The choir’s origins were inauspicious. In the Autumn of 1898 six men gathered in the front parlour of a small house in Eustace Street, Warrington, to practise glee singing. They could never have imagined that their simple initiative would grow into one of Great Britain’s most altruistic choirs.
By the turn of the twentieth century, Warrington was home to two rival male choirs, the Warrington Apollo Male Voice Choir formed in October 1898 by Thomas Brough (left), and Warrington Male Voice Choir formed in November 1900 by Samuel Hassall (right). The choirs were fiercely competitive, yet eventually amalgamated in December 1911 under the neutral title, Warrington Male Choral Union. This name remained for seventy years until 1981, when the decision was taken to name the choir Warrington Male Voice Choir.
(Click on Early Photos to see the choirs as they were).