Wigan Album

This is as good a read as a book David with all that information on many long gone businesses, did you find the bookmark in a book? They should produce these again especially with the advice 'Don't dog-ear the pages of books.'

Absolutely fascinating. I could study adverts for old Wigan shops all day long. Thankyou for posting these.

Must have been great as a theatre, as a cinema I once performed on stage there around 1960, (don't laugh) with Billy Panama and his locally recruited troupe of Yo Yo Artists and we were roundly applauded.
The following night we took the stage at the Prince's Cinema, could not see who was in the audience in the dark but we were heckled and booed off. Clearly rabble and a less discerning crowd eager for some B movie,

Have you not got a photo Colin of the days when you tread the boards? If you have get it posted.

I agree with Veronica...let's see some photos, Colin!

Amazing to see the ad for Robinson's. It seemed tiny inside and full to the brim - a proper old fashioned shop.

Veronica / Irene. There were pictures in one of the local papers at the time, not sure about the actual stage performances but I am sure there was one of Billy Panama performing and proffering his wares in Pendlebury's, that's where I was recruited to his troupe and might be on a picture.
I must have been quite a performer in those days as I won both a pancake tossing competition and a hula hoop competition at the ABC Minors. One of them cannot think which, won me two tickets to see Cliff Richard and the Shadows at the Ritz, Wee Willie Harris was one the same bill!

It was Cliff Richard and the Drifters at that time not the Shadows and the performance was 23rd April 1959. There are entries on Wigan World from 2012.
I googled Billy Panama and there was a report in the Lancashire Telegraph of him on tour and performing at the Blackburn Majestic Cinema in 1955, recruiting under 18's to compete in a UK wide Yo-Yo championship. Apparently Yo-Yo's were subsequently banned as being too dangerous for children, a early case of H&S gone mad!

In the top right of this picture is a advertisement for Collins of Library Street.
Walking down Library Street on Monday there is in fact a building with Collins and Co. moulded into the fabric of the building at the top. I have a photo of this but anything I tried to Upload seems to vanish into the ether. I do not know when they last traded.
If Ron or Rev Long would allow me to send this picture to them, they may have better luck in uploading, please let me know.