The Iron Door Club: When The Going Gets Tough

When The Going Gets Tough
"No Weirdies, Beatniks or Teddy Boys"
by Peter R. McCormack

"The Gang's All Here"
Teddy Boys At the Iron Door

Keeping The Warehouse Civil

Visiting cellar clubs was a favourite passtime of enthusiastic Liverpool teens in the 1960s. Consistent with the impulsive nature of this population, a few drinks too many often times led to rowdiness. The experience management of the Iron Door took a number of steps to put a lid on the "steaming cellar." Was the Iron Door a tough place to visit? Equally important, if there was an element of danger, what safeguards did the management put in place for the protection of their patrons?

A Tough Place?

As noted in the article "Scouser Life In District 2" some tough customers could be found at music events in the early 1960s. With regard to the Iron Door in particular, the Undertakers' lead guitarist, Chris Huston recalled

"The Iron Door Club could be a dangerous place."

Sam Leach, a promoter of a number of major music events in Liverpool also portrayed the Iron Door as having a bit of a rough edge at times. Writing of a Sunday sometime in 1963 Leach writes of the Iron Door in his book, "The Rocking City"

It was almost summertime, the annual recession for indoor entertainment, and only having one club open left serious economies. This included letting the Mean Machine go. I still needed a couple of bouncers at the Iron Door, but I was only able to offer three nights work a week. Most nights, Terry was able to provide me with a couple of his mates, but it was a highly unsatisfactory state of affairs, especially with the protection mob still on the loose. But there was nothing more I could do.

Those manning the door of the Club would often use the peep hole before opening the door. From the "The Rocking City"

As luck would have it, I had no regular bouncers on that night and was relying on a couple of inexperienced lads I hadn't met before. There was a bang on the door and, forgetting Terry's advice, I was about to open it until he suddenly appeared and pulled me back. He peered through the observation hole and then stepped back in alarm. 'There here. About forty of them. We're in big trouble.'"

The Club would seem to have had its share of difficult moments, however, this more trying moments seem to have arisen during the later years as under Geoff Hogarth's tenure a number of safeguards were put in place to minimize such occurrences. Also, it is not clear from the account of Sam Leach why the appearance "forty thieves" had anything to do with the Iron Door Club itself.

The Importance of Membership

Being no stranger to the club scene, the management was noted by some to have set the tone for the club by requiring membership. This insured that club members were known and also allowed for identification. The unique membership cards were easily recognizable and were so popular amoung patrons that a number have survived up until today, more than 40 years later. You will see them on a number of pages on this site and if you look closely they are the background for this article and many others. A very good example of this card is shown below. The logo is clevely designed to pull in the themes of the Iron Door with the old style key and the traditions of jazz with the trumpet. The orange colour chosen is surely an attention grabber. Full marks go to the designer, Geoff Hogarth who certainly knew what he was doing when he created it in 1959. The holder of this card must have felt a sense of exclusivity as it was no ordinary membership card for its day.

Hogarth commented briefly on the memberships cards and their role during the early days of the Club.

"The situation with the membership cards as regards the Iron Door was that, it being a licensed premises, we had to abide by the rules of the licensing laws that governed the country. Applicants to become members had to be introduced by a member and seconded by another member. Forty-eight hours had to elapse before the issue of a membership card. A member was allowed to bring in two non-members who had to sign them in with their names and addresses. He or she was then responsible for them. If they wanted a drink from the bar the member was obliged to purchase it for them. After the club lost its drink licence we carried on with the membership cards but dropped the signing in. We had very little trouble when we were licensed,really nice sociable people. It was, however, a different kettle of fish concerning the Rock beat crowd who were to follow."

Whilst following the membership rules may have been seen as "red tape" by some, in addition to pleasing the authorities the practice ultimately provided for the safety of those present. Understandably, the usefulness of membership would diminish to a degree once the sign-in requirement was dropped following the loss of its liquor license.

