Wigan Album

Magnificant, can`t stop looking at it!
Snow scenes are always my favourite. Do any of these ever come up for sale?

I really like this painting, a wintery scene but it gives you a warm glow inside....
Can someone take a photo of the gatehouse...finished or not ?

This is for sale at the "Wiganplus" shop in the Standish arcade,, Iv painted quite a few of Wigan "Past and present" but I was promised an exibition in this gatehouse now for over 2 years now, so a few days ago I wandered past it AGAIN and it still wasnt finished, so I painted it as to what I thought it will look like, put up the railings and the windows in, should be pretty much right, there was a man pushing his bike in the photo.

When the iron railings surrounded the whole of Mesnes Park, it gave the park a sense of added dignity. I remember, I had been away from Wigan for a couple of weeks during the early years of the war. As a schoolboy, I was flabbergasted, when, as I came along Parson's Walk, from the direction of Springfield, I saw they had taken all the railings away for use in the war effort. It really did make me feel down. Mesnes Park was always a jewell in Wigan's crown.

Excellent picture.

Lovely painting, but who pinched the gates ?

The gates were removed for the "War effort" in the early 40's They had a coat of arms ( Wigan) I think. I well remember them stood in Calderbanks yard for quite some time I think maybe they tried to hold them back from being melted down but unfortunately the had to go.

I remember the gates being on when I was little in the 60's and 70's. They did have a coat of arms on there.

I seem to recollect that one of the gate pillars is not an original but was re-built.
An insurance collector, who walked with a limp, used to call at our house and my dad told me many years ago how he had suffered injury when he lost control of a vehicle and demolished one of the stone gate pillars
Anyone recollect?

The brother of a friend of mine way killed in that accident. I didn't know him back then so I never related the two until I was told when in my teens. The car crashed into the gates, crushing the young man as far as I am aware. The gates and a post were rebuilt as a result

AB I think you'll find that the gates are still there, the reason they are not on the photo is that they are open.

I spoke to a worker today on site,
he knows nothing about the damage to the left gate post,
he thinks the railings are in storage, but hasnt seen any gates? he expects the project to be finished within 6 months,.
the big hole adjoining the building is for an extention to the building and will be a low one story building (he says) all the original windows are under the boards and are in place.

I am sure that there were gates with the Wigan coat of arms until relatively recently. This could be before the present renovation. Have there been more than one set of gates?

I love this painting, it's gorgeous !

love this pic, so atmospheric, would look nice on a christmas card

The gates I remember were big heavy genuine wrought iron ones and were removed about 1940. Subsequent replacements were never of the same quality

Is there contact number where this is for sale?

Hi Chris The painting is in the Wiganplus shop, in the galleries arcade, but just email me if u like raymac06@yahoo.com.au and I can arrange purchase it is cheap to Wiganers,

The gates were still there in the late 1980s because I photogrpahed them, will try and look out the photograph.