Wigan Album

Belting picture . What wonderful memories .
Thank you for posting Ron .

Who ever did this painting Ron it is absolutely beautiful, its so sad today looking at that photo how things once used to be. Thanks Ron for some good memories.

Thanks Ron I love this painting,it brings so many memories back.Going to the fair with mum as a young girl, especially for black peas.Then later going with my boy friend, age 14, Who later became my husband.Sutch special memories.It was exciting when the fair was coming to Wigan.Your right, its enough to make you cry what we have lost.

I'd say that's the wrong title, "Wigan Fair".
It would be correct to say "Travelling Fair, in Wigan".
If the fair has to 'belong' to any particular town, it would be Warrington. So, the title should be "Warrington Fair, in Wigan".

Wigan Fair it was, is and always will be for Wiganers, whether you like it or not. Children excitedly running home from school wouldn't say -
" Mam are we going to The Travelling Fair in Wigan on the Market Square after tea?" Poppycock!

"Wrong Title" Us kids at 7/8 yrs old didn't care were the fair came from,as long as it come.We didn't even know there was a Warrington.!!! To Wiganer's it was always "Wigan Fair"

CORRECT Veronica and Edna, Wigan Fair it was and still would be, trust the nitpicking JH to have his awkward head on.

The word, WIGAN, was never mentioned.... it was,When is the Fair coming? .....which was May and October, or can we or shall we go to the Fair?2

The twice yearly occasion was known locally as " Wigan Fair ".
The actual fairground attractions, rides & stalls were excellent.

Did you ever go to Wigan Fair Mr Hanson ? Just asking.....

I have a calendar with similar pictures on every year, all set in the 1950s. They are beautiful and blend in so well in my old-fashioned living room. It always was and always will be Wigan Fair to me. The fair came twice a year, once in the Spring and once in the tingling Autumn dusk. The fair lads spun the older girls round on the Waltzer to the strains of Cathy's Clown or Bryan Hyland's haunting "Sealed With a Kiss" and we wandered through the stalls lit up so enticingly with coloured bulbs....we never noticed the dud ones, such was the magic of the fair!

If you haven't worked out who JAMES HANSON is yet. Check on the anti Wigan posts on the Communicate topic you will soon work out who he is. Why people change their names is beyond me. Do they think they are being clever?? but no matter what name they use the nature of their posts will give them away eventually.
“You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time."

I thought this may be of interest to viewers.

Wigan Fair.
The Three Ages.
By,
Tom Walsh.




Every October and May something magical happened in Wigan - Wigan Fair and all the exhilaration that abounded during its stay; although it was said it always rained when the Fair came to town, and there seemed more than a grain of truth that theory . However I thought it would be interesting to look back at 3 different ages .

The first age, children overcome with joy; the excitement this traveling jamboree caused is difficult to overstate , children and adults alike looked forward to its coming for weeks. As you neared the Market Square , long before you saw the bright lights , and there were thousands of naked light bulbs shining in the night you could hear the latest gramophone records playing at top volume , this sound started a funny tingling feeling in your tummy before you'd even clapped eyes on this extravaganza of light, a wonderland. To children something akin to paradise . 'The Big Wheel 'in its usual commanding position near the Ribble and LUT Bus Station , to a child it appeared taller than Blackpool Tower ; before holidays abroad it would the nearest thing to flying most would experience !

A time before computer games and mobile phones when a kaleidoscope seemed the ultimate in visual toys and Magic Robots really did seem magic, until some spoilsport , usually an uncle after a Sunday afternoon snifter ,gave the damming observation "it's worked by magnets " killing the illusion at a stroke. The magic of the fair however was not so easy to dispel, the bright lights the smell of diesel and the hum of the generators powering the Aladdin's cave of colour and adventure. I remember as a toddler sitting on a roundabout perched on the top deck of a bus or a fire engine clanging the bell , waving to my Mam on every revolution and the blind panic when I failed to spot her or a familiar face , the absolute relief on the next revolution seeing her waving furiously realising that I'd missed her last time round.

