Wigan Album

The Arcade and the Shops and Offices either side and above were all part of the same complext at one time, with interconnecting passages between the various elements. My Great Uncle Jim Hart was the Caretaker/Maintenance man there, following his return from the Second World War, in which he was wounded. With his Wife, Lillian (Auntie Lil), they lived and brought up two children, Gwen and Geoff, in a tiny two up two down house just off to the right of the photo at the entrance to the yard area. Up until recently you could see the outline of it against the wall where a new office development has now been built. After Jims death in the early 1950's Auntie Lil stayed on to do all the Cleaning of the Offices until her death in the !960's. Good to see the Arcade as it was, instaed of the public urinal and vomit carpeted alleyway it became when the drunks moved into King Street. Now closed, I doubt it will ever open again.

Walked past it last week when I was in England it is a disgrace roud there why dont they get the people who are on the dole for years to clean up like they do here in the Netherlands

DaveC - did your aunt Mrs Hart used to provide lodgings for the Borough police officers?

I wonder if the Record Booths are still downstairs in what was GRIMES MUSIC SHOP.?
EXPLORATIONS have you managed to get in?

Wasn't the old Labour Club on the left hand side?

Ron, those record booths became part of a succession of cellar bars that have occupied those buildings over the years.

Just shows how often I go into Wigan at night..

In response to Dave Marsh, wasn't the "Bolshi" or Transport Club in the next alleyway down King Street ? In answer to Mick, I can't be sure Mick, but when Uncle Jim had passed away and hher Children had married and moved away, she may well have taken in a lodger, especially a Policeman, as the old Nick was just down King Street. All my close relatives have passed away now so I can't verify that.

In 1966 the shop on the right was Fred Grimes, the basement at that time was a storeroom and workshop where TV's and electrical goods were repaired. Just in the yard on the right was SKD(?) typewriter dealers.

Thanks Dave, an old colleague who joined the Borough police in the early '50s often used to speak of being in lodgings in Arcade St with a widowed lady, and I'm almost certain he used the name Mrs Hart. Said she was like a second mother.

Nice nostalgic photo.
Wasn't it called Grimes's Arcade at one time?

Thanks for puting me right,dave c.

Lowes typewriters I think, Kenee.

Not been in Ron but I'm told there's some nice features down there.

in 1967/8 my mate and me every Sat went in those record booths listning to the no/1 in the charts[never bought it just went in for the fun of it} with our rollers in our hair and a scarf on our head ready for sat night.The good old days.

Always thought Grimes arcade was a public thouroughfare ,should never have been blocked off,understand it got dirty and smelly but the owners should have been forced to keep it clean ,wasn,t always like this ,used to be a nice little arcade until the council allowed the area to become one big boozer

The building seen on the right was the car repair garage of Timberlakes.

Yes Mick, Lowes Typewriters sounds familiar, I think it changed to SKD some years later.

lovely pic dennis,isnt it a disgrace that it had to be closed because of ferrel youths and some not so young,why do these animals think its ok in theire own home town to pee and vomit and other stuff in there years ago nobody did it as you can see in the photo so what on earth has happened to people if you can call them that,it makes me very angry and sad to see this lovely arcade shut up,they all want wipeing off the face of the earth i wish i was a judge !!!!!!!!11

In my time the music shop was Chamberlains..then they moved to Standishgate,as Josie says what ever happened to make youngsters so dirty now..in our era we probably would have choked someone off if we saw them urinating in the street..and if their parents found out..well they could expect trouble at home and no danger.I'm so glad my teen years were in the fifties..they were lovely times,and I'm not looking through rose tinted glasses.

Maureen, don't recall the music shop being anything other than Grimes - I remember the booths downstairs as mentioned by another correspondent. I also remember Chamberlains being in Standishgate, next to Nimans jewellers which was on the corner of Standishgate and Mesnes St. Chamberlains was sheet music and instruments on the ground floor and records upstairs. Didn't Chamberlains move in turn further down Standishgate to nearly opposite the girls convent? Another shop which sold records was Heywoods in Library St.

yes maureen like you i was born 50s well to be exact 31st december 1950 and i am glad i had my childhood then and my teens in the 60s i think we were lucky i look back with fondness to those days some might say the good old days when you had nowt,but we werent aware of having nowt its coz theres so mutch today kids wouldnt cope if they had to live like we did the thing is i did have everything i needed ,yea i wanted a new frock and scriked to my dad till i got it not allways though,but we had no need to desicrate everything just for fun ???? anyway thats my rant over and thats not what the pic is about its lovely to see it i remember the music shop being rumbellows in the 70s and we got our first automatic washer from there ha.

isnt that penningtons right at the top of the road.

Think your right josie about pennington,s.I was born in 42 life was a lot easier and better in those days safer to ,we were brought up to respect people and places

Think your right josie about pennington,s.I was born in 42 life was a lot easier and better in those days safer to ,we were brought up to respect people and places

The alley to the left of Penningtons is Stairgate, the building at the top is Christchurch. Wigan Sea Cadets HQ in the 50's (TS Lady Crawford SCC)

It was called Grimes arcade as it belonged to grimes music shop.One day ,every year,it was closed for public access . i am speaking of the arcade where the photographer is standing.

I remember when you could walk through Grimes Arcade, and there was Dawson's music shop.The windows were broken many times, and eventually closed for good.