Wigan Album

What a beautiful scene of days gone by..big sighs.
and just look at the tree..now that is a Christmas tree...thank you Frank.

Brings back very happy memories of Christmas time I'm afraid we will never see again.

Fabulous Memories!!

Great picture and nice to see the Park Hotel in the background. "Last Orders Please" Mr & Mrs Brown.

What wonderful memories this photo evokes.

That Yashica camera really was the business wasn't it Frank?

great picture from when Wigan had a proper Xmas tree and a great market instead of the joke market we have now.Wigan council should be ashamed of them selves.

Another fine photo Frank and Merry Christmas to all the Wigan World Watchers. Wishing Santa leaves a Morrie 1100 under all your trees!

This photo reminds me of the times of coming home from Wigan on a packed out smoky old fashioned corporation rattling bus.
Queuing up for hours at Wigan infirmary's A&E department when you was very ill.
Not being able to shop on a Sunday, Not being able to have a drink in the local pub because of funny licensing laws, Having to wake up in a morning in a freezing cold house and then having to riddle out the ashes and start of a fire,

I always remember the date over the clock,The year my grandmother was born 1877.

This is the way I remember Wigan at Christmas,the decorations were far more restrained than nowadays but seemed to mean a lot more.

As I remember December '68 was quite a snowy month. I don't recall if it snowed on Christmas day but I'm pretty sure there was snow on the ground.

Looks like the council didnt have time to erect the industrial concentration camp style railings round the tree which adds so much ambience dont you think?

What a lovely, atmospheric photo. Thankyou, Frank.

You all moan about the new Market Hall, but if the old one was still standing you'd be moaning about that as well, old fashioned, needs renovating, unsanitary.

Ditto thank you Frank memories from the past

David Yes it did need renovating and that's the point instead of renovating it, like other towns have done. The council demolished it and for what???? A complex they are now talking about demolishing....

I obviously can't speak for everyone on here but I certainly never moaned about the old Market Hall and I wish they had kept it. I have a dvd of it in its last days, with interviews with stallholders and shoppers, and it makes me sad to see it and know it is no more.

Yes I always wonder why there is always some metal prison style fence around a public Xmas tree, but of course the usual excuses will be given, like to stop vandalism/theft, health and safety or from the big bogey man terrorist. I'm surprised they don't have CCTV cameras on them, they might as well because everywhere else you go they feel the need to have them. The country is becoming one big surveillance, prison state, and sadly most people are more concerned about the latest Downtown Abbey episode or x factor or the football game. No wonder we look back at those times, yes we didn't have the luxuries of today like central heating, telephone etc, but we certainly had more freedom and privacy, those of which are very quickly disappearing.

No Irene,I certainly didn't moan about the old market hall either..I loved the place..I have so many memories there..and outside the stalls that sold materials..I made everything for my youngest son's pram from material there..my cousin sold plants just outside the main door..as a child I loved dolls..still do..and of course would take them to the dolls hospital..and living so close to the market I never seemed to be away..so yes..I would have the old market any old day.

Again a brilliant photo Frank, having said that we cant expect anything less from an ex newspaper cameraman, thank you. I read the other day that there are now 6 million surveillance cameras in the UK, more than any other country in Europe, they are a bit like the Internet, they and it, can be good or bad.

Maureen, was your cousin o the plant stall quite a small man? If so, I think my son knew him, but I can't remember the man's name. Jamie had a Saturday job on a nearby stall.

Hello Irene love..it was Margaret Holmes..unfortunately she died quite young..I'm sure we don't look through rose tinted glasses Irene,but the old market did have a magic didn't it.

Am I right in remembering that the Christmas tree was surrounded by a low wooden fence and had collection boxes at each corner for local charities? We would be alright trying that today - wouldn't last five minutes!

It certainly did, Maureen. The man who Jamie worked near to on the plant-stall was probably after your cousin's time, unless he worked for her, but I think it was his own stall.

Irene,believe it or not..I've just been having a chat with Geoffrey Shryhane about this very same subject.

Irene,Margarets stall was right in front of the main door just to the right as you went in.

Irene,by my saying 'the same subject', I meant the old market hall.

Maureen, I think that's where the plant stall was when Jamie worked nearby. Where have you seen Geoff? He is one of my oldest and dearest friends!

Irene,I'd nipped into Farm Foods Beech Hill..and we got chatting in there..then outside,will tell you about it when I see you next..