Photo-a-Day  (Thursday, 17th September, 2009)

Nice architecture, minus the grafitti :-)

I used to love going into the Park Cafe with my mum and sister, getting in ice cream on our way home from the Playground.I can not believe that Wigan Leisure Dept can let such a lovely building go to ruin. The graffit looks awful!! It's part of Wigan History and should be looked after.

This is Menses Park we are talking about ?

I too remember having ice creams there many years ago & there being lots people enjoying the open air in the Park. Easter meant rolling coloured hardboiled eggs down the slopes...there was a bandstand ? Going around the country I see places making the most of their heritage, victorian or otherwise. I really don't understand why Wigan Borough is hellbent on getting rid of your heritage Wigan.... & graffiti only multiplies if you don't get rid of it

PS...where is the statue ?

Oh & by the way, Matty, Emma, Megan & Danny, you must be a bit older now & hopefully a bit wiser than to scrawl your names on buildings & behind toilet doors.....

Helen the statue is buried in the compost heaps in the park, Wigan council too idle to get it out and clean it up, Councillor Brogan was one of the men who decided to take the statue down many years ago, Wigan council are a waste of space and allways have been, Anything half decent they will pull it down, Why do people keep voting them in,

According to the new plan for the park's restoration the stone memorial plinth is to be relocated in Mesnes Park close to the main entrance on Parsons Walk. I don't think there are plans to reunite it with its original statue of the soldier. It's a shame because it was a nicely designed statue on a par with Powell and his magic boot! Many soldiers died in the Boar war - I think it should be remembered just as much as WW1 and WW2 glorious dead and the original statue found, restored and reunited.

Johnb, the plinth is now staying put.

Pardon me for not being up to date with the planning. I suppose a whole load of other planned improvements have been shelved or changed to save costs?

Sorry, just re-read my post - didn't mean to sound abrupt. You're correct, the plans are being changed all the time and phase 2 (contains all the major things) hasn't been approved yet.

Why do have to put up with "stuff" like graffiti and vandalism. Maybe we ought to stand up and be counted. I'm sure that the majority of people would agree to the "yobs" who put this on to be made to clean it off. Or should we give them cotton wool for their little backsides?

So sad to see it looking so run down,we teenagers used to go there every Sunday afternoon in the 50's and the place was alive with music and decent kids,.....so sad.

What a load of interesting comments. It appears that we are all upset by this type of legalised vandalism to our town. Watch out for October 1st and then join in.

I don't see what right anyone has to deface a war memorial & taking away the statue constitutes that. Firstly people of the time probably subscribed to have the memorial made & erected. Secondly what ever your political view, men died fighting in the Boer War & they should be remembered.

On visiting Hastings recently I saw a wonderful Boer War memorial on the sea front, it was very well looked after.

Shame on the person or persons that had the statue removed. What will you be remembered for I wonder ?

You cant bring the statue back so it best if you forget about it a lot of things have been took down in days gone bye that shouldnt have.

What surprises me with graffiti artist where do they get the money from to buy the expensive cans of spray paint.

I always thought that the statue had been melted down during WW2. I agree with everyone that the cafe should be restored. It's a real shame.

in later years the statue lost its pistol , the story i was told is that a drunk threw a bottle at it and broke it off and then threw the pistol into the water nearby .

Mick Who said they buy the paint, more like nicked from B and Q, The one thing they will not be doing is looking for a job, Useless idiots,