Legendary Manchester nightclub Sankeys has shut its doors following last week’s sale of the Beehive Mill building to a residential property developer.
One of the longest-serving and most prominent music venues in Manchester’s Ancoats area, Sankeys has played host to electronic music luminaries such as Bjork, Daft Punk and the Chemical Brothers since opening its doors in 1994 (originally as Sankeys Soap). The Beehive Mill, a Grade II* listed former cotton mill, is yet another in a series of buildings that have been sold off and earmarked for residential property development in Manchester. A tersely-worded statement on the club’s Facebook page confirmed their inability to negotiate new lease terms for Sankeys, acknowledging, “We have done well to fend off developers for so long.”
The club is still listing events on their website, and say they are exploring the possibilities of alternate venues and “pop up events” to honour existing bookings.
Still, the news of Sankeys’ closing has brought a strong response from electronic music enthusiasts in the Manchester area, with clubbers and DJs alike tweeting their support using the hashtag #RIPShankeys. Although undoubtedly a sad end for the nightclub that famously refused entry to Justin Bieber in 2013, the club’s Facebook statement assures fans that “as a whole the Sankeys brand is on the up and about to enter some very exciting times.”
So sad to see such an iconic Manchester club go..I'll never forget djing there #RIPSankeys ??? pic.twitter.com/EVv0yiOWgS
— Sophie Wright (@DJSoWright) January 12, 2017
