Comments
guest
This was so nicely done! I live in the USA but have family history here! It's too costly to travel to England, soThank You for the tour! The music was perfect too! I enjoyerd it very much :)
guest
Excellent. Brought back many happy memories of Wigan, where I grew up.
guest
homesick now jim wel done,..
guest
Magic owd lad ne`er sin owt like it afore.
guest
All your sites are fantastic. Thanks for the tour of your lovely town.
guest
There are many jewels in this little crown of Lancashire!! We especially love the canals and the history they hold.
guest
thanks very much mate. good job. best wishes from ukraine. lots of good memories left about your great lovely town. spent two great years in wigan & leigh college 14 years ago. there was a big ukrainian student community back in mid 90th.
thanks again.
guest
thanks jim that was fantastic i used to drive a bus when we stopped in libnrarystreet now i live in transylvania it was nice to see the old town
guest
Thanks Jim! I'm Wigan born but now in Holland, so it was good to see my old town, even though it's changed soooo much. Best wishes!
Jim
The original Uncle Joe's stall taken in the 1930s
guest
stunning once again Jim, it is funny how when walking around Wigan we take it for granted. But you make people appreciate what they have on their doorstep for free!!
guest
unreal, good job, thanx ;)
guest
absolutley fantastic! youv'e done an excellent job,wigan is such a lovely town.
guest
loved the show, feeling homesick.
guest
from an ex-pat living in California - thanks - it's great to see the old town still going strong!!
guest
What a delight. Thanks. Will have to follow in your footsteps next time we visit from Victoria BC.
guest
eventually got to look at all your pictures jim excellent
guest
That was fabulous for an ex wiganer living in AustraliaBest wishes
Jim
Thanks Elizabeth, They say home sickness is like chewing gum, no matter how far you stretch it a strand still remains.
guest
loved the history of wigan &the glimpse of the market well done Jim now nostalgic for home yet again liz & Tom NZ
guest
TALENT ? I'll say
guest
Each one supercedes the last
Jim
This is the way the old barges would have brought the raw cotton from the Liverpool docks to the mill's unloading bay just under this bridge.
Jim
It also houses the largest working steam engine in the world - in its heyday it powered dozens of cotton looms in the mill - you can see it working on specified days in the week.
guest
Another masterpiece. Thanks Jim. Keep them coming..
guest
Well done Jim love the music as well
guest
Absolutly Brill
Jim
I hope you enjoyed your walk around Wigan.
Click on the four arrows for Full Screen.
Jim
Hope you enjoy this short walk around the centre of Wigan - taken in March 09.
Jim
The Market Place looking towards Standishgate.
Jim
The entrance to the Grand Arcade - this used to be Station Road at its junction with Market Place and Standishgate.
Jim
Inside the Grand Arcade.
Jim
Looking down Standishgate from the Market Place.
Jim
The Market Gate Arcade leads to the Galleries shopping mall.
Jim
Just by it is Makinson's Arcade - M&S had their first shop here and the town was originally their HQ - when Marks first met Spencer...
Jim
..they had a Penny Arcade here.
Jim
One of the ornate fanlights in the arcade.
Jim
Access is from the busy Market Place overlooked by the Parish Church.
Jim
It leads to the old Wiend area between the cente and Millgate.
Jim
The Wiend leads down to the Market Place - Mr Beecham of pills fame had a shop here, before moving to the then new town of St. Helens.
Jim
Coopers Row - this pub was once a row of terraced cottages.
Jim
At the top of the Wiend by Millgate is this modern art work.
Jim
At the top of Millgate, looking towards the Market Place - Wigan has seven streets ending in "gate" as it was once a walled town.
Jim
Also on Millgate is what was once Wigan Mining and Technical College..
Jim
...it is now the Town Hall, and its entrance is on Library Street.
Jim
just by the side of the Parish Church is Hallgate..
Jim
Hallgate ..to the left is a gate into the Church Gardens.
Jim
The King Of Prussia Yard - here looking back at Hallgate.
Jim
This is the Wigan and Leigh College on Parson's Walk - the colliery winding wheel came from a local coal mine.
Jim
..a little further along Parsons Walk is what was Wigan Grammar School now a state of the art NHS outpatients facility.
Jim
If we walk further on we come to the side entrance off Wigan's Mesnes Park (pro. "mains)
Jim
This is early March and the park has yet to blossom.
Jim
.. but it is pleasant to have it so close to the town centre.
Jim
In the background the cafe with the statue of MP and Baronet Sir Francis Powell..
Jim
.. whose toe has been rubbed for luck by generations of Wiganers..
Jim
...go on - rub it with your cursor and make a wish - its bound to come true.
Jim
This is modern Northway that cuts across Standishgate.
Jim
Where tucked away down a short street is St. George's Church.
Jim
This alley off the Market Place is Coopers Row. Its proportions are medievel, its surface paved to cater for carts and hand cart traffic.
Jim
Inside Wigan Market Hall
Jim
This replaced the original Victorian building in the 1980s
Jim
Here you can still buy traditional Lancashire fare such as tripe, savoury ducks, pies of types too various to list - also hot pots - cowheel. black puddings and Lancashire cheese to name but a few.
Jim
Redman's bacon stall rubs shoulders with a dress outlet.
Jim
Just outside is the Galleries clock tower.
Jim
The Market Hall left and ahead the Galleries mall.
Jim
...and the outdoor market stalls.
Jim
Walking through the Galleries brings you out on to Market Street.
Jim
Uncle Joe's Mint Balls have been made in Wigan for over a century. The shop is in Crompton Street off Standishgate.
Jim
Inside Uncle Joe's Mint Balls are wall to wall - enough to make an ex pat weep.
Jim
Further along Crompton Street is Wigan Little Theatre, charming and compact.
Jim
Now we are back in the centre by the Parish Church of All Saints
Jim
The entrance.
Jim
The church tower. It has a Roman altar stone built into it.
Jim
A plaque at the base tells how during the English Civil War 86 shapshooters held Cromwell's besieging forces at bay, yielding only when threatened with having the tower blown up under them.
Jim
The town's war memorial.
Jim
Wigan Parish Church and war memorial, as seen from Wallgate..
Jim
Wigan Wallgate Station - trains to Liverpool, Manchester, and eastwards into Yorkshire.
Jim
Wigan North Western rail station - on the London - Scotland - West Coast line.
Jim
Wigan Pier made famous by George Formby's father who was also a comedian.
Jim
Trencherfield Mill - now apartments and visitors centre.It was also the location for the TV drama Clocking Off.
Jim
The Orwell pub at Wigan Pier - That's it folks hope you enjoyed the tour.
Jim
Wigan bus station seen from Hallgate.
A walk through Roby Mill.
150 views
Cruise Liner Queen Victoria at Liverpool.
177 views
Houghwood Golf Course
107 views
A peep at Crooke Narrowboat Marina.
93 views
Rail walk - Appley Bridge - Gathurst
97 views
Steam Train Ride.
226 views
