Haçienda mementos sold

The Happy Mondays were regulars at the Haçienda

Fixtures and fittings of the Haçienda nightclub in Manchester, which spawned bands like the Happy Mondays and the Inspiral Carpets, have gone under the hammer to raise money for charity.

Items up for grabs included the club's disc jockey booth, famous hazard-striped steel columns and pieces of the hallowed dance floor.

Clubbers were also able to bid for coloured tiles and even bricks from the building.

Haçienda history

1982: Opened its doors with set by Bernard Manning

1984: Madonna's first UK appearance

1990: Forced to close because of drug-taking and violence

1992: Take That performance

1997: Closed after 15 years

The Haçienda, which played host to the likes of Madonna, Oasis, U2, Boy George and Take That, is being converted into flats.

The auction raised £18,000 for the Greater Manchester Community Foundation, a charity which distributes funds to various projects working with disadvantaged young people in deprived areas of the region.

The former DJ booth only fetched £1,100.

But Mike Pickering of M People paid £3,000 for a painting by his wife Laura, which had been covered over during renovations and was rediscovered when the wall in the ladies toilet was dismantled.

'Tremendous significance'

The Haçienda, set in a converted warehouse, was co-owned by the band New Order and Factory Records' boss Tony Wilson.

It will now go under the name of The Roundhouse, after its distinctive shape, by its new owner Crosby Homes.

Managing director Andrew Brady said the club's demolition presented an opportunity for people to take home a piece of Manchester's pop history.

"The company is aware of the tremendous significance of the nightclub not only in Manchester but across the world," he said.

Among the 100 items auctioned were the 30ft high steel columns, metal acoustic baffles and the 15ft high arch, where clubbers entered the dance floor.

Since the club closed in 1997, a number of the design features created by Ben Kelly, such as road bollards, and cats eyes have disappeared following illegal raves held by protesters opposed to its closure.