Wigan Album

Bloody Disgrace. Should have been refurbished back to it's former glory. I'm sure they could have incorporated into the GA. We are the only decent sized town in the area without a decent sized venue. As Wigan Council reneged on their promise to build one near the Pier complex

Another shameful example of Wigan Council's mania for destruction.

Your dead right Ron. Wigan must be one of the only large towns that doesn't have a venue to hold a concert.

I hated the place. Ugly building with no character. Glad to see it demolished.

it,s all about money.

Steven, obviously you are to young to remember it when it was a 2,000 seater cinema? As for having no character, What about the monstrosity they have built in it's place?????????? and everything else that's been built in the town in the last 40 years.

I agree with everybody except Mr Furnival...it seemed a good classic 30's type of building to me, better than all these new Temples to Merchandise...have you noticed amid all that glass & steel & they all soar skywards ?!

I'm in my late 50s, but I hated the 'Ritz' looked like a factory! Can't see a thing wrong with the new shopping centres. Wigan has entered the 21st Century instead of being stuck with its 'cloth cap' image.
I do agree though that the town needs a proper, purpose built theatre.

the ritz was a wonderful building a great cinema and also we used to have great live shows wigan council must have got quite a few backhanders to build a shopping center we neither wanted or needed

Going off recent comment's on photo's isn't this one a bit new for on here ? Good photo though

I take your point, rebian, but it's a memory; it's a part of our lives, be it the ABC Minors' Kids' Saturday morning pictures or our courting days, and that's why it deserves a place on here.

PS....my husband and I went on our first date here; I was 15 and he was 17, and we went to see "Bonnie and Clyde". We sat on the back row... You get the picture?... Peter had bought a box of Clarnico Peppermint Creams from the kiosk..... He ate THE LOT himself, never took his eyes off the screen AND made me come out before the end because they all got shot. I am still with him and we are now 59 and 61, so The Ritz must have exerted SOME kind of influence! (It merits a mention on Wigan World)!

My fave memories of The Ritz were the ABC Minors and - of course- seeing The Beatles on stage. Couldn't hear them though because of all the girls screaming! Halcyon days.

When I was a little girl, I saw Cliff Richard and the DRIFTERS at the Ritz, before they were called The Shadows.

Who rememembers those wondereful art deco lamps that used to be at the sides of the screen in the old Ritz?

I remember going there to see Goldfinger. When we went in, it was on the scene of the golf course, and to me that always seems to be the start of the picture!

here are some photos i took when i worked on the grand arcade.. http://www.wiganworld.co.uk/work/showwork.php?opt=work&offset=0&gallery=old+ritz+cinema+being+demolished

smokey robinson and the miracles/martha and the vandellas/stevie wonder/georgie fame/all onstage at the ritz,me and terry brown went to see the show and it was only a quarter full.

I remember watching Easy Rider there in the early seventies. A film about Harleys riding through America in the sunshine, only to emerge to a rainy Wigan and an oil leaking Triumph 500. Happy days of youth

It is scandalous that they have demolished the Ritz, had loads of good times in my youth. Why did Wigan Council build the Grand Arcade when we have the Galleries. Now the poor Arcade is empty and going to rack and ruin due to the GA. Shame on wigan council what a waste of money, money could have gone on better causes than on an arcade we didn't need.