Wigan Album

Brocol house number one eyesore in Wigan.

I remember Billy, the usher, was his surname Davies? He use to stand at the top of the steps. If you wanted to go into the front seats, sixpence, it was a route march up that long enclosed corridor.

Had some double seats in the Circle. Only time I went in here was to see Doris Day in Calamity Jane about 1955.

There WAS a Billy Davies who was a cinema usher in Wigan.....quite a well-known character, I believe. I think he was also an usher at The Ritz, or The ABC, (whichever you knew it as, on Station Road).

Alan are you getting mixed up with the COUNTY there were double seats upstairs there. I don't think the PALACE had a full compliment of single seats <g>

Irene , Billy Davies was indeed an usher at the Ritz , and he was a one off , a real character .

owd viewer, it's a toss up between Brocol House and the horrible building that the planners allowed to be attached to The Queens Hall. RON, yes it was the County with the double seats, first date with my future wife (unkowingly at the time of course) was spent in one. I remember Billy Davies very well, he was the first 'gay' person i had ever seen, he liked his female company though, i can see him now on the Swirl of Life on the Market Square fair, in a carriage with two women on each side of him, arms round the nearest two, he also frequented The Dog and Partridge. My mates girl friend worked on the make up counter(s) in Woolworths and she told me he went in there most Saturday mornings and bought make up etc from her. When he worked in the cimemas, the lads of the day used to annoy the life out of him, somebody would cause a 'pretend' disturbance at one side of the cinema when he was almost within reach of them they would shut up, then, somebody from the other side would do the same and he was back and forth for a while until he or they gave up.

If you misbehaved, say in the Ritz, or the Court Cinema or the county


If you misbehaved in the ABC cinema, or the County, a lady usherette would shine her torch on you and say " you, get outside now"
The Palace was different. A bloke called George would shine his torch and say "this row, out now"

Billy used to live in Wood Street off Chapel Lane,
my friend lived nearly facing and he could be seen
polishing the window sill with a little frilly apron on..and yes I used to see him chatting with the ladies in Woolworths..he was one of Wigan's characters.

George was not at the Palace , he was at the Pavilion .

George might have been at the Pavilion but I remember him best at the Palace Cinema.
He had a long stick to reach over from the aisle to whack unruly kids on the head when the film was showing.