Wigan Pier Quarter's Historic Sculptures

On 5th September 1936, there was a report in The Wigan Observer :

"installation of machine to do work of pit brow lasses at Pemberton Colliery, last pit in Wigan to employ pit brow girls."

Local Chronology 1936

But a pit brow lass will be seen again in Wigan soon.

A life sized sculpture will be placed near the Wigan Pier Tippler, on the Leeds-Liverpool Canal towpath.
With her will be a panel to tell of the hard work of the ‘Lasses’ and of the scandal that they caused in Victorian society by wearing trousers.

Wigan Pier Quarter’s Historic Sculptures will also include:

a bargee, mill worker and a boat builder.

The hope of organisers is that the sculptures will provide a means to celebrate Wigan's rich industrial past and become mini-attractions in their own right.

I worry about the risk of vandalism to the sculptures though.
A number of windows in the Trencherfield Mill building have been smashed for a while.

"The sculptures, each made of heavy duty – durable plastic and coated to resemble brass - will be installed at Changeline Bridge (Pottery Road), behind Trencherfield Mill and next to ‘Bottom Lock’ at the dry dock."

At least they won't be "weighed-in". They may get thrown in though.

There's a bonny sculpture by the canal in Sowerby Bridge.

Here

Here's a photo I've 'taken' (borrowed), Dostaf.

The Boatman Sculpture, Sowerby Bridge.

"Leg-it" jo anne.

Interpret that how you will.

But I beat you to it

Thats nice i think.....the boatman sculture... if they put that pitbrow lass sculpture at the pier I bet it gets vandalised... especially when they all coming out of there drunk.... and what a shame that would be.

A sneaky one - I'll grant you that, Dostaf, but still no excuse.

I didn't see your Here link until too late.

I'll paddle off instead.

Is that bronze model still at the pier?

It sat on a plinth between, The Way We Were and the Orwell. It was a scale model ot the site, with braile writing on it.

Ah jo anne. Did I mean leg it as in run away from the crime scene? Leg it as a way of propelling a barge through a tunnel? Or even legit, as in legal hoisting of images.?

You're just mean, Dostaf.

Did you know that part of a lock is called a paddle?

Cut that out jo anne.

Sorry, I wasn't meaning to be cutting - just playing.

I'll say the same to you about that bad habit of thw***ing.

"Cut" as in canal jo anne.

"Leg-it" as in canal.

we're on a canal path here. An you started it.

The Boatman sculpture is lovely, far better than the metal trees and monstrosities they've put around wigan this last few years.

Don't forget "Wigan Warp and Weft".

Dostaf: Is that bronze model still at the pier?

I don't know - I'll go and investigate soon.

I'll just barge over (a footbridge) and have a good peer at the model, if it's still there.

I do love that black tree, Emp.

And the Wigan Warp and Weft

- no link for fear of being blamed for causing thw***ing.

I'm trying to find a site with canal language on jo anne.

I've seen it in the past and I think it may be mainly Midlands stuff. Very interesting.

We were taught at school that an engineless "trailer" type boat was called a butty. But can i find it oficially?

Any takers for the Warp & Weft?

Butty - below photo of Macclesfield Canal, Cheshire - new paragraph.

As diesel and steam replaced the tow horse in the early twentieth century, it became possible to move more cargo with the same manpower by towing a second unpowered boat, commonly referred to as a "butty", "buttyboat" or "butty boat". There was now no horse to look after, but someone had to steer the butty, unless on a wide canal such as the Grand Union Canal where the two boats could be roped side-to-side or 'breasted up', and handled as one while working locks.

Warp and Weft - Wigan Public Art Trail

Thanks for that jo anne.

Bejabers.

Canal lingo

Has anyone followed the Wigan Public Art Trail?
map

The pavement artwork in King Street is damaged (a bit of a slippy hazard for revellers) and the street is grotty.

From Dostaf's Canal Lingo link:

Paddle : a 'trap-door' to allow or prevent water flow through or around a lock gate.

I thought it was the name for the half of a lock gate ... I saw a sign on one about closing the paddle.

Haven't seen the King Street one.

The reference "Bejabers" above is a duffer

Should have referred to Jebus.

"A leader or jebus was attached to the front of the tug to act as a breakwater. The tugs were originally steam-powered and just given numbers, but were later powered by diesel and named after the collieries they served."

From
here.

Nice links

The paddle is like a blade that slides up and down to reveal a hole and let water through the gate jo anne.

Edit. Or is it? One "valve" is in the gate itself and another type is in the groundwork. ie plumbed into the stonework.

Dostaf: Is that bronze model still at the pier?

When I go to look, I'll nip round to wave to the WW webcam.

