Wigan Album

Looks more like a drawing of the little arcade?

I can see what you mean, Dave,. It DOES look more like the Old Arcade, and yet I think the glass roof on the old arcade was just slanted from one side to the other at an angle rather than going up to a centre apex. However, I am happy to stand corrected,

Looking at the drawing again It does look like it is the Little Arcade aka THE MARKET ARCADE as the floor is flagged whereas the Market Hall at a wooden floor

Irene is correct, the glass roof on the Little Arcade was totally different to the one depicted here.
Ron, are you sure the old Market Hall didn't have a flagged floor

Ron i'm talking about the floor in the 1950's
I think there's a bit of 'poetic licence' with this drawing. The arcade wasn't as busy as this on both sides, it was mainly on the left side going up the arcade.
Plus, although the Market Hall had a roof similar to this in places but it was obviously much higher than shown.

Irene - you are right. The roof of the Old Arcade sloped from one side, it didn't have a central ridge. Album Item #: 785 shows this clearly.

This is nothing like the roof structure of any part, of the Market or the arcades and has the artist tried to add a bulls head.

I remember the wooden floor in the old Market Hall it did have quite a ‘spring’ to it. Would it be possible that wood was laid over stone flags in later years to this photo?…Although the glass roof does look lower in the drawing. Then again the perspective may have been at fault by the Artist.

Got a phone call from a friend Trevor Smith (SMITHS NEWSAGENTS) this afternoon. He said that the roof was like that but later in the 1950's got replaced. Problem solved<g>