Stockport Lads Club was founded in 1889, its premises on Wellington Street, Stockport costing the grand sum of £2,748. The club’s memorial stone was laid that year by the Mayor of Stockport, Joseph Leigh, who was to become actively involved in the
club in later years as a trustee. This was the first club of its kind in the town and given its population, membership quickly swelled with hundreds of lads paying the one-penny (1.d) weekly subscription. By 1896 the club had recorded over 7000 names on its registers. When in 1900 the club’s trustees published a review of ten years work they reflected on the club’s joint aims of;
“Improving the physical fitness of the boys, which is much in need in Stockport.” and “Providing opportunities for companionship”
The latter is well attested to in the note picture below sent through the club from one friend to another. The trustees’ report of 1900 also reported on how local men of business and good intention contributed to the club. Men such as T. E. Norris, Arthur Styles, John Fletcher and H. Morley joined club founders like S Moorehouse and Charles Neville in providing sound support both financial and practical, which would see the club establish itself as a firm fixture in the life of young people in Stockport for generations to come.
Stockport Lads club was in its early years considered above all-else to be a sporting and athletic club in nature. The club did however offer draughts, chess and singing as pursuits for the lads. These activities were though only provided by individuals at the club, often their absence from the club meant the activities were not automatically continued until a new instructor could be found. The club’s founders and supporters were in many cases older men. By the clubs second decade in existence many of these people began to pass away through old age. While the club was poorer for their passing, some were able to strengthen the club with bequests. Trustee Martha Bardsley granted £550 in her will in 1902, while club founder T.C. Norris granted
£2000 to the club in 1909. Mrs Bardsley’s donation went to adding a new Gym at Wellington Street and Mr Norris’s allowed the club to purchase a four and a half acre playing field. While football and cricket had been club activities since 1891, the playing field allowed them to flourish and to continue to provide the opportunity for lads to improve their physical fitness.
Stockport Lads Club’s most frequent public face was its gymnastics’ team. The addition of a gym to the club had greatly enhanced an already vital programme. The team had from 1900 to 1905 won four of the first five “Inter Club Gymnastics Competitions”. The club’s avowed mission to promote physical fitness found its strongest expression in gymnastics.
The team would proudly and capably demonstrate its talents to the public of Stockport and Manchester.Gymnastics was such a feature of life at the club that it even featured as a principal activity on the club’s camping expeditions. The tradition of gymnastics at the club was so strong that it continued well into the 1960’s despite the popularity of the activity being on the
wane at many other clubs around Manchester because of the growth of Physical education in Schools since the 1950’s.
The idea of a club camp was first muted in 1906 and came to life at Allithwaite near Grange in 1907. The club’s camps continued to thrive becoming part of the emerging tradition of camp at lads clubs nationwide. Camp would provide young people with the opportunity for holiday time that they would not otherwise be open to them. Many lads would never have left their town but for camp and the opportunity to experience the countryside and other new thrills were plentiful. The club’s camps would take place at both Prestatyn and Deganwy before all camps were suspended due to the outbreak of war in 1914. Camp became a fixture again from 1919 when the programme was reintroduced at the “Victory Camp” at Prestatyn. The camp tradition would continue annually until World War Two. But this war could no more end the Stockport Lads Club camping tradition that did the First World War. From the 1950’s onward the club camped at Heswall under the leadership Frank Luke.
