I went to a mini Sheffield Wednesday museum that every Owls fan should visit - it is wonderful and random
It’s a feelgood trip down memory lane that all Wednesdayites will enjoy’
There’s a mini Sheffield Wednesday museum that every Owls fan should visit.
The Wednesday Warehouse, at Unit 11B, 92 Burton Road, Neepsend, is brimming with wonderful and random Wednesday memorabilia dating back more than 100 years to the modern day. Stepping inside feels like a Wednesday-themed Christmas Day. It is a feast for your eyes. You don’t know what to look at first or where to start. All your childhood SWFC memories are unlocked instantly.
Upon arrival, there’s a striking set of double doors with every inch covered in hundreds of Wednesday stickers of legends, random players from the early 2000s and several ‘Storch Costin - Make Wednesday Great Again’ designs. The new owners and leadership team at Hillsborough spent two hours here earlier this summer and were ‘blown away’, owner Luke Earnshaw tells us. They were genuinely interested as they picked his brain about his collection and the club’s history. It wasn’t just a tickbox PR exercise. Former and current players and managers, including Liam Palmer and Darren Moore, have visited and donated, too. He Who Shall Not Be Named was not as enthusiastic and helpful, apparently.
Luke kindly invited us in; he could not have been more warm and welcoming as he patiently talked us through how this all started, his favourite items and how it all works in great detail. The Royal Mail worker has been a collector of all things Wednesday for more than 40 years. Back then, those close to him questioned why he was doing it. But now they see the value and how much joy his Wednesday treasure trove brings to people. It is his pride and joy and rightly so. It is impressive. Luke’s Owls journey took off during the club’s halcyon days of Ron Atkinson, Chris Waddle, David Hirst and John Sheridan. His favourite piece is Hirst’s shirt from the European adventure against Kaiserslautern in 1992 - a match he was sent off in - which Luke sourced from Toyko.
As we walked around, mesmerised by what was in front of our eyes, not knowing which which box to look in, cabinet to open or badge to pick up, highlights of Wednesday’s famous matches from years gone by played in the background. First beginning with car boot sales, his collection now grows through online searches, trusted contacts and donations from Wednesdayites. His vision properly got off the ground during Covid when he started posting online. He brought everything together at his impressive location near Kelham Island a year ago. There are thousands and thousands of items - so many Luke doesn’t even know how many there are himself - that all have personal and unique stories behind them. From expected items like matchday programmes, match-worn shirts, badges, boots, videos and DVDs to the rubber wristband worn by Jon-Paul McGovern in the 2005 play-off final win against Hartlepool United, player wage slips and old substitute boards from the Premier League days, you could spend hours and hours sifting through everything. When he has spare time, even Luke’s attention will be drawn to something new. He smiles as he tells us visitors often react with ‘I used to have that’ or ‘that might still be in the loft.’
Unsurprisingly, the Wednesday community have rallied around him. Luke receives daily emails from people saying they’ve found something for him. Every week they visit him and donate items of interest. The North Stand season ticket holder is staggered by their generosity. They have trusted him to take care of their cherished objects and we have no doubt they have chosen the right person. Families of former players have handed over precious items that others would have locked away, but they want people to enjoy them. An FA Cup winners medal from 1935. Lee Peacock’s 05 play-off final medal. Aden Flint’s boots from THAT miracle. For others, it is a safe place and a nostalgic trip down memory lane. Wednesdayites who want to find the matchday programme they were pictured in as a mascot. The comfort it brings, Luke explains, to one supporter who has dementia hits you in the feels. This place will bring emotions and memories flooding back.
While we were there, we could not help but think Luke might need a bigger base soon. Some of his collection is due to be on display for Wednesdayites to enjoy in the newly-opened Hirsty’s Social bar at Hillsborough. It will be a surreal moment for Luke, whose collection used to be housed in a loft. A permanent museum at S6 would be worthy and fitting, in our view. Before we leave we couldn’t not ask if Luke had anything Star-related. After a brief pause, Luke did not let us down by digging out a box of old copies of the paper and the much-loved Green ‘Un, detailing past glories. ‘We Won The Cup - Glory, glory day for Owls and Big Ron’s Barmy Army’ reads the headline from the April 22, 1991, edition, priced 22p.
It was the perfect way to bring our visit to a close. We shook hands with Luke and of course parted with ‘Up The Owls’ and an appreciate nod, and our way we went. The Wednesday Warehouse is open every Sunday 10am-2pm. Get down there. Luke is still on the hunt for specific programmes and shirts - so get in touch. It’s a feelgood trip down memory lane that all Wednesdayites will enjoy.