Wigan Album

Hello Anne Melling i was particular interested in your photo of Standishgate, but mainly to ask you , " DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE NAME OF THE SHOP/STORE NEXT TO WOOLWORTH'S ,it's been baffling me for age's hope you can help .

It was Burton`s the tailors. alan.
See Album, Places, Standishgate. page 5.
#18924, 3rd on 2nd row.
#19947, last on 3rd row.

Hello Alan the only store I can remember next to Woolies was Burtons Tailors and then I think Alexandre's Tailors took over. I will ask around if anyone knows what was there before that, hope that helps.

There was a shop called England's around that area

There was an Englands on that block It had a map of england next to its name on the wall.

In my long living memory it was always Burton's tailors next to Woolworths. Englands , who sold leather goods moved into the sire next to Burtons in the mid fifties and put in a completely new shop frontage. I think the next building down between there and Marks and Spencer was The British Restaurant, a chain introduced as a World War II innovation.

DerekB I think you are right about Burtons always being there.I seem to remember there was a Rendezvous Cafe just further up from Pendleburys. Does it ring any bells with you?

Mike, I had forgotten The Rendezvous Café but remembered it immediately you remarked on it. I seem to recall that it had a black frontage with the name picked out in chrome letters and assume it evolved from The British Restaurant. My wife informs me that the national chain of British Restaurants was set up by the Government during WWII and they provided a basic meal at a fixed price during the time of severe food rationing.

I was at the Grammar School during the war and we used to eat at the British Restaurant in King Street. You could get a 3 course meal and a coffee for a shilling(5p)

The Rendez-vous cafe was owned by McCandlishes and the same family also had a shop in Darlington Street near Sovereign Road.

John, didn't Mc Candlish's also have a shop in the Market Place just further along from the entrance to Millgate and almost opposite the entrance to the Makinson Arcade?

Derek B, They could very well have done Derek, but I don't remember that shop. About what year would that be?

Oh wouldn't it be fantastic to step into that picture and go into those shops again.

John, the Mc Candlish's I referred to in the Market Place was there in the early sixties and presumably earlier and presumably was also the same family of Confectioners you refer to. In the days when for most people the only types of bread enerally available were white or brown they sold a wide variety of rolls/bread/cakes. I was working in Bryn at the time and if for any reason any member of staff had to go into Wigan in the firm's van they always went with a shipping order for Mc Candlish's pies, rolls and cakes etc.

John and DerekB - McCandlish's Market Place shop was still there in the 1970s. Photo on the link below shows the shop circa 1974.
http://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/photo.php?opt=5&id=27260&gallery=Market+Place%2C+Wigan&offset=360

Thanks DerekB and Mick, but even after looking at the photo you put the link for, I still can't recall that shop even though it was obviously there!

it was alexander the tailor's before it was burtons I had a fantastic grey suit from alexander's paid £20+ for the suit in the mid sixties.