The Lakeside Leisure Complex is a hotel, conferencing, entertainment and associated leisure complex in Frimley Green in west Surrey, England. It hosted the open/men's and women's BDO World Darts Championship every January from 1986 to 2019.[1]

History

Bob Potter OBE in 2017

The complex was established in 1972, when Bob Potter bought Wharfenden House and the surrounding grounds and lake.[2] He soon doubled the hall to 1,000 seats principally for hosting comedians and musicians, including North American and internationally acclaimed acts. Lakeside was almost completely destroyed in a fire in November 1978,[3] but was subsequently rebuilt, reopening in October the following year.[4]

During the 25th year of hosting the World Darts Championship, in 2010 the lake had largely iced over by 7 January. That day the body of a man, a hotel guest for the competition week, was found.[5] Landowner-managers, Bob Potter Leisure Limited, were fined £85,000 for health and safety violations.[6]

Bob Potter died on 14 April 2023, at the age of 94.[7]

Events

The Lakeside became the venue of the World Darts Championship in 1986.[8][9] The Club sponsored the event from 2004 to 2019. It has hosted the new WDF World Darts Championship since 2022.[10]

The venue has hosted acts such as Tommy Cooper, Morecambe and Wise, Sammy Davis Jr, Frankie Vaughan and Bob Monkhouse.[11][12]

The 'Small Business Bureau Conference', held in 1987, was claimed by the organisers to be the largest business conference in Europe.[13]

Facilities

Grand venue

The largest venue is the Main Cabaret Suite which has a capacity of 1,170 with conference and banqueting facilities.

Others

It is a mixed members' club, hotel and selection of restaurants with snooker, pool, darts, ten-pin bowling, squash, bars, an events nightclub and well-equipped gym. Near the village, boats can be hired for day trips along the Basingstoke Canal. The borough and adjoining Wentworth/Sunningdale area has a number of golf courses.

Heyday as a club

Darts commentator and personality Sid Waddell looked back on the early darts era when Lakeside was "arguably the best club in Britain":

Tom Jones, Jim Davidson and other stars packed the joint, while Margaret Thatcher herself said it was one of her favourite places for Tory jollies."[14]

Potter claimed that he and his facilities inspired Peter Kay's comedic business saga Phoenix Nights, whose character is named Brian Potter.[15]

References

  1. ^ "Lakeside Set To Host Biggest Ever BDO World Championships". UK Darts Magazine. 23 October 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  2. ^ "Bob Potter, king of darts who owned Lakeside, venue for decades of world championships – obituary". The Telegraph. 27 April 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  3. ^ "I'll rebuild - Lakeside boss". Farnborough News and Mail. No. 4241. 28 November 1978. p. 1.
  4. ^ "Lakeside's night of the stars". Farnborough News and Mail. No. 4331. 26 October 1979. p. 26.
  5. ^ Darts spectator found dead under ice in Surrey lake bbc.co.uk
  6. ^ Edmondson, Nick (5 July 2013). "Company admits safety breaches over frozen lake death". GetSurrey. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  7. ^ "Obituary – Bob Potter OBE". Darts World. 14 April 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  8. ^ "Darts". The Glasgow Herald. 4 July 1985. p. 23.
  9. ^ "Bristow left in the dark". The Glasgow Herald. 6 November 1985. p. 22.
  10. ^ "Darts is Coming Home! Lakeside World Championship 2022". DartsWDF. World Darts Federation. 6 June 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  11. ^ Irwin, Justin (2008). Murder on the Darts Board. Anova. pp. 4–5. ISBN 9781906032043.
  12. ^ Rutter, Jason (September 1997). "Stand-up as interaction: Performance and Audience in Comedy Venues" (PDF). University of Saford, Institute for Social Research, Department of Sociology (PhD thesis). p. 102 (pdf p. 117).
  13. ^ "Mrs Thatcher would always ask after our town". Hull Daily Mail. 31 January 2012. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  14. ^ Waddell, Sid (2009). Bellies and Bullseyes: The Outrageous True Story of Darts. Random House. ISBN 9781407030449.
  15. ^ Keogh, Frank (6 January 2004). "Phoenix flights". BBC Sport. Retrieved 13 January 2014.

External links

51°18′11″N 0°43′17″W / 51.3030447°N 0.7214928°W / 51.3030447; -0.7214928

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