Wigan Album

great photo - I feel like bursting into song....

'we are the boys and girls well known as...'

Gerrus a Kia-Ora an' a box o' Poppets please, Scholes Mac!

What a great place it was back in the day...So sad it's gone!!

Imagine the smoke if only 25% of the audience were smoking , I can remember my eyes running and the smell on your clothes, a problem you didn't have on Saturday mornings, which was reserved exclusively for children .One Saturday Peter Brough and Archie Andrews,made a guest
apperence, great excitement all , each of the children were given a tiny harmonica, wouldn't be allowed today on health and safety grounds ,in case someone swallowed one.

The Ritz was a great cinema and the sound system was absolutely superb.

Wigan is crying out for a venue like this. It was run down but could easily have been renovated.

It could be used for loads of purposes such as shows, bands, meetings, Wigan youth Jazz orchestra, Wigan Little Theatre etc. Peter Kay would fill it easy.

This Labour Council is a disgrace and just intent on removing all traces of the old Wigan, and replacing them with white elephant shopping outlets.

i remember seeing the climbing of Everest film here with the various Wigan schools, a great event at a great venue. Pity I missed the appearance of Buddy Holly, now that would have been a memory.

Graham, did you used to live in Ince?

That is a superb image

What a great pic. I used to go to the Ritz with my sister Anne sometimes, much more glamourous than the local cinema we went to, the Lyric at Upholland. As somebody commented what a venue it would have made.....& at the dire threat of having hot coals heaped on my head....I thought Wigan might have a Labour Council !

It's a disgrace what we have put in its place, and what? a soulless & characterless shopping centre, full of gullible shoppers obsessed with shopping & materialism, yet, at the same time, allowing local, hard-working businesses to go down the drain. This is deliberate in destroying everything we were proud of in the town & about making money & not giving a damn about the people. Of course the media & publicity PR in the council try & make you think everything's ok when it's not.

I have so many memories of this place. Being with my Dad to see Scott of the Antartic, almost being thrown out when my friend & I giggled instead of screaming at a horror picture. To the left of the stalls, about the middle, was
where I was sitting when the first shots of the British army's entry into Belsen were shown.

Graham you are so right about the council being intent on removing all traces of the old Wigan, there was an article in the Wigan Observer of some councillors along with Martin Ainscough, who stated that they wanted to finally rid Wigan of its cloth cap, whippets and Coronation Street image. All they are achieving is creating a town full of characterless concrete buildings that are fast becoming void of shops.

I had to laugh when I read your comment Scholes Malc. I thought exactly the same thing!

The Ritz was a wonderful magical place, I used to be mesmerized by the curtain going up at the beginning of the film and the coloured lights changing; those distinctive Art Deco lights at the side of the stage fascinated me, I wonder what happened to them when the place closed, surely they were not destroyed?

I saw Cliff Richard live at The Ritz when I was little. It was Cliff Richard and The Drifters then, not The Shadows.....same line-up, just a different name. I remember the ice-cream lady with a big tray hung round her neck, shining a torch onto cardboard tubs of ice-cream with little wooden spoons, and I recall buying "Film Review" magazines.

Hi Irene

My dad was a Lower Incer but I was born and bred in Beech Hill.

It was a total disgrace to pull the Ritz down..it was a plush-lush Cinema..what ever where they thinking about when they pulled these beautiful buildings down..progress!!! I could laugh my socks off.

My happy memories of the Ritz are the live shows and the hours spent 'snogging' in the upper circle on a Saturday night.

Will today's youngsters reminisce about going to the pictures over at Robin Park, I don't think so. They only have about 30 seats in each section.

I had the priviledge of watching the Beatle play at the Ritz and that will always bring back good memories.

I was gutted to see the Ritz being demolished, it was the last nail in the coffin for the Wigan town centre I knew and loved..I saw some classic movies there and used to go to the minors on a Saturday morning. I agree that Wigan planners have more or less raped this town over the years and it'll never be the same, surely station road could have been renovated, pedestrianised and the ritz redone as a venue centre,as well as still showing movies, why don't we ever get asked what we'd like to have instead of being told what we're getting, after all, we're the ones who are promised all sorts when voting is taking place!

My earliest memories were going here after St Georges day parade for a service and watching Jungle Book Here with the Cub scouts and also my mother taking me to watch Ben Hur, what an Epic of a film. i also remeber getting turned away after trying to get in to watch "Enter the Dragon".

Can anyone else see people sitting in the seats on the left hand side nearest to the aisle? (No I haven't been drinking).

I agree it does look like that, linda, but I think it's a trick of the light. However, I have always found empty cinemas and theatres to be a bit eerie.

I agree with Alan & Cyril it was a disgrace demolishing the Ritz,a building etched into the hearts of most Wiganers but the hard hearted prats in the 'Millgate Kremlin'have never been ones for listening to public opinion. They've never needed to. The rot started in 1974 when we had the coat of arms changed from the perfectly good 'Ancient & Loyal'to some tripe about 'Progressing with Unity' and were taken (in theory) out of Lancashire and put into the non descript county of Greater Manchester.

graham i too remember seeing the beatles at the ritz me and my sister pat was seated about row 9 in middle on pic maybe further back a bit our seats cost 7/6 my dad gave me 12/6 but when i was queing for tickets and was reckoning my monney i must have lost sixpence , my sister worked in woolworths and i thought of going in and asking for a tanner but i derent have lost my place in the que as i was right at the front so there was nothing for it i had to get the 7/6 seats but they were still good seats we screamed all the way through ,fantastic, it was 62 i think and do you remember it wasnt only beatles but gene pitny,cilla, and im'e sure dion warick was on ?

'Progreesing with Unity' ... What absolute twaddle! !!!!1
They must be having a 'larf'
As for Wigan being in Gt Manchester... as a matter of principle I address all mine to Wigan Lancashire!!!!
The boudaries were changed by a certain party to catch more votes. Do we look stupid????????

What A Magnificent Picture House/Theatre Should Still Be Standing

I remeber the good old days at the Ritz Cinema. Watching The Beatles and then Gerry and the Pacemakers show. On one of the shows,Tom Jones took over the spot of P J Proby because he kept splitting his pants on stage. No one would bat an eye today!