Wigan Album

I have just a few words to say: what a fantastic photograph and thanks Michael for giving us the opportunity to see another one of your dad's photographs.

It was so good to disappear up an alley such as the Wiend, and just look in the shops for a while, it was so quiet away from the hustle and bustle of the crowds in Market Place.

Cyril, it was! I can fully relate to your words.
As a kid, I used to go to the fishing tackle shop in the Wiend; I think that it was Tommy Blackledge's.

Walking down there was a lovely shop on the right that sold leather and suede coats.

I remember the barber's shop and the staitonery shop next door to it. Still have a paper punch I bought there when I went to secondary school in 1970.

I think the Printers Ezra Sidebottom’s was the shopfront with the two steps.

I remember a bookies on the right hand side, would have been early seventies? Used to be frequented by Clapper!

It was Tommy Blackledges fishing tackle shop.Bought my first decent spinning reel from here,an Intrepid Elite,cost £3/17/6.

I remember the name Ezra Sidebottom,it always reminded me of a possible Dickens character !

Apologies for barnstorming onto this thread , but if anyone is remotely interested in seeing a photograph of the very last passenger train to leave Manchester Central Station for Wigan on Nov first 1964 , then go to Manchester Libraries and type in Wigan .

I’ve attempted to upload several photos from this site but they haven’t appeared .
Copyright being the primary issue I would imagine .

Does anybody know why Cooper's Row is called Cooper's Row when it isn't a Row?

John, I have no idea but would hazard a guess that maybe there once WAS a row of houses up there, say in the 1800s? I have a feeling I've read of someone who actually lived up there but I can't recall the book I saw it in. And I think there was a pub and, I believe, a music hall, but please correct me if I am wrong. Cooper could come from barrel-making, (was there perhaps such an establishment as a barrel-makers up there at one time?), or even just named after a councillor. I believe that when you get terraced streets named after people, eg, Margaret Street, Henry Street, Cecil Street which are in Spring View, they were often after the children of the councillor who arranged the building of the houses. These are just guesses but it would be good if someone could supply the answer to your interesting question.

I posted a comment the other day saying how much I loved this photo and asking if the photographer had any other photos of the top of the Wiend where it joins Millgate. For some reason it appeared twice and now it has disappeared completely. Hopefully this one will stay!

Graham check out the MILLGATE topic. There is one on there

The shop with two steps was called The Wiend Press. The Griffins ran it as a family printers.

I knew someone who worked at the shop in the sixties when it was Ezra Sidebotham Printers.