Wigan Album

Where was the printing works located?

the new building was on wood street just off caroline street

Crabtree web offset press working at speed printing the Wigan Observer at Woods Street.The machine could produce a 32 page broadsheet newspaper and full colour pictures.
The press built in Leeds, was described as an absolutely fantastic piece of British engineering and put Wigan on the map in the newspaper printing world.
Crabtree of Leeds, built newspaper machines for almost 100 years, until 1995, and many were made for national newspapers home and abroad.

Best paper around wigan observer then, a wigan paper born and bread. Sadly, now printed in Preston??? a small tabloid to-day.

Looks technical and well engineered.

I worked for the Wigan Observer from 1988 to 2001. I believe they had the Heidelberg then at Martland Mill, Wigan.
The best time of my career so far!

Hi Donna, when United Newspapers closed Woods street around 1984, utd built a new 4 million pound printing and publishing plant at Martland Mill. Many employees from the Observer and Evening Post went to work there. The new plant was called Lancashire Publications and Central Lancashire Printers. Under the umbrella of United Newspapers, they printed all of the north-west titles and went to a 24 hour routine. The two presses installed, were Goss machines and could print any size of newspapers tabloid and broadsheet including full colour. Since that time, The company changed hands from United news to Regional Independent Media and now, Johnston Press. The Martland Mill site is still there, but the printing section finished years ago. The Observer and Post and many others are printed at Preston, by Broughton Printers. What will happen next, well, you never know in the newspaper came.

Our papers should be printed in Wigan not elswhere. Who ever dreams these ideas up, Accounts is my guess.

Donna, are you still in the Newspaper world ?

Hi, I’m pretty certain that the Wigan Observer offset press had a name it was called “Betsy” can anyone confirm this?

John Langton you are correct, the press was named Betsy, you saw its name on the folder.