The Bird Shop, Wigan

Happy Easter everybody!

This painting has appeared on Twitter today, and I’m just wondering where the bird shop (Booth’s?) was?

The Bird Shop, Wigan
By Harold Riley (b.1934 in Salford)

@GrimArtGroup

It’s now owned by the University of Salford - artuk.org

Harold Riley’s biography - rileyarchive.com

There’s a photo on WW Album submitted by Sandra - Link

“Ernest Rushton, outside his shop on the corner of Caroline Street and Chapel Lane”



Philip G. added this interesting comment (Dec 2017):

“I've no doubt that there will have been many a corner shop on the streets of Wigan, over the years, but perhaps Mr Rushton's corner shop is also that which is shown in Harold Riley's painting 'The Bird Shop, Wigan.' Just curious. Thanks.”

They look to be 'Canary's' no doubt for the miners

The cage at the bottom of the picture, looks to contain two sheep, who both have two heads, one at each end of the body, a sheep with two heads

The windows are different. There is a similar shop on the corner at Ince Bar, now sells bedroom furniture.

I’m not sure they are sheep with two heads, TTS, but there could be some artistic licence.

Are you thinking of what was Mace’s, Angelwood? (Is it a bed shop now?) WW Album

The one on the corner by the traffic lights joanne. I think it was painted blue?

I’ve just looked online and Bargain Bedrooms is painted blue - this is the shop in the late ‘50s:


WW Album, Brian

The cage at the bottom of the picture looks to have two fantail pigeons, lots of people had canarys in there houses in those days.

I suppose they could have been green budgies

Wasn t there a bike shop there? Might be thinking of somewhere else.

Corner of Birkett Bank and Darlington Street East/Manchester Road

That could be a good shout, Platty, it was a brilliant building. I don’t know anything of its history.

Still a bike shop years ago was a newsagents.

Diston, when was it a newsagents? I only remember a bicycle shop. Were you born in the last century?

Jo anne said, "it was a brilliant building."!

Get real !

I think most of us were born in the last century.

Tonker

That is no way to talk to the vicars wife