Photo-a-Day  (Tuesday, 10th June, 2025)

These sturdy buildings would make really nice apartments. Built before 1858 I believe from what was posted on the Album. So much history we don’t realise about that makes Wigan the town it was.

Christian Meeting House built in 1858 as recorded on the stone on the front of the building. Used by the Church of Christ, a nonconformist religion which had been founded in the area in 1841 by Timothy Coop (1817 to 1887) the garment manufacturer and joint proprietor of the garment factory on Dorning Street.
The movement sought to restore "Primitive" New Testament Christianity. The building design is likely to have been deliberately simple and lacking ornamentation to reflect the ethos of the movement.
Another prominent member of the congregation was William Thomas Miller OBE (1880 to 1963). He was a local miner's leader and became National Secretary of the Pit Deputies Association and a consultant to the government on mine safety.
It is said that Timothy Coop baptised a person in the canal near his home and also baptised people in the River Douglas which was near the meeting house.
On the dark patch above the Date Stone there used to be a Circular Clock. I am unsure as to when this was removed.

I wonder who owns these properties ? With a nationwide housing shortage it is really not good enough to let these properties go to rack & ruin...then in no doubt demolish them for some ticky tacky modern rubibish to be built that won't last anywhere near as long.
Still that seems to be the way WMC works...if in doubt knock it down.
No doubt I will be put in my place for airing my views & someone will come up with a good reason why these properties can't be made habitable !

The Library:
Public library, now Museum. 1877, by Alfred Waterhouse. An unusually unaltered municipal library by a well-known architect.
It was in February 1873 that the inhabitants of Wigan were first made aware that owing to the munificence of Mr. Thomas Taylor, a local cotton mill owner, the town was to be presented with £5,000 for the purpose of erecting a free library and the offer was duly accepted in the same month.
Mr.Taylor had suggested that a portion of Mesnes Park should be obtained to erect the building, but subsequently, it was decided that the site of the old Grammar School in Rodney Street should be the site chosen as being in a more central and convenient position.
The land was purchased and Thomas intimated instead of providing £5,000 he would pay for the purchase of the land and erect on it, at his sole cost, a building for the requirements of a free library, and on completion of the work would hand over the structure to the Mayor and Corporation.
While negotiations were progressing, on the 16th October, 1873, Joseph Taylor Winnard, an old inhabitant of the town, who had carried on an extensive practice as a surgeon in the town died and by his will after certain other bequests, left to the Mayor of Wigan the residue of his monies, to arise from the sale and conversion and the getting in of his effects, to be expended in the purchase of books to be placed in the Free Library
At the time the bequeath was supposed to amount to a sum of £30,000, but in consequence of the difficulties the trustees had to contend with in determining what portion of his estate could legally be devoted towards the purchase of books as directed in Joseph’s will, the matter was put under administration and the actual sum was around £11,000.
In the meantime the purchase of the site in Rodney St was completed, Thomas obtained the services of architect, Alfred Waterhouse of Manchester, in designing plans for the erection of a handsome building. The contract for the erection was awarded to a Mr. Booth of Bootle and considerable progress was soon made.
As the work neared completion, a meeting of the ratepayers was convened on the 27th October 1876, to adopt the Public Libraries Act, as no expenses in keeping the Library in order could be incurred by the Corporation until such time a meeting had been held and the Act adopted by the majority of ratepayers present. It need hardly be said that that a resolution that the town take such a course of action was passed unanimously.
In bequeathing the money for purchase of books Mr. Winnard requested that Mr. Gerard Brown Finch might be consulted to their selection, and since the important duty devolved upon this gentleman he spent much time and labour in selecting suitable books.
When the library was officially opened on the 20th October 1878 there were no books on the shelves. It was proving extremely difficult to obtain any money from the Lancashire Court of Chancery, in which the money had been deposited, until the building was passed into the hands of the town,
Gerard Brown Finch was the son of John Finch, landlord of the Cross Keys Inn, Market Place., He was educated in the town, afterward gaining the proud and prestigious award of Senior Wrangler at Cambridge University in 1857. To his careful and judicious selection, the town owed its splendid collection of books, the Reference Library being considered by the most eminent bibliographical authorities, one of the finest in the kingdom. To Mr. Finch was also left the choice of the first Librarian, and at his recommendation, the Corporation appointed Mr. Henry Tennyson Folkard, who up to that time had held the position of sub-librarian of the Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House.
In May, 1878, the Library was opened to the public, the books having been in the interim shelved and classified.

Funny they've not been demolished.

What!!! they've not been demolished yet by Wigan Council, What's going on.
Beautiful buildings and History.

Could get a few illegals in there,it’s close enough to the town centre.

I overlooked to credit Wigan & Leigh Buildings for all of the information I posted. A invaluable source of research and reference.

PS.
I should have said thank you for the recent photos of Rodney Street Chapel...
I recall the sister chapel at Mitchell St, Billinge /Pemberton (?) having an immersion tank for baptisms.
My Uncle Joe Bradshaw was a lay preacher at both chapels & even once preached at the Parish Church in Wigan. I remember a Mr Jayne who owned a car dealership in Wigan was also a staunch member or Rodney St, he had a son, Brent Jayne.
Amazing what thoughts pop up by seeing a pic !

There are too many good looking sound buildings in and around the town centre that are vacant and just look like they’ve been abandoned.
They’re not up for sale or rent, I don’t quite understand the logic behind this. It makes no commercial sense.

Remember going to China Hos about thirty years ago. It was in the basement of the Christian Meeting house. It was a very good restaurant but only lasted for a couple of years?

Good photo as always Colin,going off the subject but about time Billy Boston has been awarded a knighthood the first rugby league player to be knighted.

John, if that is true it would be the best news for Wigan ever and a recognition I thought would never come.

John, it is true, I just read the details on Wigan Today. As with everyone in Wigan and the Rugby League World I’m overjoyed at this.
Good on you Billy.

Billy was a great player and more than that he is a great gentleman. I have never heard anyone say a bad word about him. It is such a shame that it as taken so many years for him to get the recognition that he truly deserves.
Well done Billy!

I agree with the sentiments about Billy Boston.....well done! Colin, we were sorry not to see you at the forties event at Heskin Hall on Saturday but you didn't miss anything...it was a washout.