One-hundred-year-old records reveal that women were always at the Mildmay – if slightly less visible than their male counterparts. Pictured: Josie Gee [Joanne Smith]

THEY performed, danced, campaigned and sat in the bar just like everyone else, but the women members of Newington Green’s Mildmay Club have never been formally recognised for their role in its history – until now.

“Women have always been part of club life, they just haven’t been officially recorded in any kind of depth,” said the club history committee’s Rebecca Feiner, who is organising a series of events around International Women’s Day to put that omission right.

“It will be the first time in 138 years – so we’ve waited quite a while to get this done – and the intention is that it will become part of the club’s cultural calendar in future, a normal thing rather than an extraordinary thing.”

Established in 1888, the Mildmay Radical Club – as it was then known – was founded as a working men’s club offering entertainment and education to working-class men in Islington and Hackney.

Women weren’t allowed to be members at that time, but a dig through the archives shows that this was never really a men-only space – even if the club’s iconic snooker hall remained barred to women until as late as 2010.

One-hundred-year-old dance cards, strike committee name registers and records of a popular “male impersonator” who performed at the club in the early 1900s reveal that women were always at the Mildmay – if slightly less visible than their male counterparts.

Nowadays the membership is gender equal, and Ms Feiner’s plans for a film screening, panel talk and first-of-its-kind group photo of women members are a way to recognise their history there, as well as how the club has changed.

“A lot of young people are joining because it’s that face-to-face experience, it’s very good value and it has a sprung dance floor,” she said, adding: “There aren’t many spaces left where people of all different backgrounds and ages can gather, and that’s what attracted me to it – it’s a very special place because it’s a genuine mix of people.

“It feels a bit like stumbling into someone’s wedding.

“You end up having unexpected and delightful serendipitous conversations with people of different generations, and the fact that it’s owned by the members as well makes everyone quite committed. It makes you feel that you’re part of something that is about celebration and joy.”

While the group photo and a women’s-only snooker session will be for members only, other events are open to the public, including a film screening on March 11 and a walking tour on March 15.

The Mildmay Club will also host a “herstory” drop in session on March 1 for women with memorabilia from or memories of the club.

“We want to get as many stories recorded as possible,” Ms Feiner said.

• Details for all International Women’s Day events can be found in the event listings at the website: mildmay.club