Photo-a-Day  (Saturday, 23rd August, 2025)

I read that it will have a capacity of 2,000 and will be the biggest live entertainment complex outside of Manchester.
Great photo and info as usual Colin.

"Take me back to the slag heaps, the slag heaps of old Wigan....
To the beautiful homely township that I loved".....
(with apologies to the writer of The Black Hills of Dakota".
This wonderful shining complex will be like a beautiful fire work on Bonfire Night....it will glow and crackle with life for a time, and everyone will "ooooh" and "aaaah" and clamour to see it, then it will fizzle out and we will be left with an empty shell. I know I will be called a Misery but I don't care. I am as entitled to my opinion on this "Wonderful New Modern Wigan" as the optimists are.

Wigans Roman Hypocaust will end up being a litter trap once the Wigan public start to use the new entrance and the Concert Square will become a deliveryoooo riders bike park.

Not wanting to throw cold water on the plans but I can’t see thousands flocking to Wigan for entertainment when Manchester is the main centre for that or further away still such as London and Birmingham. Kids don’t mind splashing money out for famous bands.
( Would they even come here?) A 2,000 crowd is not much these days for audiences. I’ll plant fog if it does take off. Sorry... I think the trains will still be full going to Manchester it seems the ‘in place ‘ for the youth…King St was turned over for ‘ fancy’ Night Clubs …look what happened there! Wigan is a washout…it can’t compare with Manchester……

.

Irene, if your Dorothy ever broke down, who would you want to come out and help, the AA man with a van load of spare parts and tools or David with his cap in hand from Aidensfield Garage

I agree with Mick,

Nowt wrong with Scripps garage. Anyhow Mick, older cars are easier to fix than newer cars, at least you don't need a computer.

I don't see the point what Mick is referring to with Irene.
Good photo Colin.

Mick, my husband is perfectly capable of sorting out Dorothy's problems on his own, thankyou.....he has taken engines OUT of cars and put engines INTO cars and all jobs in-between. Dorothy is an old-fashioned car that is fixed in the old-fashioned way with old-fashioned tools by its old-fashioned owner. It doesn't need to be "viewed" via a computer with half a dozen "computer-savvy" brain-boxes, whose hands have never been sullied with a drop of oil, gawping at a screen to try to find out what's wrong.....he just KNOWS and gets on with it.
Veronica, I agree....my granddaughter is 18 and goes to Manchester for days and nights out, and my grandson (16), loves Manchester shops, and will follow suit with nights out in time. I really can't see Manchester people coming to Wigan for a night out. People came to Wigan Casino in droves from Manchester and all over the place, on buses, coaches and trains, but they came for the Northern Soul Experience, and they couldn't have cared less that it was in a rather run-down and certainly old-fashioned former ballroom. The fact that those people STILL attend Northern Soul Nights wherever they are held proves the point that they would STILL have come to The Casino, but no.....Wigan Council knew best and demolished a bit of Wigan's history. I am well aware I will be in the firing line for my views on "New Wigan" and I HOPE I am wrong and it is a success, but Time will tell.

Yes and what about all the other Vintage ( up market) cars that you see at shows. They draw crowds like magnets. Lovingly looked after for the workmanship gone into them. Many of them covered in shrouds in garages until it’s time for them to come out and be admired. As the saying goes ‘ they don’t make them like that anymore’… worth more with age than what they were when new I should say. I don’t know much about cars but I can see how people love them.

I put this additional information on earlier but it didn’t appear!
In June 2024 STACK (Wigan) Limited applied to Wigan Council for a Premises Licence:
Plays, Films, Indoor Sporting Events, Recorded Music, Performance Of Dance and Anything Similar To Music and Dance and Supply of Alcohol.
Sunday to Thursday 10:00 to 01:00
Friday to Saturday 10:00 to 03:00

Irene, everything has its day, Empress Ballroom used to be the Ballroom Dancing choice of pre and post war Wigan, then Rock ‘n’ Roll and then the dance crazes of pop groups of the 60’s and 70’s, then Northern Soul and Disco Music and so like it or lump it, it goes on (a bit like Mick) as it always has.

