Wigan Album

A great watering-hole! I first went in here after getting a Pass Out from the Room at the Top! And frequented it regularly usually before going to the Rugby League club on a Thursday with a few mates. We sat and watched TOTP on the telly in the back room. Old Tom Brown was ever present nursing his glass!

What a shame to pull such a beautiful building down..

Yes very sad indeed. Fair enough, if we do demolish buildings to make way for other roads/buildings they should be better then the ones we've lost...but their NOT.

Wednesday night was either folk music or a jazz band upstairs. Tom Brown would be sat at the bottom of the stairs facing the entrance. I was only 17yrs old and looked my age but managed to sneak in and get upstairs into a dimly lit room. One of my older mates went downstairs and brought the drinks up. Not many though, not much money left for a 17yr old on a Wednesday night.

In 1973 I was working on the construction of the M55 to Blackpool and the mini-bus dropped me off at the Market Square and I had around 35 minutes to wait for a Warrington/ Earlestown bus to get to Abram and me and my mate, who wanted to get to Skelmersdale would have three swift pints. Back at the Market Square at 6.15 the following morning to start the sequence again.

Broady
You're a man after my own heart! Cheers lad!!

WMBC grown up vandals,we know whats best for you,are they the pigs from animal farm.

How could they?

Probably because there'e money for the privileged elite to destroy our heritage and rebuild with Lego bricks.

Many happy memories of the Park Hotel . Mrs Brown , the service bells and the waitresses. Heaven.

Not forgetting at Christmas time,the painted Christmas scene on the mirror over the fire place in the lounge. Waitress service too.. Mrs Brown the personification of what a Landlady should be always very smart and courteous to everybody.

I seem to recall (its a long time ago - I left Wigan in 1970 -now and like Mike above we were a rather youngish group) but I seem to recall that Mrs Brown had a very precise and courteous way of calling "Last Orders" and "Time".

Carolaen. you are right. I remember her on the microphone speaking in a no nonsence BBC accent.

Mrs Brown called last orders for the final time in March 1985.
I remember it well because I postponed the start of a holiday in Cornwall for two days, so I could have a final Friday lunchtime session on her superlative Draught Bass.
This postponement did not go down at all well with my girlfriend.

Mrs Brown's was from London and her dialect reflected that. Tom met her whilst in London on rugby league business she told me once. She was indeed a great landlady!

Mrs Brown was originally Rosita May Elbeck Tennant, born 1910. She married Tom Brown in 1935.

Thanks for that Mick. I always called her Mrs Brown out of respect!

I seem to remember that Mrs Brown's first name was Rosina (it was on the sign over the front door). But she was affectionately called Zetta.

Loz - you are correct. The sign read 'Rosina M Brown'.
The 'Rosita' was a 'typo' on my part.

A great old place. Brings back happy memories of meeting at 7 o'clock to go on numerous Friday night Triangle Valve stag do's. We'd knock back a quick couple of pints before getting on the coach outside the Gas Showrooms. Days of yore...