Wigan Album

Never seen these views before Ron, very good.

I haven't seen these views before, and I've seen plenty. That's why I put them on the site. As I said it isn't the best quality as they are only small photographs.

Must be very early thirties Ron, that looks like a tram to me just in shot top left. I have never seen these photos anywhere else either.

Thanks again,Ron,I really enjoy your photo collection shared on ww.

isn't history fabulous?

Another great photo. The people look really smart, they must have got dressed up to have a stroll round the town centre, pity people don't make the effort today.

love seeing all the men with the flat caps on!!

I like how the printer has carefully ‘removed’ the lad on a push bike from the front left corner.

There are more policemen on Point Duty in this set of photographs than are in the whole of the Wigan Police Force at this moment in time...

Hi Alan didn't know what you meant about a 'boy on a bike' until I looked closely at the photo again. You must have good eyesight<g>

re the boy on the bike. Me too, Ron. AllanH must have gone to Specsavers. Took me ages to work out what he was on about!

No not specsavers, I have the full size photo with the boy and bike still on it, not the multi view like ron has put on, I was thinking of putting it on here next but ron beat me to it. I will upload it anyway so you can see how its was altered in the days before photoshop.

These are great photos. Thanks for posting them. My great-grandma, Margaret Eleanor Newby Varty, was born in the White Lion Inn on Wallgate in 1868. Her father was John Frederick Varty, who at that time was the 'brewer's manager' (according to the 1871 census) at the inn. I wonder if anyone would know where the inn was and if it is on this photo of Wallgate, or any others in this collection.

Incidentally, Margaret's grandfather was Thomas Milner (the elder) who was a Wigan watchmaker and had shops at various locations in the town from about 1840 to 1888, including Millgate, Queen Street and 46 Market Place. I have seen a photo with his Market Place shop on it, but would anyone have any others? Thanking you in advance.

My research is leading me to believe that George Esplin, of Esplin and Barton, watch and clockmakers of Wallgate, and latterly trading as George Esplin, was Thomas's cousin: George's mother, Elizabeth Barton, was the other half of Barton and Esplin and was born Elizabeth Milner. Elizabeth's husband, William Barton, was also a watchmaker and may have worked from St Helens. Would anyone have any info about these people that might help me? And is George's shop, known as 'The Illuminated Clock' and apparently situated between 2 railway bridges, on any known photos?

I appreciate this may not be the forum for such requests, but any help would be very gratefully received :) Thanks.

Alan, sorry cannot help with the name or the location of the shop. Wallgate is a very long road stretching from Library Street all the way (I think) to the Saddle Junction Newtown.
That stretch of Wallgate from the railway bridge to Pottery Road had at least a dozen pubs, the White Lion could very well have been along there.
The two bridges is a bit confusing, apart from the North West Station Bridge the next railway bridge one would be as far away as Newtown, or may be it's the canal bridge where the Seven Stars Hotel was.
Could the bridge referred to actually be the bridge/tunnel that passes under Wallgate from Wallgate Station which would narrow the location down considerably.
Regarding the Illuminated Clock, I remember an illuminated clock on the wall of the Court Cinema just to the right of the stage over an Emergency Exit. This was probably a leftover from when it was a live theatre. If his workshop was in the vicinity when the Royal Court Theatre was built in the 1800's he could have been commissioned to provide it?
Hope this helps in anyway.

Thanks for the info, Colin. I'm not a local, so don't know the town or its history very well. I was researching watch maker George Esplin (1819-1854) in the British Newspaper Archives and came upon the following article about him in the Wigan Observer dated August 8th 1906. It describes his shop 'The illuminated clock' and states it was on Wallgate between the 2 railway bridges. Royle and Rawson took it over after his death. It is public domain and thus free to view if you - or anyone else - would like to take a look and maybe give me your thoughts. The article is not just the highlighted section, but starts at the top of column 5 and is entitled 'Under the clock' :

https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001974/19060808/094/0005?browse%20=%20false

Obviously no problem if you can't spare the time! :)

Thanks,
Alan

Sorry, in this article the shop is described as being 'between the two railways'.

Alan, check out Item #: 31361 picture / Sketch of the buildings between North West Station and Wallgate Station featuring 'Lever Watch and Clock Company circa 1800'. This is without doubt between two railways and might prove useful.
It is on recently viewed.

Thanks, Colin. That is the sketch I was referring to in my comment. It is indeed very useful and gave me the details by which I identified the Royle and Rawson/Esplin business on the far right of the Wallgate photo. There is a quite lengthy description that accompanies the sketch (that appeared in the Wigan Observer in 1906), which I will, at some point, transcribe and add to the uploaded sketch. Thanks for your input - any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Colin - sorry, I've got my photos confused: Esplin's/Royle and Rawson's shop is far right on another Wallgate photo, #39396 I believe, and that is where I commented on the sketch of the area too. Dear me - don't get old!

Sorry again: photo #: 33936