Login   |   Register   |   
Photos of Wigan
Photos of Wigan



Wigan Album

GRIMES ARCADE

15 Comments

Taking The Long View
Taking The Long View
Photo: DTease
Views: 3,982
Item #: 31662
A view from Grime’s Arcade across Library St and up Hewlett St to Pennington’s Furniture Store on Millgate.

Comment by: Veronica on 14th November 2019 at 10:32

I think that is a brilliant composition and instantly recognisable -brilliant!

Comment by: whups on 14th November 2019 at 12:28

been down there many a time . just before the barbers sign where the for sale sign is there was a bar there called the stagedoor , is it still there ? .

Comment by: palmer on 14th November 2019 at 12:55

It`s certainly a mess now whups.

Comment by: Cyril on 14th November 2019 at 13:07

Wonder when anyone will be able stand there and look at that view again?

Has anything been done with the building that was Pennington's, the last I heard was that a restaurant was to open there, but that fell through. I've no idea of the year it was built, though it is a listed building. I remember Tom saying with it being listed every repair has to match the original material and when they had work done at the rear they had no end of trouble getting matching bricks, because all the original bricks were hand made.

Comment by: Albert.S. on 14th November 2019 at 13:29

My old Wigan Borough Police sergeant’s wife, worked in Grime’s music shop. He was Bert Hitchen, he had been in one of the Guards’ regiments. He would march us up King Street, when we were the night duty section, and dismiss the section, at the top, for each of you, to deploy to your respective beats.

Comment by: Veronica on 14th November 2019 at 13:40

I went past the Georian house yesterday. There must be something going on as there was some covered material all over it. I don't know whether work is going to be done on it.

Comment by: Mr X on 14th November 2019 at 21:02

It must be at least 25 years since Grimes Arcade closed as a thoroughfare, due to regular night time vandalism. There used to be a music shop, I think it was Dawsons, and in King Street a Sue Ryder charity shop.

Comment by: Lucy le Staik on 14th November 2019 at 22:54

Was it not Fred Dawes?

Comment by: Owd viewer on 14th November 2019 at 23:01

The wigan job center was on the left just past the white van.

Comment by: Steve on 15th November 2019 at 07:25

Lucy - Dawsons was the music shop, they moved there from Hallgate in the late 1970s.
They were in the premises on the right hand corner of the the arcade and King St. If you look at King St on Google street view their shop sign can still be seen above the boarded up shop window.

Comment by: Helen of Troy on 15th November 2019 at 07:40

I think I may become very boring DTease !

Comment by: Gerry on 15th November 2019 at 09:53

The original music shop was named Grimes they one has a guitar in the window which reduced in price by £1 every week until it was sold

Comment by: Philip G. on 15th November 2019 at 13:44

I'd bought three Shadows reel to reel albums from Grimes' during The Sixties. Two particular favourites are the group's version of Brazil, and, also, of Hoagy Carmichael's My Resistance is low. Great noise!

Comment by: Maureen on 15th November 2019 at 15:09

I used to go in there as a teenager..listening to records in the booths..later on they used to have two beautiful pianos in the window,that was when I would go down King Street with my Mam...the last time I went past it just
reeked to high heaven of urine and vomit...such a shame.

Comment by: Veronica on 17th November 2019 at 18:30

I loved walking through the arcade, footsteps echoing as you went along. Always clean and tidy. It was a good shortcut as well. Just up the cobbled street on the left was Valmar Fabrics, bought many yards of material from there in the 60's. Opposite was a lovely wool shop, I think it was called Crawfords. Many interesting shops then in Wigan... What a loss!

Leave a comment?

* Enter the 5 digit code to the right of the input box. Don't worry if you make a mistake, you will get another chance. Your comments won't be lost.