A building whose history stretches back 100 years will throw its doors open to the people of Otley next weekend.

The Falcon Sports and Social Club has been based at what was originally an Oddfellows Hall, in Westgate, for 30 years.

But the property’s history stretches back much further than that, to 1909 when the Oddfellows friendly society opened it as their hall in Otley.

When the Oddfellows moved to Manchester the building was taken over by printers Crabtree-Vickers as their social club. It became The Falcon private members’ club, named after Crabtree-Vickers ‘falcon works’, after the company was sold and some members offered to buy it.

Club chairman Malcolm Lawrence admitted many people in the town did not even know the building was there, nestled between Lund’s Carpets and part of Ashfield Works.

But he hoped the centenary anniversary open day on Saturday, July 4 would change that.

He said: “We thought it would be good for the people of Otley to get a chance to have a look around inside and find out a bit more about us.

“Some people remark that the building’s a bit like the Tardis, because it’s much bigger inside than it seems outside!

“A lot of people in town don’t know we’re even here, even if they regularly pass the place. We used to have the cinema on the other side, so we were in between that and the carpet shop.

“We don’t know too much about the origins of the place, despite my best efforts, apart from the fact it started life as an Oddfellows hall 100 years ago.

“So we didn’t have an actual date for the centenary. July 4 seemed as good a day as any, especially with it being American Independence Day.

“To mark the occasion we are going to open all day, from around 10am or 11am, with sandwiches and food laid on, reduced-price beer behind the bar and a few artists performing on the evening along with the bingo.

“The idea is just to put on a nice free and easy day for everyone.

“Most of our committee will be there and we will be happy to talk to anyone who wants to become a member or just find out a bit more.”

A modest, green-coloured property, the clubhouse’s anonymity may be partly due to the fact it is set a little back from the road and does not sport large signs like its more commercial neighbours.

The club – which has a large main room with a games area, dominated by a snooker table, lounge and bar – currently has 220 members, around 80 of whom are active.

But Mr Lawrence is quick to point out that the ‘sports’ in its title could be misleading.

“It only really refers to the games we have – snooker, darts and dominoes,” he said. “There’s no football or anything, although maybe there was a while back when Crabtree-Vickers owned it.

“We’re happy with the position we’re in, though. We had a setback a few years ago when we were on the verge of closing but have recovered well.”

With the whole of the adjacent Ashfield Works site earmarked for development, the building’s future is in doubt – unlike that of the club, which owns the property outright and so is in a strong position to have a replacement base rebuilt if necessary.

Mr Lawrence said: “I think things are looking quite bright at the moment in the centre of town with the redevelopment of Ashfield Works in the pipeline, and we are confident the club will benefit from that.”

Although Leeds City Council still owns the former industrial site, it is in the process of finding a buyer to transform the land into a mixed-use development that would include new homes, light industry and a car park.