After World War Two the club faced new challenges. The war had changed society and while there was still a need and a demand for the club changes were inevitable. At the club’s Wellington Street home concerns were being raised about the building’s state of repair, the premises had by this point been standing for over 100 years. By 1954 plans were muted for a new home at Hempshaw Lane in Stockport. Building work began in 1955 and the first section of the club being opened in 1956, being fully completed in May 1957. The 1950’s saw the passing of many of the club’s stalwarts culminating in the death of secretary H. Morley in 1958. The club decided to modernize and appointed Frank Luke as full time club leader. He was to be supported by instructors and volunteers such as Harry Wright, who later received the MBE for his work at the club which continues today. Instructors and volunteers were often drawn from the ranks of local business. The clubs long tradition of running on donations from the local community continued, some would donate time and expertise while others would use local business links to help fund the club. Frank Luke’s leadership would continue until his retirement in the 1980’s and would see the club adapt to a changing society and a changing Stockport. The raising of the school leaving age had altered the membership pattern of the club while the advent of physical education in schools was putting gymnastics under threat in lads clubs across Manchester. The Gym at the new premises lent itself to five-a-side football as much as gymnastics and the club was to pioneer the activity in the late 1950’s and 1960’s. Five-a-side and the growing physical and mental demands of schooling would lead to the steady decline of gymnastics, although it should be noted that the club tradition in the activity was so strong
that the opening of the clubs new premises in 1957 was marked by a gymnastics display and the club continued to be able to raise a team into the 1960’s and 1970’s.
Stockport Lads Club had remained insulated from the pace of change that had swept away many other clubs in the 1950’ and 1960’s. Thanks to the strength of the clubs traditions and the outstanding work of club leader Frank Luke, change was managed at the clubs own pace. Pool, table tennis and activities such as putting together the club’s newsletter signaled the growing importance of the club providing companionship as well as sporting activities. Sports continued to be of great importance in the 1970’s and 1980’s and the club was able to field football teams for both the lads and its old boys.
The club today remains a vibrant arena for the lads of Stockport. The clubs traditional aims of providing opportunities for companionship and improving physical fitness are as strong as ever. Stockport Lads Club remains a sporting club, whether it is table tennis, snooker, pool, hockey or five-a-side, it is telling that the club’s television is hardly ever used. The rumors, which circulated in 1889 that the club’s first home had been built on quick sand, have proved unfounded. It is on the strength of the club’s early ideals and the determination of successive leaders, committee members, instructors and volunteers that the
clubs success rests. It is through these strengths that the club will continue to serve the lads of Stockport with great distinction.
club in later years as a trustee. This was the first club of its kind in the town and given its population, membership quickly swelled with hundreds of lads paying the one-penny (1.d) weekly subscription. By 1896 the club had recorded over 7000 names on its registers. When in 1900 the club’s trustees published a review of ten years work they reflected on the club’s joint aims of;
“Improving the physical fitness of the boys, which is much in need in Stockport.” and “Providing opportunities for companionship”
The latter is well attested to in the note picture below sent through the club from one friend to another. The trustees’ report of 1900 also reported on how local men of business and good intention contributed to the club. Men such as T. E. Norris, Arthur Styles, John Fletcher and H. Morley joined club founders like S Moorehouse and Charles Neville in providing sound support both financial and practical, which would see the club establish itself as a firm fixture in the life of young people in Stockport for generations to come.
Stockport Lads club was in its early years considered above all-else to be a sporting and athletic club in nature. The club did however offer draughts, chess and singing as pursuits for the lads. These activities were though only provided by individuals at the club, often their absence from the club meant the activities were not automatically continued until a new instructor could be found. The club’s founders and supporters were in many cases older men. By the clubs second decade in existence many of these people began to pass away through old age. While the club was poorer for their passing, some were able to strengthen the club with bequests. Trustee Martha Bardsley granted £550 in her will in 1902, while club founder T.C. Norris granted
£2000 to the club in 1909. Mrs Bardsley’s donation went to adding a new Gym at Wellington Street and Mr Norris’s allowed the club to purchase a four and a half acre playing field. While football and cricket had been club activities since 1891, the playing field allowed them to flourish and to continue to provide the opportunity for lads to improve their physical fitness.
Stockport Lads Club’s most frequent public face was its gymnastics’ team. The addition of a gym to the club had greatly enhanced an already vital programme. The team had from 1900 to 1905 won four of the first five “Inter Club Gymnastics Competitions”. The club’s avowed mission to promote physical fitness found its strongest expression in gymnastics.
