Wigan Album
Wallgate
11 Comments
Photo: Dennis Seddon
Item #: 20281
Bit of a parking problem
Wasn't the building at the end the Wigan Observer Office at one time?.
Who else remembers the pop song 'Rowbottom Square? It was a popular play on good old Radio Caroline.
What an extraordinary parking situation. I'm really intrigued as to how anyone parked close to the entrance moves their car, should they need to.
Home of the Wigan Observer from 1853-1966.
Bill Eatock, the song was about the Boutique "Square One" which was the first building on the left as you look at the photo.
A question solved for me...this is where I used to go with my grandfather Bryson. I always thought it was a building in The Wiend. My grandfather wrote articles for a mining publication that The Observer issued. So this is where I must have sat at a wooden counter on a high stool when he delivered his article.
Thanks for the info, Dave, re' 'Square One' As a teenager I was Radio Caroline mad and that song was played several times a day. I've found a YouTube link to it...Happy days!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N81KF8Ydj84
The boutique belonged to the sister of Barry Mason who wrote a lot of hit records for Tom Jones etc, I went in a few times in the sixtes as she was going out with a friend.
I too had fond memories of visiting the old Observer offices, then when the weekly paper moved to Woods St., much of the building was taken over by my friend Tom Bennett who ran his law offices from there.
If I'm not mistaken, the move to Woods Street was for most of the Obs apart from a couple of staff who manned Rowbottom Square so that the public could use it to place ads and notices without the need to walk all the way to Woods Street. I think one of the girls was called Olwen. I know that they were still there in the 70's.
Spot on Christine, the advertisements etc etc, were still being taken at Rowbottom Square for a time. Only the printing and production part was done at Woods Street, until the new offices was built.
I have been running my business from here since 2001. The building has just been sold and plans are for it be turned into apartments in a few years. I park right outside too...brilliant.