The Aldeburgh Music Festival and Thorpeness

The second Aldeburgh Music Festival in 1949 included the Cambridge Madrigal Society singing madrigals and folk songs from boats on the Meare. It had been decided that the Working Men’s Club would be the back up venue, in the case of bad weather. One commentator, appears to have been a little confused as to the vision behind the creation of Thorpeness describing the venue as a ‘mock half-timbered building near an imitation tower gatehouse, constructed as part of an idealistic commune experiment set up by a Mr Ogilvie between the wars.’

​Performing on the Meare became a regular feature of the Aldeburgh Music Festival with the Working Men’s Club used for rehearsals and as the foul weather backstop. One performer recollects the performance being drowned out by a pilot from the American base at Bentwaters repeatedly flying over to spot his missing son.

In 1962, the Festival installed new staging at the Working Men’s Club. Imogen Holst, the Festival's artistic director, commissioned craftsmen from the Dartington Trust, where she had previously taught, to make the stage. Two years later as part of the festival, a group of amateur singers and children gave a concert in the Working Men’s Club which was well-received by the audience including Benjamin Brittain.

By the later 1970’s, the Working Men’s Club was regularly being used for rehearsals by the choir known as the Festival Singers. Some of the choir travelled from Norwich and were often late and on one occasion the coach broke down. The choir passed their time by singing madrigals as their alternative transport arrangements were organised.

​By the 1980s, rehearsals and performances centred around Snape Maltings and Thorpeness’s role declined.