On the 15th of July 1927 the Leeds Mercury reported that businesses and professional people in South Elmsall had formed a new club, known as the Brookside Commercial and Social Club, with local doctor Gordon Pounds elected as their first President. Mr J. Pinkerton Kenny was chosen as their first Secretary, and Mr A. Allcock was the club’s first Treasurer. The club was located on Brookside Street, in South Elmsall, which is where it’s name was borrowed from.

In March 1931 one of South Elmsall’s prominent residents, George Henry Wressell of 72 Westfield Lane, passed away aged 75, after a long illness. George was the manager of the Picture Palace, in Moorthorpe, from 1911, and of Parkinson’s Corn Mill in South Elmsall and was a member of the club. The South Yorkshire Times and Mexborough & Swinton Times, in reporting his passing, on the 20th of March 1931, also reflected that he had been a member of South Elmsall Parish Council, prior to the First World War, and he originally came to South Elmsall from Hatfield. His funeral was held at St. Mary’s Church, and the club sent a wreath.

A member of the club was noted for their bravery in World War Two was Jack Baker, of 12 Central Avenue, South Elmsall. Jack signed up for service in June 1940, leaving behind his 17 year career with Pontefract Co-Operative Society, as reported in the South Yorkshire Times and Mexborough & Swinton Times, on the 21st of December 1940. In May 1954 it was reported in the South Yorkshire Times and Mexborough & Swinton Times of the 15th of May that the club was in need of a new Steward and was inviting applications. One possible issue was that no house was provided by the club for the successful applicant and their wife and family, and the position was still vacant and being advertised as late as June of that year.

Within a decade the position was again vacant and still the club was unable to offer lodgings, with applications being sought in the South Yorkshire Times and Mexborough & Swinton Times of the 12th of September 1964. Yet again, two years later, the club were struggling to find and hold onto a Steward, advertising the vacancy in the South Yorkshire Times and Mexborough & Swinton Times of the 10th of December, 1966. The club has a long held tradition of participating in sports and games, with the club’s darts team being noted in the South Yorkshire Times and Mexborough & Swinton Times of the 24th of October 1970, though at the time they were struggling in the ‘B Section’ of the South Elmsall, South Kirkby and District Darts League.

The club began it’s move across the South Elmsall high street in 1972, when they applied for planning permission to build a new premises. The South Yorkshire Times and Mexborough & Swinton Times, of the 15th of April 1972, reported that Hemsworth Rural District Council were to consider the new building, on Barnsley Road. However, this was a slow process, as proven by the fact that yet again in April 1973 the club were advertising in the South Yorkshire Times and Mexborough & Swinton Times, on the 28th of April 1973, for another Steward, and their address was still their original location on Brookside Street. The darts team though had improved, with various newspaper reports through 1973 showing that they had moved into the ‘A Section’ of the South Elmsall, South Kirkby and District Darts League.

It was reported in the South Yorkshire Times and Mexborough & Swinton Times of the 5th of January, 1974, that one of the club’s founder members was celebrating their golden wedding anniversary. A native of Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, Andy Overend had led a fascinating life, having worked his passage to New Zealand at the age of 18 he was returned to Europe to serve in the New Zealand army, and was wounded in the theatre in France. He was then sent to stay with his sister, in South Elmsall, to recover, and settled in the area, working as a boot repairer. This led to him opening a general store locally, and then another store in Doncaster. He then worked alongside his wife, Jessie, in a furniture store but was best known in South Elmsall for having spent two decades cycling around the area as an insurance agent. The couple had married at All Saints in South Kirkby, and lived on Kirkbridge Way, in Moorthorpe. Mr and Mrs Overend had no children, but were close to their niece, who lived in Sprotbrough, where their anniversary celebration had taken place, on Boxing Day.

