The Salford Lads Club – the site of the most famous The Smiths photo – faces closure
nme.comThe Smiths, is currently facing closure.The youth centre – which was opened in 1904 by Robert Baden-Powell in Ordsall as a club for boys but is now open to all young people – is under threat of closure due to rising costs and a drop in grant funding.Salford Lads Club became immortalised by The Smiths after a photo of Morrissey and co in front of the establishment was used on the sleeve of their third album, 1986’s ‘The Queen Is Dead’.Andy Rourke, bassist for The Smiths, died yesterday at the age of 59.
In 2004 he returned to Salford Lads Club, scene of an iconic image of the band, and spoke to one of the club's stalwarts – Archie Swift.
pic.twitter.com/7xYi5w9t75— BBC Archive (@BBCArchive) May 19, 2023The image – which has arguably become the most famous photo of the band – has helped the centre gain global recognition and a source of funding from fans of the group.
The establishment serves as a destination for superfans of The Smiths to visit.The centre continues to provide a safe space for young people from some of Greater Manchester’s deprived communities, offering activities such as sports six days a week.
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