WN6 it will definitely not be the biggest live entertainment complex outside of Manchester.

Irene, We know you like the 1940's, nowt wrong with that but in 15 years time it will 2040. Its time and to stop reminiscing about the past, it ain't gona come back love XXX.

I too agree with others about why would folks want to come to here?
Don't forget there is The Edge, the venue a little way down the road, which is massive, and there's plenty of Free Parking too: https://www.theedgewigan.com/

I'm not knocking this place at all, just stating the facts like as others have done about Manchester venues, and like Irene commented, it may be okay initially, but will it soon fade away.

Though then again, who am I to know what the youth of today/tomorrow will want in their town.
In the 1970s, I and others too really enjoyed the Rock Night on Saturday evenings at the Empress or Casino Club whatever you called it, whilst others were enjoying themselves throughout the night until Sunday morning at the Soul Allnighter.
And I'm sure that older folks then would also have been saying " It wasn't like this when we were dancing the night away to Count Basie, Duke Ellington or Glen Miller", and " Eee, I've a job bend down and tie my laces now, never mind doing a foxtrot".

The above comment was all in good fun, and no offence intended to anyone on here, myself maybe, but no others.

COLIN, YOU UPLOADED THE SAME COMMENT 7 TIMES?

I agree with Irene and Veronica, why would people entertain the idea of a night in Wigan when Manchester has such a varied range of venues for top line artistes?

Cyril I was in the Edge last week having an Ice Cream,
lovely lot and if you say your
not into God they will leave you in peace.

Thankyou Alf and WN6....I appreciate your comments but I wasn't actually born in the 1940s; I just like the fashions and the music. My point was that all this money is being spent and I truly don't think these new venues in Wigan that we have been promised in recent years.....huge cinema, Hilton Hotel, indoor golf, bowling alley, food courts etc.etc. .....will last, even if they ever get off the ground in the first place, and it will all be a waste of time and money. They will get an initial influx and then fade away, and I don't think the amount of money they bring in will justify what is being spent. I hope I am proved wrong and will hold up my hands if I am, but that's just how I see it. Wigan Council is like a Beef Wellington ..... a meat pie with ideas above its station.

Irene the Northern soul at Wigan was closed down by the Police and Council, it turned out being a Drugs den, before the fire.

ADMIN, Colin was probably using the principle of 'the more you try, the better chance you have of getting it posted'?

I also wondered as to why the name of Concert Square, as I didn't know this or the original name either, though according to the web it was originally named Grand Arcade Square. Also there is this on the web by the council regarding the choosing of the new name:

"The Need for a New Name
Rebranding and Redevelopment:
Following a major redevelopment project, the council sought a name that would capture the essence of the new space.
Community Input:
There was a strong desire for a name that resonated with the local community, and residents expressed a need for a name that would signify its future as a central hub.
Why "Concert Square" Was Chosen
Central Hub:
"Concert Square" was selected to reflect the space's new identity as a vibrant central area for public gatherings and events.
Entertainment and Culture:
The name emphasizes the future use of the space for entertainment, festivals, and a variety of cultural activities.
Vibrant Destination:
It aims to establish the location as a popular and well-known destination for people to congregate and enjoy themselves."

I wonder to whom the council put these questions, anyone on here who they asked?
There is also this: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdxyg7qypl5o

The same with this name, whom did they ask about choosing that?
https://www.wigantoday.net/business/the-new-name-of-the-former-wigan-galleries-site-is-revealed-5064543

These are superficial comments - which council listens to the elderly ? They try to show , they try to accommodate , but reality is a brutal fact that progress demands you jump on the train however frail . We can gather on groups like WW but no one cares . ONLY WHEN , you cast your vote will these ego pilgrims BOW !
To the huge distress of the young the Brexit vote was decided by the elderly
Rock n’ Roll !!! WW !
Throw a spanner into their works until children are born to know - and learn , where their foundation came from - not the superficial easy junk food , readily available, welfare provided, easy rider , Born to be Wild , no responsibility at all, paid for - Life !