Wigan Album

You can see why it wasnt worth saving when you look at those angle iron room beams.

Unlike Bolton which is all wrought iron

Sorry Mick, I don't agree with most of your comments. I've noticed you seem have a negative attitude with everything you see on WW. That steel roof support is a work of art and stood the test of time, we should marvel at the craftsmen who fabricated this relatively cheap design used in thousands of building throughout the country, the design also lets much sunshine through the roof aswell, and the only maintenance was paint.

Sorry Colin I was only offering an opinion and I don't agree with what your saying, and I also didnt agree with those who wanted to save the Wigan Market Hall because as you can see it was really only a big shed.

Mick..that's the point, a cheap building with little overheads, so the traders can pass on cheaper goods to the customer.

the new market hall is a waste of space.most stalls are approx 12ft tall yet the hall must be about 30ft tall,costs a fortune to heat and looks like a glorifed aircraft hanger

Whilst the old market hall did have character, I suspect that was mainly derived from the people and the quality and diversity of stalls, rather than the building. The downside to the old market was the upkeep, as it was literally falling down by the time it closed. The roof was leaking and the glazed rooflights were only held in place by bits of timber and underslung with wire mesh netting, in frames, to stop the panes from falling onto the customers. I did love the old building and its surroundings, especially on Market days when the streets and car parks were full of stalls. The sad part these days is that the stall holders can no longer afford the rent and Tesco has just about killed off the Town Centre trade. Add to that the cost of parking and is it any wonder there is only one fish stall and a handfull of butchers left in the new Market. New isn't necessarily bad, you only have to look at the success of places like Bury Market. Perhaps the demise of our market Hall is just down to bad Management and greed.

lots of places just like our market hall still standing doing a good job.galleries will be closed in five years if nothing is done .

Bolton Market is evidently the one Wigan could learn from - it's just won the Radio 4 Food Programme's Market of the Year award.

A true test of time and did what it said on the tin - A MARKET HALL - Busy as.. Mmm unlike the arcades and Galleries that replaced it.. won't belong before that "white elephant" grand arcade starts coming empty too.. Love these photos of owd wigan!

Stuart, hope you got my email re Abram School's visit to Wigan Pier.

It was neglect and greed that brought about the end of the old market hall, at the time the picture was taken it was over a hundred years old and still standing, yes, it was in need of renovation. If it had been renovated instead of being demolished we might still have some decent places to shop in Wigan instead of arcades full of "fashion" shops and out of town shopping places.