The second age, as you reached your teenage years the yearning to go to 'Wigan Fair' didn't abate , now at last you could go on 'the big rides ' The Waltzer, where the lads who worked on the fair would show off for the girls waking backwards as the ride was going off at different tangents collecting the fares as they went , if they took a fancy to a girl they would give them a free ride ; I don't think Mr Silcock would have been happy with the concession- if he'd known ! I know it sounds particularly mean but we local lads used to hope they would loose their balance, alas they never did , I imagine they could ride a surf board with ease - show offs , to be fair it was envy because they seemed to be able to walk on water.

The Caterpillar was a favourite with courting couples , a canopy would cover the carriages intermittently, during the darkness a quick kiss and cuddle, it seemed quite daring in those more innocent times , when open displays of affection would have been frowned on ,and a kiss in public tantamount to an hanging offence ! An example of how prudish times were The County Cinema had a few double seats on the back row for those 'keeping company ' , some old folk thought it was like Sodom and Gomorrah. Goodness knows what they'd think of today's King Street .

The Dodgems know to all as Bumping Cars, the fair lads on this ride showing off again, jumping on the bumper leaning into the car taking control , completely ignoring the notices all round the ride 'NO BUMPING' always girls cars of course. the 'fair lads' on this ride as adroit as those on the waltzer. The local lads again longing for a tumble were to be disappointed.



The stalls , Shooting Ranges with tin ducks going round at speed , shoot three in a row to win a prize off the top shelf, not an easy task, I think Roy Rodgers would have struggled to go home with Giant Teddy. Black Pea Saloons, I remember 2 names Holland's and Butterworths , you could sit inside the tent to enjoy the fare , I must admit I never tasted this particular delight ,after an uncle told me the the open vats were open to tampering , that he he knew one lad who threw a 'Dolly Blue' in ,this was by no means the worst of the foreign bodies rumoured to find a home in the boiling cauldrons. Mams assertion that they didn't wash the cups properly another factor in my reluctance . True or not it was enough to make me decide that a Toffee Apple was a safer bet !

The third age, the best of all ! When you take your own children and relive your own childhood through their exited eyes. It is truly a magic that never goes away . When I took my children to 'TheWigan Fair' at it's new home off Greenough Street , the magic came flooding back as I relive the memories of yore. They on the roundabout clanging the bell , me the one waving like mad in case they couldn't spot me.

Every year it was my duty to win a goldfish , this not as easy as it sounds for a non dart thrower. The feat was to stick a dart in three separate playing cards displayed at the back of the stall ,if you speared one and it fell out it didn't count equally so if two darts found their way into the same card ,void game . One particular visit I had so many attempts it cost more than a fresh salmon ! On another occasion I 'won' one , unfortunately it that had shuffled of its mortal coil before we even reached home . Back to the fair with the lifeless body swinging in the plastic bag hanging on the choke of my old Austin Cambridge , quite disconcerting really as the corpse seemed to come to life with the motion of the car, so much so I wonder if I'd been premature in declaring Ralph's demise (the children named it thus before the unfortunate creature took leave of its new family) Panic, maybe it was only asleep, when the car stopped and the water stilled , my original diagnosis was proved correct . To my surprise the stall-holder was quite sympathetic and gave me a replacement without a fuss , and to boot gave a little tub of fish food for my trouble . Happy to report Ralph 2 lived to a ripe old age.

All three ages enjoyed the 'Pot Fair ' run in conjunction with main event ,this took place away from the main show-ground on the other side of The Market Hall . It was almost like a show, the patter of the auctioneers fascinating on lookers , they all seemed to have cockney accents with an ability to throw dinner plates in the air as good as any juggler , then balance 6 plates along his arm as he invited bids , I watched spellbound and would try to imitate him when I got home to my Mams amusement, until I broke 2 plates ! The spiel exciting would be buyers into a possibly an unintended purchase , going home with a 21 or 18 piece tea set , earlier in the evening they hadn't realised they need . Many of these impromptu buys would finish up as weddings presents ,as would the eiderdowns and blankets bought in an equal moment of madness , we're all suckers for what appears to be a bargain !

