The institute was founded in the 1890s by Sir William Pickles Hartley. In an initial meeting in 1892, Hartley offered £1,000 (approximately £60,000 in 2005[2]) towards a project that would see "all the Churches, from the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England down to the very smallest mission room ... enter into a Christlike compact to fight against evil in every form."[3] After the institute's establishment, the hall was used by the Aintree Photographic Society as a club house and exhibition venue.[4]
During the Second World War, black people were prohibited from entering the hall. This was the result of a shooting and stabbing incident involving drunken black GIs.[5]
In the early 1960s, promoter Bill Kelly (also of Lathom Hall) hosted concerts at the Institute billed as "sensational jive dances". The Beatles headlined a number of these evenings, billed as "The Dynamic Beatles"[6] or the "Great Boppin' Beatles".[7] The Beatles performed a total of 31 shows at the venue[8][9] between 7 January 1961[8] and 27 January 1962.[10] While at the club, it was common for some concertgoers to throw chairs at each other and at the band. The Beatles' final concert at the venue paid £15 (approximately £230 in 2005[2]), but Brian Epstein was furious when Kelly paid the group in loose change. Epstein felt this was an insult to the band, and never booked the band with Kelly again.[10]
The Aintree was demolished in 2007.