The team would proudly and capably demonstrate its talents to the public of Stockport and Manchester.Gymnastics was such a feature of life at the club that it even featured as a principal activity on the club’s camping expeditions. The tradition of gymnastics at the club was so strong that it continued well into the 1960’s despite the popularity of the activity being on the
wane at many other clubs around Manchester because of the growth of Physical education in Schools since the 1950’s.
The idea of a club camp was first muted in 1906 and came to life at Allithwaite near Grange in 1907. The club’s camps continued to thrive becoming part of the emerging tradition of camp at lads clubs nationwide. Camp would provide young people with the opportunity for holiday time that they would not otherwise be open to them. Many lads would never have left their town but for camp and the opportunity to experience the countryside and other new thrills were plentiful. The club’s camps would take place at both Prestatyn and Deganwy before all camps were suspended due to the outbreak of war in 1914. Camp became a fixture again from 1919 when the programme was reintroduced at the “Victory Camp” at Prestatyn. The camp tradition would continue annually until World War Two. But this war could no more end the Stockport Lads Club camping tradition that did the First World War. From the 1950’s onward the club camped at Heswall under the leadership Frank Luke.
After World War Two the club faced new challenges. The war had changed society and while there was still a need and a demand for the club changes were inevitable. At the club’s Wellington Street home concerns were being raised about the building’s state of repair, the premises had by this point been standing for over 100 years. By 1954 plans were muted for a new home at Hempshaw Lane in Stockport. Building work began in 1955 and the first section of the club being opened in 1956, being fully completed in May 1957. The 1950’s saw the passing of many of the club’s stalwarts culminating in the death of secretary H. Morley in 1958. The club decided to modernize and appointed Frank Luke as full time club leader. He was to be supported by instructors and volunteers such as Harry Wright, who later received the MBE for his work at the club which continues today. Instructors and volunteers were often drawn from the ranks of local business. The clubs long tradition of running on donations from the local community continued, some would donate time and expertise while others would use local business links to help fund the club. Frank Luke’s leadership would continue until his retirement in the 1980’s and would see the club adapt to a changing society and a changing Stockport. The raising of the school leaving age had altered the membership pattern of the club while the advent of physical education in schools was putting gymnastics under threat in lads clubs across Manchester. The Gym at the new premises lent itself to five-a-side football as much as gymnastics and the club was to pioneer the activity in the late 1950’s and 1960’s. Five-a-side and the growing physical and mental demands of schooling would lead to the steady decline of gymnastics, although it should be noted that the club tradition in the activity was so strong
that the opening of the clubs new premises in 1957 was marked by a gymnastics display and the club continued to be able to raise a team into the 1960’s and 1970’s.
Stockport Lads Club had remained insulated from the pace of change that had swept away many other clubs in the 1950’ and 1960’s. Thanks to the strength of the clubs traditions and the outstanding work of club leader Frank Luke, change was managed at the clubs own pace. Pool, table tennis and activities such as putting together the club’s newsletter signaled the growing importance of the club providing companionship as well as sporting activities. Sports continued to be of great importance in the 1970’s and 1980’s and the club was able to field football teams for both the lads and its old boys.
The club today remains a vibrant arena for the lads of Stockport. The clubs traditional aims of providing opportunities for companionship and improving physical fitness are as strong as ever. Stockport Lads Club remains a sporting club, whether it is table tennis, snooker, pool, hockey or five-a-side, it is telling that the club’s television is hardly ever used. The rumors, which circulated in 1889 that the club’s first home had been built on quick sand, have proved unfounded. It is on the strength of the club’s early ideals and the determination of successive leaders, committee members, instructors and volunteers that the
clubs success rests. It is through these strengths that the club will continue to serve the lads of Stockport with great distinction.