What was then called the Salford Lads Club was established in 1903 as part of a “federation” of lads clubs in working class communities across the UK, project manager Leslie Holmes said.
Most of the clubs shut down between the two world wars, to the point where Mr Holmes said it was “probably the last working pre-1914 lads club in existence”.
“We’ve got the records of every boy since 1903,” he said.
“It’s just unbelievable. It’s unique in this country.”
The club started accepting girls, whose own club had been bombed during World War Two, in 1996.
The building was given a Grade-II listing in 2003.
Despite operating for more than 120 years, Mr Holmes said the club largely performed the same function of providing a community and opportunities for disadvantaged youngsters.
“There’s all sorts of things where our kids are still as deprived here as they were in 1903,” he said.
“And I think that’s the value of it in in in 2024.”