It seems another age since going to Wigan Fair was such a big thing ; Mams and Dads struggling home with the aforementioned crockery, bedding and even roles of oilcloth ( for younger readers, an inexpensive type of cushion floor ) . Children tired out after being allowed to stay up past the their normal bedtime; on a high with a windmill bought as bribe to leave the the bright lights behind . I'm aware we have so much more today , but wouldn't be wonderful if todays children and adults for that matter could experience just a little of that magic, from what seems a bye gone age . I know ,I know, rose coloured spectacles again ,but there's no harm in remembering happy times !

A very well piece of work by you THOMAS WALSH, i must congratulate you for a true and accurate piece all of what you have written has flooded memories back to me as kid back then, when i was i bit olderi met a wonderful girl who late did me the honour of becoming my wife Margaret. and one of the items that rings true for us is " the pot fair" we both had a chuckle for the was 1970 and we visited the pot fair and believe it or not we purchased our first " bottom drawer" item it was a full dinner set plates /cups the whole shebang we still have some of the things yet and we are due to celebrate 50 years of a wonderful marriage on MARCH 27 2021 so you see thom your story has a special meaning for us thank you very much and stay safe .....

There is a tangible feel to the era we grow up in , the music , the clothes , the things going on . When you see pictures like this you go back into that feel again . I hope the younger generation can look back on this time , their era , and have the same warming memories as we do ours .

Alan Winstanley , thank you for your kind comments.
May I wish you and Margaret a very happy 50th Wedding Anniversary on the 27th March. On the day if you go onto you tube and put Golden Jubilee you'll hear a lovely Irish song about a couple celebrating the Golden Wedding . Very best wishes , Tom.

Lovely memories Tom as usual although I have read it before.

We always called it Wigan Fair and Silcock's were associated with Hindley for many years. https://www.leighjournal.co.uk/news/17944653.plans-build-homes-land-l-silcocks-fun-fairs-caravan-site/

Irene, re the theory of events you mentioned of becoming time locked and re-occurring at future times, here's an article about the Treasury House in York that may be of interest.

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/features/by-the-look-of-you-youve-seen-the-romans

There's been other curious instances too that I've read of occurring.

Alan & Margaret Winstanley.Happy Anniversery for Sun Mar.27th....Tom lovely memories.

Cyril since you mentioned silcocks fair do they still exhist? I to can remember it coming to Hindley.

SILCOCKS own the carousel on the front at Sothport. I think they also own the Slot machine arcade next to it?

With the amount of darts seen to fall out of those cards when thrown; I'm sure someone would be sat inside the middle pushing them out as soon as they landed. Same with the hoopla stalls, you were very lucky if a hoop landed completely flat over a target, they didn't look to be angled, but they must be to make it difficult or unable for a hoop to land flat.

Best wishes, Alan & Margaret.

Sorry Alan, I meant Sat 27th March.

I used to live next door to a blacksmith and he told me that Arthur Silcock came in one day to have some parts made and they had an argument over the price.Old Silcock came to pick them up and paid with for them with bags of old pennies.He is buried in Hindley cemetery .See PAD 2nd Aug 2015

Arthur Silcock, the one who is linked to Westhoughton, Hindley and who owned the Bellingham Hotel in Wigan, is a different entity to "Silcock's".
Although part of the Silcock family, he's an independent.
What I'm saying is, the old stories "Silcock's own the Bellingham", "Silcock's own this land" and "Silcock's own that building" etc., are wrong. Arthur does, or did. On his own.
I know them and I've known them for years. I've had dealings with Arthur too

Did you point out to them the boundaries of Warrington, Westhoughton and Hindley too JH? Ah yes, and also informed them that there's never, ever been any coal under Wigan.

No. I didn't need to as they already knew and they couldn't care less. How they laughed when I mentioned wigan.

I give up!