Pubs in the Little Arcade

Can anyone help me with the name of the pubs in the little arcade and makesons arcade as well
One I think was the Legs of Man in the little arcade

The Legs'O Man was at both ends of the little arcade (Market Arcade), connected by a passageway that ran behind the shops and cafe. Info supplied by my late father.

He never mentioned any pubs in Makinson Arcade, but that means nothing.

You can see a photograph of the 'Top' Man by clicking this link...

Top Legs 'O Man

EDIT: and here is the 'Bottom' Legs...

I can remember the Top Legs and the Bottom Legs and the scales you could sit on to be weighed but I don't remember there being a pub in Makinson's Arcade.

I agree with you Marie..I don't remember any pub in Makinsons Arcade apart from top and bottom legs of man.

Marie,on second thoughts…the top and bottom legs of man weren't in Makinsons Arcade..it was the little arcade where Sid Smith sold papers..I'm getting carried away,Margaret Razak also sold some nice clothes at one time..and of course the little restaurant..where the girls served you with black dresses and white frilly aprons on,when I worked in Wigan Centre after leaving School,I went there every day for my dinner.

Momac, you can see the restaurant in the painting above, Corners Cafe. I can just about remember it, a very classy looking place.

Yes Cadfael..Gorners Cafe was very classy,and me and my Mam used to go there every Saturday afternoon for our tea..and my Mam told me that Mr Sid Smith in the 30s hitchhiked to London with my Mams brother to look for work...I asked him about it and he told me all about their journey..he was a lovely man.

thanks everyone great info .momac used to get a racing 'beetalls' betting tip for my dad from the little arcade no doubt sid smith, remember that cafe used to pop in when on day release at wigan tech.
A lot more character in those arcades than todays town centre, same all over the north west, tried to move with the times but all have lost something in my opinion

Blackrodweaver,I couldn't agree more..the little arcade in itself had a kind of magic..I came from Wallgate so more or less grew up in Wigan town centre,the little shop at the top of the arcade that had a glass case at the front enthralled me as a kid..it had wedding cake accessories in,and everything you needed for making cakes for birthday's and for the christenings of babies..oh how I loved that arcade..and no doubt so did hundreds of people..we all know that progress has to be made,but other towns seem to have kept that little bit of magic in some of their buildings..it's almost like a mission to get rid of our historical buildings..but as they say...what do I know.
Ll

The Little Arcade, The Old Arcade or to give it its correct tile, The Market Arcade, was such a special part of Wigan. It had an atmosphere all its own and I recall Gorner's Café with great joy! There was a shop that sold strings of toffee-bags, and my Mam sometimes bought me some of the three-cornered ones to play "shops" with.....I have strings of paper bags hanging in my kitchen to this day. I also recall a shop that sold "loose" fireworks from a box outside the door.....can you imagine that happening today?! As you say, Momac, it had a kind of magic!

Passageway at the back of the shops? Where's your evidence?

We have a friend who was a bobby on the beat at the time of the demolition of the Legs of Man..at the weekend the boss of the Irish navvies asked him if he wouldn't mind keeping his eye on things until they came back on the Monday morning..which he did,on the Monday he went in the building to see how things were,the boss told him that as they were knocking a wall down they found another room that had a long wooden table with wooden chairs all the way round..a type of rostrum with two books which contained records...i.e..Bed and Breakfast one halfpenny..everything was caked in dust,so obviously hadn't been used for God knows how long..he went back a few days later to see the progress and asked where the chairs and tables and the books were the navvie boss just said "oh we burned them"..needless to say he was appalled,so an awful lot of history was lost in that fire..so who knows,there might have been a passageway all the way down,we shall probably never know.

by Jarvo...
Passageway at the back of the shops? Where's your evidence?

Whoa there Bro... I am not on trail here, I am just passing on what I was told by my father, a bloke who drank in The Legs, I have no evidence,, this is only an informal message board not on official hearing, I do not have to provide evidence.

Jesus, you really do think you are someone on this board don't you?

No, I don't. The passage was a myth that has been passed down through the years. The two pubs were totally separate.

What's you problem, brother?

No one is on trial. Lighten up for Christ's sake.

Then why not say as such rather than demand evidence?

Trust me.

Ah... right!

Irene
you hit the nail right on the head,atmosphere,wigan today his sterile and puerile.

Bolton and other local towns have gone the same way bakerboy your spot on, try Bury compact and nice

ive had a pint in the top and bottom legs, and was told the pubs were joined by the attic roof space, making it the longest pub in Britain. being youngsters the landlord could have had tongue in cheek.

my uncle was landlord at the top legs for awhile , and my father used to say there was a corridor over the top linking top and bottom legs up .

Jarvo, where does your extensive knowledge of Wigan come from?