Wigan Album

Oh to be a fly on the wall with this one Keith,a brilliant photo of days gone by..I'm almost sure it is as you say a woman with a baby in her shawl..and it must be looking down Market St with that slope,as I say,a brilliant photo,wouldn't we love to know who those people were.

This looks like the front of the old Town Hall (you can see the railings and balcony), but the coat of arms has gone so possibly just before it was demolished. The buildings to the right are where Barclays and Lloyds banks are today. The building in the gap is the Crofters

Is that a coracle stood up leaning on that stall

Some "interesting" facts about the Market Place........"Wallgate, Standishgate, Millgate and Hallgate led to Market Place and with the Parish Church it formed the core of Medieval Wigan.
By 1323 the burgesses held markets every day. Other sources of activity in the Market Place included the market cross, town stocks, a whipping post, the Moot Hall and the New Town Hall so for centuries the Market was a major source of Wigan’s growth and prosperity.
In the 1620’s it was written disapprovingly that Bear baiting took place after the Monday Market trade was completed, and in 1715 five Jacobite leaders were executed here.

Great picture. I've only seen two other photos of the old town hall. My family used to live just round the corner in Hallgate.