Has anybody ever thought of the WW webcam when they're in the area?

lol Jo we wave at it everytime we go past

I'll look out for you, Danni.

Is that a royal wave as you whizz by in the car
or
waving your hands in the air, like you don't care, as you 'casually' stroll by, Danni?

in the car Jo

Be hard to make you out then, Danni.

Joann,
ther were pit brow lasses in Wigan long after 1936 ,they were still in evidence in the 1950's.Why can't this statue be in Wigan town centre were it would be seen by more.

Thanks Vera.

Pit Brow Lasses Photo' c.1950

Ideally it would be lovely to see the Sculptures near the canal - WLCT's hope is they will become Wigan's equivalent of the Gormley's.

As the Pier Quarter is becoming more modernised, I think it's a gesture too little, too late.

I adore walking along the canal - I'm there almost every day - but since the Way We Were Museum was closed, it is much quieter along that stretch.

I think the new Wigan's sculptures ought to be in a safer place of keeping. Such a shame when Sowerby Bridge's Boatman sculpture adds so much to the canalway there.

There possibly isn't room in the Grand Arcade though - one of the few places they can be locked away at night.

Dostaf: Is that bronze model still at the pier?

It sat on a plinth between, The Way We Were and the Orwell. It was a scale model of the site, with braille writing on it.

I've just walked there with my dog to find the brick plinth is still there, complete with the bronze numbered/braille discs, but the model has disap-piered.

I wasn't brave enough to wave at the ww webcam today.

You'll have to look at it in the public art trail leaflet then jo anne.

Wot no image.

Not brave enough to wave at the webcam?

Your image could have peen held for posterity for at least sixty seconds.

posterity for at least sixty seconds..

Hold on at least a minute - I didn't say anything about showing my backside to the camera.

Wot no moon?

Of course not - just me pretending to be a star on the ww webcam.

A star with "moon" associations.

Good heavens, no - not me!

Speaking of which.

I hope we don't end up with rusty Gormley's.

I like "Another Place" but rusty sculptures wouldn't look right by the canal.

Another Place, the sculptor Antony Gormley's collection of cast-iron naked men, is to be allowed to gaze out to sea from a Merseyside beach forever.

They'll freeze and rust their bits off.

Bits incidentally modelled on Gormley's.

Brrrrrrrrrrr

Using his part for art's sake, Dostaf.

'Tis brass monkey weather in Wigan tonight.

Tell me about it.

A bobble hat usually kept this Monkee and Nesbit warm.

I prefer suitable unergarments jo anne.

That's the vest way to brace yourself for the cold snap.

Have you spotted your mistake yet jo anne?

Google "tippex pop"

I put vest on purpose - it's cowd, and we've discussed Mike Nesbitt's Mum 'inventing' tippex a while ago on ww.

I told you it should be typpex we use on ww and you said you'd googled it.

Nesbitt was to be rude.

Mike who?

I'll get my typpex.

And Dolenz be too long about it.

I'll be Nesquik about it. Be back in a shake.

A name change is as good as a vest, as they say.
A bobble hat doesn't suffice when it's so cold.

Mr Nesmith without bobble hat!

Sorry Dostaf!
"But we're too busy singing,
to put anybody down."

Hopefully.

Oh I don't know about that joanne.

PS your link's a duff.

Nesquick link.

Out of sync

♫♪♫♪ Me shavin' razors co...old and it stings♪♫♫♪

It'll be that Ant Hill - since I sent him that email my links are often on the blink.

Without writing mistakes, Mike Nesmith's Mum's invention wouldn't have been so useful.
At least it's brought colour to my cheeks.

That's it - keep singing.♪♫♫♪

Colour to your cheeks jo anne

I thought you'd given up on the web-cam idea.

Just keep singing you - no Waterboys songs.

Well, perhaps under the circumstances, this would be better.

Here's one from an E.P. - I'll have to be there a while if I want to have more than 60 seconds of ww fame.

You could stick it in the WW album.

*I might Steele myself for the exposure - keep checking 'Assorted'.

What would be a suitable title?!

*As likely as finding half a sixpence near the Pier.

A title?

How about

"Exposed; undercover Wallgate"?

Sorry - it'll be Wot No one spied her bot on the webcam.

The pit brow lass sculpture will be placed near the Wigan Pier Tippler, on the Leeds-Liverpool Canal towpath.

I walked by there yesterday to see the sign near the Tippler:

This is the site of Wigan Pier

has been newly 'decorated' with silver spray paint graffiti.

I think it would be a disaster to install the sculpture on the canal path there and not just for its own safety. The path is narrow and cobbled (slippy when wet) and people walking/cycling along have to take care as it is.

A life-sized sculpture near the Tippler - if that's where it is intended to go - would be an added hazard and hinderance.