Historic Whalley Range hotspot The Carlton Club saved from eviction

A historic South Manchester hotspot has taken a major step in reversing its eviction notice. The Carlton Club, a key piece of Whalley Range folklore for over a century, was served an eviction notice by The Building Company earlier this year, which the Club had been challenging through a legal process and a Save Our Club campaign. 

Thanks to a change of directors at Carlton Social & Bowling Building Company Ltd, and the Club’s historic shareholding in the Building Company being restored, the new directors have voted to stop the eviction notice and move forward with constructive lease discussions, ending the threat of eviction that has plagued the club over the past year.

Based on the grounds of Rowan Lodge, the Carlton Club was formed in 1913 as a community hub to meet, drink, and dance. The Club came under very real threat of extinction after The Building Company, who owns Rowan Lodge, wished to run its own business from the site. In its fight to stave off the eviction notice, the Carlton Club has been fundraising to cover the legal fees for the first phase of the campaign and has garnered massive public support for its Save Our Club campaign. 

Unfortunately, the eviction notice remained a live threat and the situation had reached a stalemate, leading to the Club taking matters into their own hands. In recent days the Social Club CIC has utilised the mechanisms available to them to restore the Club’s legally appointed directors to the Building Company, appointed new directors, and passed resolutions to restore the Club’s shares in the Building Company, stop the eviction, and begin constructive discussions toward a lease. The new directors will work constructively with the Club to secure its future, in a process to ultimately place a cherished community asset back into the hands of its members. 

The fight to secure Rowan Lodge for future generations is still far from over, and the Club still needs support, but the threat of eviction has now passed. Justin Anderson, Acting Chair of the CIC Board and now also a director of the Building Company, said “It’s an incredibly exciting moment and we want to thank you for your exceptional support, as well as recognising the incredible efforts of our Board members, staff and volunteers, who have all gone above and beyond to fight this fight. Rest assured that we have always acted, and will continue to act, in the best interests of the Club and our community.”

Get down to the Carlton Club to celebrate the great news and enjoy an essential community hub with great food, drink, live music, and people. 

Check out our What's On Guide to discover even more rowdy raves and sweaty gigs taking place over the coming weeks and months. For festivals, lifestyle events and more, head on over to our Things To Do page or be inspired by the event selections on our Inspire Me page.

Header image credit: The Carlton Club / Facebook.com