There's just one week left to see a fascinating exhibition on Salford Lads Club, the last surviving pre-WW1 Lads Club in England. Entitled The Nippers of Salford Lads Club the gallery show looks back over the Club's 112 year history and is based upon detailed archival records.
Amazingly, the records of membership have been kept intact and include 22,500 hand-written membership cards. These cards tell the stories of the boys who joined the club and even include their employment histories. They show that many really were 'nippers', working by 13 years of age in mills, local industry and at the Salford docks.
This was the time of the Scuttlers, delinquent gangs of youth who roamed the streets of Salford and Manchester, surviving by petty crime and revelling in gang warfare. The Salford Lads Club acted as an alternative to this way of life, by providing active sport and other leisure activities as well as advice and guidance. It was, above all, a secure place to meet.
The Exhibition includes photographs of significant people in the history of the Club as well as copies of the membership records, which include famous lads Graham Nash and Alan Clark of The Hollies, footballers from Manchester United and Manchester City, boxers and rugby league players. If you have been a member of the Club, or had relatives who attended, the details are all recorded and are certainly worth checking out.
The Nippers of Salford Lads Club
People's History Museum
Engine Room, Left Bank, Spinningfields
Manchester M3 3ER
The exhibition runs until 17th January 10am – 5pm daily
For further details click here
Words by Alice Searle
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