Wigan Album

Thanks for the upload this is the kind of photo that should be uploaded to Wigan World for the future, before they get lost for ever

Human hair merchants,sign on front of shop. Maybe someone knows what they did with it?
This is a fantastic photo, thanks Henry7

Maybe the shop owners name might give you a clue Dave (BEARDSWORTH) sorry Dave just my scents of humour, there is another interesting sign above the shop it says Royal something for Umberellas I wonder what that means. I also agree with Dougie this is the type of photo we love to see

if you go on google earth to market street you can get the exact same angle and click from one to the other, not much changed

Women sold their long hair to be made into hair pieces for the more affluent members of society. In Victorian times when sentimentality reigned, human hair was also plaited, adorned with a bit of gold & made into a keepsake of the dear departed, often as a brooch or bracelet. I have such a bracelet given to me by my father in law who collected all manner of weird & wonderful things. There was also alot of fakery going on , making what you might call mass produced hair jewellery from the hair of the not so dead, dear departed ! My bracelet has a gold facepiece a monogram would have been etched where the blank, black edged oval is.

Looking at the sign Royal Infirmary it looks like a repair shop for umbrellas.There were many of these shops in town centres and also itinerant repairmen who moved around knocking on doors for custom ala Flanagan and Allen.
This photo is the one refered to on a previous posting and shows the light mentioned in the caption by Mr Lowe to accompany the photo.

the shop on the right looks like a toffee shop but has lots of ads on the wall for boots and other stuff,rowntrees cocoa and on the window frys chocolate cream ,this pic is lovely a far cry to what it looks like now.

1901 - No. 7 Market Street - Mary Ellen WATSON nee PLIMMER & Emma PLIMMER - confectioner

1891 - No. 5 Market St - Emma PLIMMER - confectioner
1891 - No. 7 - 9 Market St - William PLIMMER - grocer

1881 - No. 7 Market St - Mary Ellen PLIMMER - confectioner