Manchester was our first destination for the trip and was the city I was most excited about. Before the trip, I was already heavily invested in Manchester culture, especially through music. Some of my favorite bands are from Manchester; bands such as The Stone Roses, Oasis, New Order, Joy Division, and The Smiths (my personal favorite) all have their roots in Manchester. After our first free day in Manchester, I looked up sights to see during the remainder of our time; the city had so much to offer. But one place that particularly stood out to me because of my interests was the Salford Lads Club.
The club was not exactly in Manchester, rather it was a thirty-minute trolley ride and walk through the city outskirts. Thankfully, many of my friends decided to join the pilgrimage towards Salford even though none of them are Smiths fans. I enjoyed the trip through Manchester more than I thought, it was very nice seeing the outside of the city, and it reminded me much of Queens. The club had interesting hours, only open for tours on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 11-2. But as the clock nearly hit 2, we were able to get into the building. When we walked in, we were immediately greeted by the sweetest woman I’ve ever met. Even though they were about to close, she was delighted to give us a tour of the building. From her explanation, we all learned that the building offered much more history than just the famous door. This is what she mentioned:
The Salford Lads Club is a boy’s youth club that opened in 1903 and is a refuge for local boys to hang out and learn life skills. This allowed less fortunate young boys to have opportunities to establish a sense of community through connections in music and sports and helped keep crime off the streets. Although the club massively grew in popularity for something completely different.
The club gained worldwide attention after The Smiths chose to use the club for a photo for their album, The Queen is Dead. The club’s door used for pictures in the record gave the club a reputation. At first, it brought a lot of negative attention, fans would visit and trash the building and nearby homes; this nearly caused the club to close its doors. Thankfully, after Morrissey (the band’s lead singer) wrote to the club vowing his support, the club remained open where it continues to serve the community and preserve the legacy of Salford; the gym was even in a scene of Peaky Blinders.
The main attraction I came to see was The Smiths exhibit. Basically, it is a room that used to be a weight room that was turned into a unique exhibit. The exhibit contains photos of the band, the music, and many of the fans who helped to keep the club’s legacy alive; I felt like a kid in a candy store, and I was ecstatic. My favorite part of this room is the tile collage of the band made by a native Manchester artist celebrating the band’s legacy in the city.
The most unique part of the club that I never heard of was located where they document all the club’s members. It was a massive wall that had the names of every member of the club from 1903 to the 1970s. This was something that I never hoped to see from a place like this, it was fascinating.
The biggest takeaway I got from my afternoon in Salford is that even the small things have deep and unique histories. I originally was drawn to the building because of the door used for a picture by my favorite band (which we had to take a picture behind,) and I came out of it knowing the history of the small suburb and how the building had such a major impact on the local culture outside of the music. I loved their message so much that I bought a lot of their merchandise, the proceeds of which go into funding the community events that they still host. My trip to the Salford Lads Club was by far my favorite part of the trip and is one that I will never stop talking about.
