The Ram Folk Club was a folk club in the borough of Elmbridge in suburban north

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, one of only a few folk clubs in the Home Counties close to London. Established in October 1983, it operated on Friday evenings and featured music by folk and acoustic artists and bands. It was run by a small group of regular musicians and fans and was not for profit. The evening usually consisted of a main 'guest' preceded by several floor spots. In 2007, the Club received the

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Folk Club of the Year award. In March 2021, having not operated throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, it announced its permanent closure.

Performances

The club had a wide variety of guests, from local bands to national or international musicians. They included Phil Beer, Archie Fisher,

Martin Carthy Martin Carthy MBE (born 21 May 1941) is an English folk singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in British traditional music, inspiring contemporaries such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, and later artists such as ...

and John Kirkpatrick.

Venues

Originally known as the Greyhound Folk Club, the club's first events were held at a pub in

Weston Green Weston Green is a small suburban village and a ward in the Elmbridge borough of Surrey. This area was, until 1901, a part of Thames Ditton with which it remains contiguous and associated. Weston Green is also contiguous with Esher, which provi ...

. The club moved in 1985 to a pub in Weybridge and became the Hand and Spear Folk Club. It took on The Ram Club name when it moved in 1987 to a Young's Brewery pub in Claygate. From 2009 the Ram Folk Club held its folk music events at the Old Cranleighan Sports Club in Thames Ditton, midway between Kingston upon Thames, London and

Walton on Thames Walton-on-Thames, locally known as Walton, is a market town on the south bank of the Thames in the Elmbridge borough of Surrey, England. Walton forms part of the Greater London built-up area, within the KT postcode and is served by a wide ran ...

. This was the club's fourth venue in Elmbridge and is only from the original venue in Weston Green. In March 2021, having not operated throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, the Club announced its permanent closure.

References

External links

The Ram Club
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ram Folk Club 1983 establishments in England 2021 disestablishments in England Borough of Elmbridge Clubs and societies in Surrey Folk music venues Music venues in Surrey Organizations established in 1983 Organizations disestablished in 2021