The Birmingham Science Fiction Club

The Birmingham Science Fiction Club was a club in Birmingham, UK from 1949 to the mid-1950s. It was founded by Bert Barton and the group met weekly in a pub in the Digbeth area. There were reportedly between six and twenty members at meetings, and some visited the White Horse in London, but the Club produced no fanzines that we know of of and weren't otherwise connected with wider fandom. The names of other members aren't known.

Barton and the Club were the subject of a brief report in the Evening Despatch newspaper of October 8, 1952. This does say that they 'hope to set up an informal society' whereas other evidence is that the group had already been in existence for some years.

The pub meetings had ceased by 1953 although some members continued to meet in each other's home until the group faded away around 1955.

There was also an contemporary overlapping group called the Birmingham Science Fiction Circle, seemingly in existence from 1952. It's not out of the question that this was the same group under a different name, but it could simply be the Birmingham had two science fiction fan groups at the same time, each in ignorance of the other. Unfortunately, there is little documentary evidence for either group.

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Club

1949—1955

This is a club page. Please extend it by adding information about when and where the club met, when and by whom it was founded, how long it was active, notable accomplishments, well-known members, clubzines, any conventions it ran, external links to the club's website, other club pages, etc. When there's a floreat (Fl.), this indicates the time or times for which we have found evidence that the club existed. This is probably not going to represent the club's full lifetime, so please update it if you can!