Wigan Album
Market Place, Wigan
9 Comments
Photo: Mick
Item #: 23964
Mort's chemist pictured was on the corner of Market Place and Millgate, and the Ring o' Bells pub can just be seen to the left of it.
Apologies - senior moment - Ring O' Bells to right of chemists.
An amazing photo (engraving!) Mick. Could not get my bearings at first. Would the Royal Hotel have stood roughly in the area where Woolworth's was in our time?
Very interesting and thanks for posting. At the risk of copying Lizzie lol may I save it for my Family History Records? G'day Lizzie !
The small building directly to the right of the Royal Hotel would have been Bradshaw's/Alkers watchmakers shop. There is a very old photo of it in a publication, can't think what at the moment.
You are right re the location, Tricia. Please feel free to copy the pic.
G'day Tricia.....yes you have to ask.....the thing is everyone knows that I have an England Album....so I now have permission from everybody...I don't have to ask....cheers!!!!
I am sure I put this engraving on the site a few years ago along with the report of the riot that accompanied it?
Quite possibly Ron - I just checked the albums, and couldn't see any previous posting of the pic.
Thanks Mick
I couldn't find Ron's account so here is a truncated version from Bob Blakeman's excellent book, "Wigan - A Historical Souvenir".
"In 1853 a particularly serious (coal) riot occurred in Wigan. The strike had been going several weeks in support of a pay claim when it became known that their employers were holding a meeting in the Royal Hotel to discuss their demands.
As they left it became known the pay claim had been turned down, they were jostled and threatened by the crowd, and took refuge in a shop.
When the police arrive the crowd attacked them - they fled and barricaded themselves in the police station.The strikers then went on the rampage, breaking into shops and pubs and taking away whatever they could lay their hands on."