Wigan Album

What a great set of photographs for Wigan folk to reminisce over, especially the ones that remember Wigan as shown on these photographs.

Agreed, Albert! We all may be far apart now, but these pics bring us straight back!

Could not agree more Albert - well done Brian.

Just look at the cars as well guys, they'd be worth a fortune today. What great pictures these are.

What strikes me about this group of photographs is how much more ' interesting' Wigan was then. All those little Shops in Scholes and Millgate, all different, all individual and all providing a living for their owners. Yes the buildings were old and tired but Scholes was a real living Community and the people who used those shops lived in that Community. I suppose it was inevitable that many of the buildings would have to go but were Tower Blocks of Flats really the best things to replace them with?

I agree absolutely with you Den's but many people I've noted comment how they like modern Wigan. The council estate I grew up on is now worse that in my day.. Progress???

As I have often said before, the character of the town has been destroyed. No point looking up at the buildings ...as our Junior School teacher used to tell us, as they are mostly extremely boring.
If someone was blindfolded and then put down in Wigan they would struggle to say where they were. It looks like lots of other faceless places...they all look pretty much the same...tasteless and full of very ugly concrete buildings. Modern replacement buildings do not need to look like that.
They should blend in with whatever is there to begin with.
Thank you for posting this set of photos. A wonderful trip down memory lane.

Nostalgia? Yes...But on the right of the picture is a sign of things to come: parking chaos...I would guess this to be about 1963/1964 or maybe later. It seems that you had to be early even then to park up; if you were rich enough to own a car. Already there are signs of neglect at Central Station: the fence along the platform is all but gone. The end is clearly near for this dead end terminus. Dr Beeching had already condemned it. Sad.

Great set of pics Brian thanks as others have remarked, especially for us owd Wiganers. Tricia, i think you have gone a little bit OTT with some of your comments if you dont mind me saying. They could blindfold me and put me in Wigan AND district and i would know where i was. I agree that some of the buildings around town would be better off had they stayed on the drawing board. Can i refer to your 'full of concrete buildings'comment? pray tell me where are ALL these buildings? There are a few multi storey car parks which you will find in every town and city, unfortunately a necessity. The biggest eyesore in Wigan now that the police station has been 'covered up' and that's all it amounts to, is the terrible building attached to the facade of the Queens Hall, that should NEVER have been allowed to have been erected, talk about the sublime and the ridiculous those two buildings qualify 100%.

As an example. Roy, how about the box on the corner opposite the Thomas Linacre building or the replacement for the swimming baths to name two. That White elephant that is the Galleries and its relative the Grand Arcade???? Then there are the high rise flats....could go on... but I rest my case.

Sign says "Bus Stop Inward" I wonder if anyone ever caught the bus "Inward" from there!

Sorry Tricia you obviously dont know the diference between brick, stone and concrete, you haven't named one building built of concrete, you are way out of line.

Superb set of pictures Brian, thanks for putting them on.

ROY..... GET A LIFE. you sad bugger.

Get back to Greyfriars, i'm not talking to you, keep your nose out, i was having a sensible discussion with someone else til you butted in.

Thanks Billy B x
You are nit picking Roy.
My original post was that the character of the town has been decimated. If you are happy with that then fine.
You missed the point I was trying to make ..of course I know where I am in Wigan!!!! I am just saying it is a clone of another million faceless places.
Concrete was just a turn of phrase .. they are made of STEEL if you really want to be picky.

Tricia please dont say concrete if you mean steel, a steel inner framework with a brick outer, there is nothing wrong with that system, it's called progress. I have no doubt that a few buildings in any town are out of place, but we cant carry on building them like they used to be built, for example, like the old Mining and Technical College which as you know is now the Town Hall.

SENSIBLE!!!! 100 lines for you my boy
"I MUST NOT TRY TO BE A SMART ARSE AND NIT PICK IN REPLY TO COMMENTS LEFT ON WIGANWORLD"

Yes sensible, BB, more than you are being, at least i'm talking about the 'subject' and not making childish derisory comments. Apologies to Brian for this 'spat' the photos deserve better.

Roy, I agree with Billy and Tricia. It was YOU who started the 'nit picking' about brick, concrete, in reply to Tricia's opinion, about the town being better then than it is now. No doubt if she had mentioned plastic you would have said "IT ISN'T PLASTIC IT'S P.V.C." She was making a GENERAL comment about the new and old buildings in the town I don't suppose she is a Structural Engineer like you?

Roy it was you that went off topic making your patronising comments about brick and concrete trying to belittle tricia don't blame anyone else.

Billy B...
'quod erat demonstrandum'

It would appear i'm in the wrong here and like a true Wiganer, i apologise, particularly to Tricia, sorry love.

No problem Roy. Apology accepted. I am a Wiganner too!
It takes guts to apologise on a public form. Thanks

Well said that man, lines rescinded. 10/- postal order in the post to spend at the Tuck Shop.

Thank you Tricia and BB.

Sorry for the typo...should have read 'forum'

It's obvious you're all true Wiganers, after the spat the make up - well done.