Wigan Album

This is Market St at its junction with Woodcock St Harry, not Standishgate.

Market Street!

Harry,I didn't know your Dad, but Cyril Giles was a nice a man you would ever wish to meet. He was Mayor Elect some years ago,unfortunately he lost his seat on the council months before he was due to start his tenure of office.A great pity for Wigan as I'm sure he would have been an outstanding holder of the office.

Your right lads, my mistake I was looking at the CO-OP. Tom, Cyril was also Captain of St. George's 4th Wigan Boys Brigade after Bill Gabbot.

The Co-op had several units in the Marketgate Centre until pulling out in 1989 when the place was renovated. Littlewoods - Index took over the old Co-op supermarket unit in 1990 and the centre went into a decline from the mid 90s. Littlewoods - Index closed in 2005 and the lower level is almost empty now.

What has happened to all those retail outlets,. When I went there several years ago, it was really thriving. I went there about eighteen months ago, and I was shocked at the amount of premises that were empty. Is there any signs of a revival.

I have just remembered that the gentleman to the left of my dad is Joe Nichols and the one behind my dad looks like it could be Richard Unsworth.

Albert, the Marketgate Centre went into decline when the Galleries was built, just as the Galleries went into decline when the Grand Arcade was built. Now there is talk of redeveloping The Galleries, I suppose the Grand Arcade will then go into decline.