Whalley Range club, established 1911, served eviction notice

Carlton Club in Whalley Range, Manchester has been served an eviction notice after 111 years of providing a space for the community to meet, drink, and enjoy live music. 

Carlton Club has been served an eviction notice by The Building Company which the club is challenging. The legal process for Carlton Club to fight the notice will last at least 12 months.

The Building Company owns Rowan Lodge and its grounds which is home to Carlton Club, a community-focused club that has been the operating entity since 1913. On Instagram, Carlton Club said, "The Building Company exists solely to enable the club to operate but its eviction notice states that it wants to remove us and run its own business from the site." 

On the same post, they say their appeal is focused on three points. The first is to halt any proceedings related to the eviction and explore mutually beneficial solutions, the second, recognise the historical, cultural, and environmental significance of the club, and lastly, to protect community interests. See the post below. 

Putting socialising and wellbeing at its core, Carlton Club hosts hundreds of events for all ages, welcoming thousands of people who seek to enjoy their events and activities - many of which are free - including film screenings, comedy, art classes, and more. The club also operates as a live music venue, hosting musicians and club nights. 

Carlton Club also has a community garden for drinking and relaxing or exercising your green thumbs on Tuesdays and Saturdays. 

To fight the eviction notice, Carlton Club is fundraising. The fundraising money the club gets will be used for legal fees. Wanting to raise an initial £50,000, it'll be used to cover professional fees for the first phase of the campaign. The club said, "If it goes all the way, we will need much more than this. We hope this won't be the case but (we) have to prepare for every circumstance. If we win our case, any remaining funds will be redirected to The Club to help with ongoing costs."

The club is urging supporters to share their Instagram post, donate to their GoFundMe, sign their petition, and come down and have some fun at the club. Open every day of the week, you can simply head over for a drink or enjoy one of their many events and activities like their Pride party, live music, fundraising dance night, a live ska band, Manchester Blues Festival, and Hip Hop Chip Shop takeovers almost every Friday. 

Get down to Carlton Club and show your support while enjoying craft beers, cask ale, wines, spirits, good food, and the company of lovely people. 

Check out our What's On Guide to discover 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