Dingle Lake, Middleton Scriven - Present day
Dingle Lake
Hidden down a warren of narrow lanes, lies a small and unassuming Natural Trust woodland next to the village of Middleton Scriven next to Chetton’s Parish boundary.
However, more than half a century ago, this abandoned woodland was the place to go clubbing, attracting people from as far away as Birmingham..even by aircraft.
The story of Bridgnorth district’s most unlikely night club started in the late 1930s. In the north of the parish was an area known as the Dingle: a wooded valley, steep sided in places but opening out further upstream.
It was there that a Black Country businessman, Mr Brewster, had a vision. He built a substantial concrete dam across the stream to create a lake. At the far end of the lake he built a bar and clubhouse. He set out a drive and walks around the lake.
A generator discreetly installed in a remote corner of the site provided electricity so he could illuminate the lake with colored lights.
Then he began marketing his creation as a venue for dances, whist drives and general entertainments. Perhaps it was the novelty of the situation or simply the quality of the entertainment (coupled with Mr Brewster’s marketing skills), but the venue soon established itself as an excellent place for a night out.
The Pavilion - taken around the 1940s
The view of the lake from the pavilion
Dingle Lake was managed for Brewster by a Mr Ling. He worked with Herbert and Phyllis Turner to organise the dances; the Turners were very good dancers themselves and this must have helped the place establish itself. The dance was one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the 1930s; it just required a few musicians, a big enough room and a suitable MC to co-ordinate things. Whilst Dingle Lake was off the beaten track, a large field next to it provided plenty of parking and, in the 1930s, the private motor car was just starting to establish itself locally. There was always the bicycle for those without cars and as Dingle Lake became more established, coach parties were organised to visit it. I have been told that a few wealthy socialites would occasionally even fly from Birmingham, landing a light aircraft in the field next to the Lake.
On arriving at the Dingle, the party-goers would walk past the lake, lit up by lights in the evenings, to reach the clubrooms. There were two huts. The first housed snooker and billiard tables, as well as living accommodation for the manager, with a bar behind. There was then a short walkway leading to the second hut, which was the dance hall. This could be adapted for other events such as “Fur and Feather” whist drives (with game or poultry as prizes).
Dingle Lake was not just for evening entertainment. During the day the snooker and billiard tables would be available for use and it was possible to walk around the grounds. There was a boat that could be used for trips around the lake; latterly this is remembered as the “Iron Duke”, an ex-army craft. Photos taken around 1940 also show a chalet by the side of the lake; suggesting that it could be hired for holidays. There was a children’s play area next to the club room.
Dingle Lake prospered throughout the 1940s and early 1950s. It featured in an article in the Bridgnorth Journal in the 1940s and many local people recall visiting to attend the regular dances. However, as the 1950s drew out, the traditional dances and whist drives became less popular. More practically, the lake itself was silting up and so eventually the venue closed. Today the site is a nature reserve, but the dam and the bases of some of the buildings survive as remainders of its most un-natural past.
In 2007, Researcher/Aston University Professor David Poyner, wrote and researched the above information.
A few years later, David was in contact with Eric Jenkins and Philip Bennett, who are two grandsons of the original owner of the lake.
Together they have worked to record their memories of the venue in this article below:
The Dingle Lake Social and Sports Club was founded by Charles Brewster in 1930 or 31. Mr Brewster had a number of business interests and was also a bookmaker who lived in Wolverhampton with his wife. It is not clear whether he originally set out to establish a country club or whether he was simply looking for a pond for private fishing; he was a keen angler and also had shooting rights on various estates. He thought about establishing his fishery near Worfield until he was told about Dingle Lake, apparently whilst having a drink in the Halfway House Inn near Bridgnorth.
Whilst the existing lake was somewhat the worse for wear, he obtained a lease from the Bunney family, repaired the dam and stocked the site with fish. Possibly as a result of demand from his angling friends, he realized the potential of the site and so enlarged or rebuilt the existing buildings and obtained a private members’ drinks licence. In addition to the clubroom, there was a chalet built overlooking the lake; this provided sleeping accommodation for visitors. A canoe and a punt were available for trips on the lake. A local man, Hughie Bunney, was the caretaker. Electricity came from a generator and Hughie apparently brought drinking water to the site in buckets.
Before the war the site was very popular, particularly with a number of players from Wolverhampton Wanderers. They in turn would have raised the profile of the club, bringing in their friends. It also seems that business associates of Mr Brewster used Dingle Lake for works outings; there were regular coach parties from Courtaulds in Wolverhampton. During the summer it seems that members of the Brewster family and their close friends would stay on holiday at Dingle Lake, sleeping in the chalet or camping.
Mr Brewster died in 1942 and the lease of the club was transferred to one of his close business associate, Hubert Ling. Mr Ling was a locksmith in Wolverhampton and he seems to have helped Mr Brewster with the management of Dingle Lake. The club may have struggled for a period as there are recollections of the lake silting up, but it appears to have regained its popularity for at least a period in the 1950s. One story that has come to light is of a coach outing from Wolverhampton in about 1958. After heavy rain, the field that was used as a car park was a quagmire; unfortunately the coach driver failed to realize this and got stuck. The party spent the night in the clubhouse and the coach was eventually pulled out by a tractor the next day.
Dingle Lake finally closed in 1959/60 when Mr Ling retired to Hampshire. By then, maintenance costs were becoming heavy.