Wigan Album

It’s tragic the history that’s been wiped out. I’m surprised there’s any left. If it wasn’t for the Parish Church there would be hardly anything preserved. A lot of heads should have been knocked together in the sixties. More should have been done.

remember dick barnes he used to to in
st catherines boys club for a game of billiards he was a good player think he was e friend of bob valentine who run the club it was on the rec was a member for
years

Keith, although this terracotta frontage if not the entire building only dates from around 1910, It is quite likely that The Old Dog stood on this site at least from the 1600's if not before and is mentioned in the book ' The White Cockade Passes' an extract as follows:
November 1745, Up the hill from Wallgate clattered the stage-coach, the post-boy behind sounding his horn with such gusto that the little crowds scattered quickly to the right and to the left. The coach drew up noisily at The Old Dog Inn in the Market Place and the post-boy finished his fanfare triumphantly and climbed down from his perch at the rear. The few passengers hurried into the Inn for warmth and refreshment. Thomas Holt, the host of The Old Dog Inn, stout, red faced and jolly came out carrying two mugs of steaming, spiced hot ale for the coachman and the post-boy. ''Get inside, my lads!'' he said ''It'll warm you up after you changed your horses.
All this precedes the arrival of the Scottish Army in Wigan along with Bonny Prince Charlie and his supporters to the throne.
I've got a copy and so now has Veronica!

Thank you for that Colin. Your extract has certainly added to my imagination of what took place here so many years ago.

I couldn’t wait to read it Colin but at the same time I didn’t want the story to end! It will be due another read for places to ‘sink in’ again. I felt I was walking with the characters in the Market Place and Millgate!