Wigan Album

Fantastic photos Ron. I remember Timpson's Shoe Shop and British Home Stores, as well as others along that stretch.....Freeman, Hardy and Willis and Van Allen's. We went in Wigan Market after chatting with you this morning and there are hardly any stalls, no atmosphere....nothing. As for Makinson's Arcade, we walked down there back to the bus station and it was like one of those "pretend" streets in Old Westerns just made of scenery flats.....I half expected to see tumbleweed bowling along! I wish you WOULD send it to the councillors but I'm afraid it would be a case of Pink Floyd's "Just Another Brick in the Wall" for all the good it would do with that lot! But thanks for these brilliant photos and wonderful memories.

In years to come there will be gnashing of teeth. ‘Why on earth did previous Councils rid Wigan of our history?’ ( and shops) …leaving a wasteland behind.

I am assuming this advert is from the 1980s, but no later than 1986 as the outdoor market stalls on Hope St were removed when development began on the Galleries.