Wigan Album

brilliant photos thanks for sharing them.what year would it be?

This was early 1980s before demolition to make way for The Galleries.

Those railings were a pain , rather than walk round I'd vault over and did myself a mischief more than once when a liitle tipsy.

Used to get some good spit roasted chicken buttys in that cafe.

First place I ever got Slush was in that cafe.

I think it were called the hot potato cafe I drank a few pints of milk from that machine too

i remember the toilets when you could walk in on both sides of the bus station.sometimes if you where with someone and you went to the toilet while they waited for you outside you could easily forget which side you had come in and they were left standing there while you were looking all over for them on the opposite side lol

Cafe was the Baked Potato, owned by the same company who had Percivals on the corner of Hope St and Woodcock St.

Gerry, I remember that milk machine well and orange juice as well. Remember the chocolate machines and you got a little bar for 6d, (an old sixpence.)

THe Baked Potato was owned by the Walker Brothers, heavyweight Boxers.
Quote>"Billy Walker a professional heavyweight boxer. Walker launched London's first discothèque, Dolly's in Jermyn Street, and a chain of cafes, Billy's Baked Potato, with his brother."

Are you sure that's not another 'Baked Potato' cafe chain Art?
In the 1970s and early '80s, my work meant I had regular dealings with the Baked Potato on the 'bus station and Percival's chicken grill and snack bar, further along Hope St. Both were owned by the same person, who was a man who lived locally.
I regularly had to complete legal paperwork giving full details of the business ownership, and it wasn't Billy Walker, who I remember well, being a boxing fan.
When

the owner of the baked potoato and Percivalsn chicken had the turnkey restaraunt in King st as well.

My sister in law Mary worked there for a long time. Them were the good old days I worked on the butchers for a long time my first job was for the co-op on the mobile vans. Then I went to Berry's butchers them days were brilliant not like Wigan today..