Wigan Album

Another great nostalgic picture,it would appear that left hand side of the street has hardly changed at all,,cars and parking areas apart.

Where the dark coloured van is parked on the left,at the side would be Timberlakes car showroom. (Is it still Timberlakes?). There was an arcade in that vicinity that went through to King Street,and Grimes Music shop was at the King Street end. Was it the Pavilion Cinema, that the upstairs seating area went completely round the cinema?.

That's a great shot of Library Street, just how I remember it.

Albert,,,you quite correct,,where van is where Timberlakes garage used to be and the showrooms were opposite and slightly higher ,both now long gone showrooms now a carpet store and garage a multi store called Wallpaper Supplies..the Grimes Arcade is blocked off and the music shop long gone as well.
I think you may be correct about the Pavillion tho i can only remember going down stairs

The Pavilion was once a Circus

Ron. The "circus" is now a bit higher up the street.
It's called the Town Hall!

This photo says circa 1950s. I used to go to the pics a lot in Wigan and I dont remember the canopy having a closed in front, as I remember it was open fronted. Any ideas???

The cars would suggest 1950s.

Surely Timberlakes was on the other side of Library St - on the left, with your back to Market Place.

Was there not a timberlakes showroom on both sides of the road

There were two car showrooms down Library st, one at the top and with your back to the market place it was on the left. I always remeber the brass plates on the pavement ontside stating that the first 6" of the paving outside belonged to the car showroom, they always kept then well polished.

Phil

LDB, you may be right, I seem to recall that Timberlake's may have had what is now the carpet shop in Library Street as well as what is now Wallpaper Supplies.

Ken R. The canopy was open to the street, if you look above it you can see the suspension rods holding it up.

During the mid to late forties,and into the early fifties, young men, and women,would, after the cinemas had emptied, circulate around the area of King Street, and Library Street,meeting friends, coming towards them. Chatting, joking, laughing, and enjoying the atmosphere.It was no wonder, with everywhere lit up, after the dark, miserable days of the war. There was no violence, just good natured fun.

I seem to recall that, at one time, Timberlakes had three showrooms in Library St. Looking at this photo one was on the right hand side right at the top, where they showed new cars, one a little lower down on the opposite side of the road (Just before Mc Nultys shoe shop) where they showed used cars, and another one on the left (now Wallpaper Supplies)where they showed commercial vehicles. Their vehicle workshops were off Arcade St. From Library St. Timberlakes moved to Wallgate on to what is now the site of Go Outdoors, formwerly B & Q.

Your almost correct Derekb but as i recall timberlakes sold out to hattons who carried on with the business in library st.for awhile then moved to wallgate which as you say is now a camping store

The bus on the right is probably the Pemberton bus, just across the road from it stood Fred Dawes radio and TV shop

The hoardings on the left were at the the end of the enntry between the court Cinema and the Court Hall and were the front of Worswicks Yard . J Worswick & Co operated most of the advertising hoardings in and around Wigan from there.
They also owned Wigan Entrtainments Co who operated the Court Cinema,the Court Hall, the Pavilion Cinema and the Hippodrome.A big business in the forties

Pedestrian crossing seems to require some urgent attention. It is doubtful as to whether it is a lawful crossing, in that condition.

McNultys, now that's a name from the past - still going strong I presume and hope. It's well over 50 years since I bought a dearly loved pair of brogue shoes from there. Expensive - yes, comfortable - undoubtedly, value for money - without question. Another fond Wigan memory.

Timberlakes showroom where Wallpaper supplies are located was one of the only showrooms to have two floors and cars where raised up in a lift. The only other lift in a garage that I knew of was Mabs Cross Motors facing Mesnes playing field, where Highams flower shop and other developments are now.

Phil

McNultys, is still there on the corner of the entry where Wallpaper Supplies is and leading down to Grime's Arcade (been closed off for years now!) and still trading. Not many privately owned shops around these days.

Timbeerlakes had 3 showrooms in Library St And as i remembewr ,The large one on the left with the garage behind ( Entrance down the Grimes entry)This was comandeeered during the war and turned into an engineering machine shop, the small one on the left further up was kept ,although there was no cars to sell an d the other one on the right was used by the ministry of Food and the ration books and records were kept there

Pemberton bus, never in the memory of man ran from here.

In the late 1960s/early 1970s the road in Market Place collapsed, so the buses normally setting off from the top of Station Road and Market Place got moved to Library Street for the time it took to repair the sewers and road, the diversion would go from there, along Chapel Lane, up King Street then back to normal route. Gerry is probably remembering the time when those buses were temporarily moved to there.