Wigan Album

I’ve left a bit of a black border specially for John just to prove there’s nothing more to see. If I could magic a bit more of the photograph I would gladly do that.

I remember Latimer's. The entrance shown in the photo was on Market Street, but the side wall of Latimer's ran down Commercial Yard and there was another entrance down there. (Commercial Yard started in Market Place, then took a left turn part-way down and emerged into Market Street). My husband Peter worked in a butchers shop in Commercial Yard as a young lad, and I can remember buying fresh yeast from Latimers when we made bread in Domestic Science at school in the 1960s. My Mam always called yeast "barm" and you bought it by the ounce; it was cut off a big piece, then weighed and wrapped in greaseproof paper.....none of your dried stuff in little packets back then. Chains of Grocers' shops such as Latimer's took such pride in their appearance, from immaculate interiors to artistically-arranged window displays, with sometimes beautifully-written adverts done in whitewash on the window itself. Sometimes I feel sad when I think of what has been lost in the name of progress and modernity.

I agree Irene, there was an art to shop display that we seem to have lost.

I do remember Latimer's Shop Veronica but not in great detail.
You are quite right Elizabeth, people took pride in displaying the wares in those days. It seems many shops these days block their windows with tacky posters hiding what shady goods they sell from Trading Standards, Food Hygiene Inspectors or indeed the Police!

A packet house was where the packet boat stopped and went from. The packet boat took mail and parcels, and sometimes passengers.

Like Irene I remember Latimer’s well. Every Saturday morning I had to go there for best back bacon. Then onto Vose’s for pies. I don’t think I have ever tasted better pies since. Apart from those at Pie Joe’s in Scholes. The service in Latimer’s was excellent with all the assistants bustling about in their white aprons and reckoning up in their head or adding up on the paper bags.

There was a Latimers at 33 Market St.,Hindley. Next door to our Accountant's office at 35