It wasn’t until 1976 that the club finally had moved to their new premises, on Barnsley Road, but as of the 17th of July they were seeking a contractor to decorate and furnish the interior and exterior of the club, in the South Yorkshire Times and Mexborough & Swinton Times. Curiously as soon as 1981 the club were again seeking a contractor to decorate the club, inside and out, in the South Yorkshire Times and Mexborough & Swinton Times, on the 25th of September.

Once again, in the South Yorkshire Times and Mexborough & Swinton Times of the 1st of July 1983, the club were seeking a new Steward or Stewardess, and clearly were not too fussy as they made it known that no experience was required. Sadly in July 1986 the area mourned the shock passing of one of their previous Stewards, Brian Lumb, who tragically died aged just 43. News of his sudden death was reported by the South Yorkshire Times and Mexborough & Swinton Times on the 4th of July 1986. Mr Lumb and his wife had lived at Marlborough Croft, South Kirkby, for 20 years, having had spells in charge of the Barnsley Oak and the Brookside Commercial and Social Club, but had moved to Mexborough two years prior, to take over at the George and Dragon. Having suffered with asthma for years, Brian died during an asthma attack, at their family home.

The club continued to flourish in their new home, with an extension being officially opened by the former President of the Club and Institute Union, Arthur Bates, in time for Christmas 1987, as reported by the South Yorkshire Times and Mexborough & Swinton Times, on the 18th of December. By 1993 the club had undergone a transformation, as demonstrated by the then President, Tom Heathcoate, taking out a full page advertisement in the South Yorkshire Times and Mexborough & Swinton Times on the 26th of March 1993. The club’s sporting pride was evident, with Tom noting that the club offered “every conceivable pub game” and had “two showcases stuffed with silver trophies”. At the time the club had a football team, two men’s darts teams, a women’s darts team and two snooker teams. It was also stressed that half of the club’s membership “may be women”, as enshrined in the club’s constitution, and Tom was keen to note how welcoming the club was, to women.

The same article also reported that the most recent refurbishment had cost £80,000 and gave the club a “luxury look” with “shades of red and green in a Paisley carpet and curtains”. The chairs and seats were covered in a “deep lovat green” and stained glass was prominent in the bar. And the stained glass did not end there! The reporter said that they particularly “loved the delightful man and woman on the appropriate toilet doors. Executed in stained glass they both looked desperate to spend a penny!” Even as late as 1993 founding members were still involved in club meetings, with Tom noting that one of them, Levi Gocher, “has a big influence at meetings”.

One of the sporting icons associated with the club is Kelly Fisher. A snooker and pool prodigy, at the age of 13 Kelly was already making headlines, playing alongside England international David Wilson, in exhibition matches for charity, around the country, as reported in the Huddersfield Daily Examiner on the 30th of November 1991. By July 1992 Kelly, then still just 13, was ranked 32nd in the world, in women’s snooker, as reported in the Yorkshire Evening Post, on the 11th of July. Kelly first competed in the World Snooker Championships in 1993, by which time she had climbed to 21 in the world, and went on to win multiple world titles in both snooker and pool, and became the first woman to make a century break in the qualifying stages of the World Snooker Championship, a 106 against Ryan Day, in 2002. By 1995 the club was prominent in local cricket, fielding a team in the Sam Smith League, with the likes of Steve Camm, Alan Taylor and Geoff Elliott being noted for their performances in the local press.

In October 1997 the club submitted a planning application to Wakefield Council for new signage, this was passed by November of 1997 and new bold signage was erected to the exterior of the building. In this period the club became known for the generosity of the members, to a number of local and regional charities and causes. For example the South Yorkshire Times and Mexborough & Swinton Times of the 29th of January 1998 reported that one of the club members, Carole Zadorozny, had organised a darts tournament to raise money for the The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. The Pontefract & Castleford Express of the 5th of February 1998 also reported that members had raised £6,500 for the local Prince of Wales Hospice.

The club continues to be a fixture of South Elmsall’s main high street, outlasting many of the towns clubs and pubs which have sadly faded into memory, and will celebrate it’s centenary in July 2027.