Wigan Album

Memories of my first record purchases !!!

A wonderful place. I bought 'Badge' by Cream on the red Polydor label in June, 1970, twelve months after its first release. They had everything in there; and if they didn't stock it, they'd order it for you. They always had the charts in the window, both singles and albums. Great memories of a much missed record shop that catered for everybody.

Ordered several LPs from there when Eric Causey owned it and also got quite a few "Samples" given to me. Eric was well known in the fishing fraternity?

I have a recollection of there being a record outlet in Standishgate, close to its Junction with Mesnes Street. My cousin bought a L.P. record there many years ago, and whilst paying for it, placed it on the shop radiator, and you can guess what had happened to it, when he went to pick it up.

Albert, I recall a store in the basement of Rumbellows complete with listening booths. Fantastic.

Albert, I think the record shop you are referring to in Standishgate was Gouldings, next to what was then Nimans Jewellers and is now Subway. Sheet music and musical instruments were sold on the bottom floor and the record department was upstairs. They moved from there to a shop at the very bottom of Wigan Lane but never sold records from there.

It was Bulloughs. And it they were very popular from about 1970 to 1974. The girl who was in charge had frizzy hair, if I remember rightly.

DerekB - Surely you are referring to Chamberlain's music shop?

The shop on the corner of Standishgate/Mesnes Street probably went under a few names over the years, but I remember it when it was Rumbelow's.

Irene - Chamberlains was either next door to, or a couple of doors along from Rumbelows. They sold sheet music, musical instruments, and records.
In the early 1970s, they moved further up Standishgate, next door to the Griffin pub, where the computer shop is now.

Mick. Chamberlains rings a memory bell. It would have been in the late forties, or very early fifties.

Chamberlains was still going into the 1960's I think there four record shops that had 'listening booths' Chamberlains Grimes, Dawsons, and Rumbelows

They were a long established Wigan firm, Albert.

I remember buying Marty Wilde's record "Why Must I Be A Teenager in Love" in the late fifties. I bought it from the shop a little further along from the one on the corner.

This reminds me while in a record store in Wigan in 1964 looking through the discs when an older lady came in and said to the assistant "Have you got pins and needles?"
(She meant Needles and Pins by the Searchers)
"I have standing on me feet allday" she replied!!

Pendlebury`s also had a record department on the lower floor and I`m sure it had several "Booths"?

Mick, you are quite right - it was Chamberlains - don't know where I got Gouldings from!!

Pendleburys did have a record dept with three booths. Bulloughs were the most popular of all the town centre record shops, and Roy Hurst ruled the Market Hall. Rumbelows had one in Library Street. The next one after that was Pem. Ince, unfortunately, didn't have any...Now why was that then? Lol...

Do you all remember when you could buy ex-jukebox records on a stall outside the Market Hall? They had no middles due to being played on a jukebox and you could buy a little plastic disc to fit in the centre, which enabled you to play them on your record-player.

Jarvo, the only shop I remember in Library St selling records was Dawsons - was this taken over at some point by Rumbelows >

I can only remember the music shop as Grimes and the arcade was referred to as Grimes's Arcade...might be wrong ...sure someone will correct me! Often made a short cut through the arcade as well. It was a nice area then 50yrs ago.

DerekB: Yes, that's what I posted...And it was a great old place. I bought 'Rainbow' by Marmalade in there, on the blue Decca label.

Vb, Grimes's Arcade is now boarded up, ruined by the booze-ridden King Street Weekends. Yes, it WAS a nice area fifty years ago, but better to remember it as it was than to see it now. Hold it in your memory.

I consider myself fortunate to have had the best of times as many of us do Irene. King St is a blot on the landscape .....just a no go area! It's a shame it has come to this.

I worked in debenhams record dept in the 1960,s and we had 4 boothes and 2 stereo rooms .

Chamberlains original shop stood at 40 Standishgate, next door to where subway is today, the record I bought just before it closed and moved further up Standishgate was Lily the Pink the shop was run by a Mother and
Daughter, I once did a show in the queens hall and they lent me a ukulele for nothing....lovely people

I bought three reel to reel albums by The Shadows, from Grimes's Arcade during the sixties.
The reels were each packaged in a rigid box whose fine graphics lay beneath a shiny surface; retaining this appeal throughout many hours of regular use.
The Shads were played on the Argyll Minor tape recorder which my brother and me had received as one of many Christmas presents from our parents.
The first homemade recording on the Argyll was a message from our parents, wishing both of us a Happy Christmas and expressing their hopes that our 'beauty' would provide us with hours of enjoyment.
It certainly did!
Rather wish we'd have kept it now - and most certainly the recorded message from our now deceased parents.

What a precious memory, Philip; thankyou for sharing it with us.

Irene Roberts: Thanks for your response to my bit on Grimes's Arcade.
I continue to seek out 'your postings (charm assured)' on Wiganworld.

Thankyou.....what a lovely thing to say!