph crosswords within two or three minutes; even the Ximenes was completed at the weekend. Nancy Eames was the club hostess and one of the fastest players I have ever come across. This coupled with her fabulous technique as a card player made her a very dangerous opponent. The premises were sufficient to accommodate a decent kitchen, and food was prepared and served to members who often stayed for an evening session after playing in the afternoon. Coffee/tea and biscuits were served at the bridge tables about half-way through each session.

Some of the female members were against having duplicate as a regular part of the club's activities, and it was only when the club moved to Duke St. that duplicate really got off the ground. This was instrumental in promoting an influx of younger competitive members, such as Grattan Endicott, Peter Morley, Stanley Beilin and Ken Barbour (who were later to make their name on the National scene and with International representation). Eric Figgis, a sports forecaster for the News of the World and a mathematician and an expert on odds, who also held a position in Littlewoods Pools, was a Promoter of the Nottingham Club system, a precursor of the strong club systems. He had a nucleus of a team, but the 'heavy mob' when I joined the club was the Morley/Endicott team - that was the one you wanted to beat if you couldn't be part of it!

The club now passed through a very flourishing stage, when 25 or 26 tables were not uncommon and tested Grattan's imaginative movements to the limit. However, the time came when our lease was up, the building was about to be demolished, and we had to move. At this time, 'Vicki' Gluckstein, a director and one of the older members of the club, was looking for a spacious dwelling for herself and had taken a liking to 7 Croxteth Road, which could be split into a self-sufficient ground floor and an extensive flat on the first floor. She offered to buy the premises and sell the ground floor to the club on the basis of a no-interest loan and allow the club the use of the car park. J. Macartney (Mac) was chairman during these negotiations, and the members now owned a club - and a debt! - which over the years was repaid.

I then took over as Chairman of the LBC Ltd., and later, when Vicki died, the board decided (not unanimously) to try to purchase the whole building and the car park. At that time the Liverpool Corporation was giving substantial grants for the conversion of buildings into office accommodation. We were informed by the council that the grants would cover the costs of the conversion, so the board came to an agreed purchase price with Vicki's son for the acquisition of the whole premises. The idea that the income from the offices would pay the mortgage received a blow when the Liverpool Corporation cancelled its policy of issuing grants!

The LBC now had a severe problem. They did not have the money to convert the upstairs flats into luxury office units and they were committed to buying the property. I had a friend who managed student accommodation, and we were advised that this would be a viable course for us to take. We took this advice, and after ensuring that things would run smoothly, Erica Slatcher (then Foster) took over as chairperson. Repairs, subsidence and drains (!) soon proved me wrong and that the LBC would not be trouble free, but we are now solvent. Eric Bushell took over as chairperson from Erica for a year and Roger Arnold, now in charge, is proving to be a good and popular chairman.