Supervision A Key

The Iron Door used Commissionaires for the purpose of keeping an eye on unsavoury patrons and alerting the management or the local authorities if necessary. A commissionaire is a messenger or doorkeeper in uniform. The organization took its members from a pool of veteran soldiers, sailors and airmen and typically employed as doorkeepers, watchmen and the like. These watchmen were keen observers and took their responsibilities seriously. Geoff Hogarth writes

"I was proud of the fact that we had them at the Iron Door. During the day they would be working mainly in large Banks, Shipping, Insurance, etcetera. The chaps who worked for us worked at the Mardi Gras. Such was the pull of the Iron Door they came over to us when we opened. They were a great bunch of men."

Another interesting aspect of the Iron Door Club's supervision involved the provision of first-aid services. Hogarth adds

"I would bring to your attention is on the all night sessions the office upstairs was turned over to the St John's Ambulance Brigade who used to send three or four members to deal with any medical problems. No other club did this, but there again no other club put on as many all nighters as did the Iron Door."

Those who attended the Iron Door will recall that it was, all things considered, a friendly place to visit under the management of Hogarth. There can be little doubt that his compassion for others and his commitment to safety afforded patrons with protection that they might not have received at other venues.

Guardsman And Bouncers A Necessity

From the very beginning, bouncers were hired to provide protection for members of the Club. In the earliest days from its opening until December 1960, two ex-Irish Guardsmen were hired for the job.

From early in 1961 and throughout 1962 the duties were handed over to Jim and Ben Evans. Jim & Ben worked from 11:30 pm to midnight everyday with an occasional break in the afternoon. Not Sundays. Hogarth reminds us

"These two brothers had an awesome reputation and no one would tangle with them. They were brought up in town at the end of Scotland Road. They could get together a gang of hard knocks within an hour."

Interviews with some of the patrons of the Iron Door made particular mention of the bouncers. For those who have not read "Memories of 13 Temple Street", Joan Houston offered the following with regard to her 1963 experience.

I do remember that the bouncers were much tougher than other clubs. The reason I guess I still remember this is because I was probably under age at the time and I had to think of different ways to get in. You had to be devious back then. You were either skint most of the time or under age."

At one stage of the game it was reported that an advert for the Iron Door read

"No Weirdies, Beatniks or Teddy Boys."

Whether this statement was meant to be a humorous or a serious statement is not clear, however, it certainly is an attention grabber. It would be hard to imagine having a club in the early 1960s and not have patrons of this description wandering in."

There is no question that those venues open until the wee hours of the morning would sooner or later face some tough customers whose behaviour was "over the top." For this reason bouncers were a necessity to any busy pub or music event. For special events many bouncers were employed. For the all-night show on March 11th 1961 the place was packed and 22 bouncers were in attendance. As a final point, no employee was exempt from difficult times. Even Hogarth himself was known to face tough-minded persons in an attempt to insure the safety of club members.

Tough Going?

While individual assessments will vary, the overall consensus of those who attended the Iron Door would seem to be that it was not a dangerous place. Having said that, add the impulsivness of youth, alcohol and ones' favourite music and a wide range of possibilities spring to mind. As with many significant historical events, there is a tendency to turn the ordinary life-events into legend. The Iron Door is certainly no exception to this rule.

The Iron Door was a popular club during times that tested the patience of young and old alike. The 1960s was a time like no other, however, when one considers the emergence of a new sound that would echo not only through the music venues of Liverpool but around the world. "Scouse Rock" was a magnetic for all walks of life and brought together diverse groups that might not otherwise have shared the same company. Under such situations, conflict was not the exception but often the rule.

Hogarth successfully managed to keep his patrons safe by effectively using membership, supervision and where necessary, physical intervention. Nothwithstanding his well thought out plans, in the end he relied on the spirit of Liverpool to see him through. The love of music and going through tough times was something that all Liverpudlians had in common. When the going gets tough ... Enough said.

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