Sankeys Manchester shuts its doors

One of Manchester’s most legendary clubs since the infamous Hacienda has closed its doors. Sankeys is set to be sold amidst reports that the establishment’s Beehive Mill property has been sold to property developers. The internationally famous house club, situated in a Grade II listed former cotton mill, has been snatched up to be converted into luxury apartments.

Tony Mill, Radius Security managing director and club manager, said that top staff had been in contact with the owners of the Beehive Mill property over the club’s lease, before it was revealed the establishment had been sold by Savills.

An official club statement on their Facebook page, made on the 13th January, stated that “with great regret and a very heavy heart, we must close Sankeys Manchester with immediate effect.” Situated in Ancoats, an area of intense property development, the club also said: “We have done well to fend off the developers for so long.” The club left a message of appreciation for its managing staff and bar team, who had “smashed it over the last six months.”

Notable artists to have played Sankeys include Daft Punk, Moby, the Chemical Brothers, Swedish House Mafia and Bjork. Attending the nightclub for the first time was a rite of passage for Manchester clubbers, especially finding the club and getting home afterwards. Getting lost in the endless streets of old industrial buildings always seemed likely.

Manchester clubbers will be delighted to know that the club are “looking at a few options in terms of a new venue to replicate the legendary Basement and Spektrum”. The club also promised to provide details on the status of future club events that remain uncertain with the club’s closure.

The global Sankeys brand began in Manchester in 1994, and includes venues in Ibiza, east London, Birmingham, Tokyo and New York City. The club closed in 1998, and again in 2006, which it was claimed would be for good, and again in 2013. Its fourth reopening in January 2014 gives hope that the much-loved Sankeys club will again re-join Manchester’s fantastic nightclub scene.

Messages of nostalgia, respect and love for the club poured into their Facebook statement’s comments section, thanking the club for many memories and remembering many nights out over the years.