Wigan Album

The grand Hotel sound great..I might stay for a couple of nights

Interesting and nostalgic! But where was the Hippodrome located?

aye i use to go and watch frank randal here back in the day

The HIP. was located on what is the car park for Brocol House.

Part of the Hippodrome building still existed till about 15 years ago when the old Lennon's was demolished. There was a tall chimney stack on what would have been the backstage area of the old theatre.

Remember seeing "The Silver King", and "Johnny Belinda" at this theatre, up in the God's seating area. I was also in this theatre when a chap was on, somewhat like Leslie Welsh's act. Someone shouted down " When will Nelson ger his eye back"? Several torches started flashing at the audience. It was a great loss, of a true amenity, when it burned down.

Just looking at the Grand Hotel list of of pure luxury,hot & cold water in your room with teas & suppers for 2/6.That must have been a fortune then in 1941.

John G, 2s 6d in 1941 is equivalent to £6-25p today.I saw Frankie Vaughan at the 'Hip' in the very early 50s.

Surprised to see that the Grand Hotel was still offering 4 course lunches, teas and suppers in August 1941, by which time severe food rationing was in force. Surely, this was an easy way for those who could afford it to get around the deprivations of food rationing.

Remember lying in my pit, in my billet, at R.A.F. Cranwell, either the latter end of 1957,or the beginning of 1958, just before demob. It came over the station radio system, that the Hippodrome at Wigan, had burned down.

Hi Derek, I've absolutely no idea of the truth of this but I remember hearing a statement, quite recently, that Britain had a more severe rationing regime after the war than during war time itself. I'm sure things were very difficult in wartime but is it possible they were even more difficult afterwards - we were broke as a country. I don't know but it's a provoking thought.

Keith. We all survived, plenty of dripping butties. A school mate of mine really enjoyed butties, with H.P.Sauce on, no butter. Everyone was in the same boat. Ration books, and toffee coupons, & clothing coupons, went on for quite a while after the war finished.

Hi Keith, I was reading an article recently and it would appear from it that bread, which had never ben rationed during WW II, was subject to coupons for a while post war. A few days ago I watched a programme about the forthcoming 70th anniversary of VE Day and the immediate post war years and according to the info there tea and sugar remained rationed until 1952/1953 and the last food item to be de-rationed was meat as late as 1954. As you say, in 1945 we were broke and deeply in debt and remained so for many years.

Keith. A lot of detail can be found on web site http://www.primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/war/blackout.htm

Thanks for those interesting perspectives, Derek and Albert. I was born in '41 and remember the days when certain things came off rationing as I'm sure you do. I also recall being told when I asked, why are those people all queueing outside a certain shop (it turned out to be a butchers) although I can't verify it, I was told they were waiting to buy horse meat - that was probably around 1946 or so.

I remember being taken to the hippodrome as a child in the fifties and watching a show where a clown jumped over a milk crate (maybe a pantomime) I was more fascinated by the spotlight that hissed throughout the performance it was probably a carbon arc type

A lot of people believe the difference between our economy, and Germany's eventual economy, had a lot to do with the American Marshal Plan. It is worth looking at http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/modern/marshall_01.shtml for further information regarding this.

I was born in June 1952 and can remember being taken by my parents to see the Panto at the Hipp so I suppose I must have been about 3 or 4 if it burned down in 1957. i cannot remember what the Panto was but I do vividly recall being told that we were in the "Gods" and looking down on the stage. I also have a very strong memory of going in the the entrance doors into the Foyer. Funny how some things stand out. What a shame Wigan lost a Theatre.

Like Caroline,I remember being in the gods,(think it was cheapest)the pantomime was Dick Whittington,remember being scared of king rat.

Hi Eric - perhaps we were both up in the Gods that that year.
Incidentally I'm not a Caroline or even a she, its just a user name which combines mine and my wifes names that we use on sites like these.

Talking of buildings in King Street that have gone. I also noted this morning on another part of Wigan World that the old Town Hall had been demolished in 2013. I have not been in Wigan at all for some time, but was sad to see it gone even though it had been in a pitiful state for many years it still had character. I can remember going into the Police Station part of the building when I was about 10 (1962). We were doing a school play and I was playing a policeman, my mother asked if we could borrow a police hat for me to wear. The helmets were too big but they very kindly found me a peaked cap and padded it until it fitted. Perhaps it was Albert's who was probaly on he beat that day? You can't even find a police station these days.

Sorry Carolaen, although it would have been an honour for you to wear my headgear,we as constables',and sergeants' too, wore helmets, with the exception, of when we were at P.T.C. Bruche. The traffic officers' also wore peaked caps. Inspectors', wore peaked caps, with black silk edging around the peak. Superintendents' had silver coloured edging around their peak caps. If I have got it wrong, as it is such a long time ago, Aubrey will put it right.

Sorry Carolaen. I phrased that wrong. I meant to say. It would have been an honour to me, that you, should have worn my headgear. Please accept my apologies. Getting a bit too old in the tooth.

Sorry about getting your name wrong Carolaen ,my. Mum was telling me,she use to go to the hipp,(in the gods)twice a week with my nan.she said there was always a play on from Monday to Friday.and variety on Saturdays.like you said what a shame this place burned down, cheers eric

Albert - Thanks, I know what you meant. I have a feeling that the peaked cap had some sort of band around it, but not the chequered ones that came in later. I think at this time only the Scottish police had chequered hat bands.

Carolaen. If you click onto work, scroll down to police,61, ( Government inspection, 1953) you will see police officers' that had cycle beats, they also wore peaked caps. Cadets' wore peaked caps, I believed they had a blue band around the actual cap.

Just to comment on the rationing after the war,I was born December 1952 and my mother got a ration book for me,my wife was born in November 1954 and it had gone, so 53/54 rationing must have ended.That question nearly always comes up in a pub quiz.