Photo-a-Day (Sunday, 12th November, 2023)
Sir Francis Sharp Powell
Photo: John Gaskell (Nikon Z6ii)
I don’t think there’s a mum in Wigan that hasn’t been held up to touch his shoe as a child ,and who then passes it down to her own children.. by the looks of the shine on his shoe it looks like it’s in the thousands.
The thing to do as kids was to go up and rub his foot for luck, you can still see that the shoe is shiny!
Was looking on Albums and there is a photo on from 1913 nothing much as changed except there where chains around the plinth
A lovely photo of Sir Francis. He looks to be in deep contemplation; I bet he's thinking "Now I wonder what photo-a-day is today?.....Oh, it's me!".
I wonder what the subscribers to this statue would think if they knew that over 100 years later children were still rubbing his shoe for luck even if they have no idea who he was.
Cant wait to see a lisa nandy statue
He must have been an outstanding MP to have a statue erected. I think most people knew him as ‘ that mon in’t park wit stone belly’. Mind you that was in Scholes or Ince and perhaps Wallgate . It was the answer to many a question I asked ….he was blamed for everything! It didn’t stop me rubbing his shoe for luck ……
Great photo - oh yes I'm another who rubbed his foot for good luck on more than than one occasion- it's a tradition!
The good luck must work because Roberto before Latics FA Cup win!