Wigan Album

I knew a chap who'd sent a bottle of acetylene through the bottom of one of these things - 'Tried to heave it across to the other side', he said.

I remember these barges. They were all of the same class with no engine, cut-off stern and their names all ended with the letter O

This would make a lovely pencil drawing....I think I will save it!

Whilst all the boats in view are similar in design - transom (flat) sterned, dumb barges, saying they're all of the same class infers that they were built as a set (like a Class of Royal Navy ships), as does saying their names all ended in 'o' (as in the naming of a class of locomotives) - but it's a bit more complicated than that. I know of at least two L&L motor boats with round sterns - Leo and Pluto, and you can see there are names on these barges which do not end in 'o'. Although the 'o' ending seems to be a sign of a boat built and operated by John Parkes and Son of Liverpool - they renamed the Helena Scorpio when they bought her in 1954 - boats owned by other companies, such as Pluto (Canal Transport Ltd) used the same ending - perhaps the companies had a bet going, to see which one failed to find a name ending in 'o' for their next boat....
Plato was built by Parkes in 1916. There's a good picture of her in Mike Clarke's history of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, showing her tied up at Burscough with the crew's family on board.

Veronica, David Barrow, the Wigan Artist, has painted quite a few of the Wigan Pier scenes similar to the one shown. My mother bought prints from David when they worked together at Wigan Council. Other prints include Wigan Casino and Central Park. Our family still have them.

Yes he's really good isn't he Wiganred. I tried to get on his page on this site but cannot access it now. I remember his Wigan Casino paintings, they were brilliant, I bet those sold well. I should imagine the prints are worth something these days.
It's just a hobby for me that I enjoy doing very much.

I actually enjoyed Philip G’ s ‘pre sketches ‘ put on here some time ago . It was interesting to see how the first vision , ‘the little notes , the scribbles on the side , form a place in the artists mind . Perhaps, sitting alone , timing the weather, rapping up with a hot soup and cherished hip flask, trying to get that last important detail as a brisk wind blows good . Unimportant to others who scamper by , but so important to the artist in a moment of a ever changing sky . I want that also , that as well ..
All in the detail , but what was the story ‘before’ the canvas ?
How many sit alone , scribbling what they see ? I love those who scribble , because with everything , comes someone , somewhere , who is gifted enough to look for a different sky , simply because they , perhaps with hot soup or flask in hand , choose to wait . Everything comes to those who wait .

FW, Your worded observations sit nicely alongside those of Mr. Churchill; 'Happy is the artist'.