Photos of Wigan
Photos of Wigan
Album Contents
Album Contents
Wigan Album
Wigan Lane
3 Comments
Will Smith's newsagents 28 Wigan Lane 1905 and the same building 100 years later.
Photo: Keith
Photo: Keith
Views: 3,060
Item #: 26877
Item #: 26877
Once more indebted to "Wigan - Through Wickham's Window" and Walter Southern who sent the book along. I have compared the newsagents shop of Will Smith at 28 Wigan Lane. He later bought number 26 also, I believe I have both of them in the colour photo. As can be seen it is still a newsagents. Mr Smith was nicknamed the "Postcard King" - he was famous for his collection and reproduction of postcards.
Comment by: Walter Southern on 21st October 2015 at 11:17
Hi Keith, so glad you have made use of the book great job you have done there. You must have visited the area of your youth and childhood recently, changed a lot hasn't it ?.
Comment by: Keith on 21st October 2015 at 13:39
Thank you Walter - yes many places in Wigan are almost unrecognisable from the 1950's and 60's - some for the better, others not.
When Will Smith's shop closed many old,unused postcard scenes of Wigan and district were dumped in a bin outside. My brother Alan rescued enough to make complete sets of these remarkable, historic pictures and gave
them to Wigan Library to be kept for posterity. I understand that they have recently been deleted - an important piece of Wigan history lost!
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