Photo-a-Day  (Tuesday, 13th November, 2012)

How nice it was of Mr Whelan and the Ainscough brothers to put up there own money to build this wonderful building for the youth of Wigan.

Just what Wigan needed....We're short of boxes...:o(

There is that really neat paving again!! Who ever does it should come over here and do ours, which is rubbish!!! I presume this will be a new place for young uns to let off a bit of steam!! Cheers!!

Words fail me about this monstrosity which should never have been sited there, Tom.
We have been deprived from alighting at the bus stop there shortly after building commenced.

still looks like a warehouse

No really interested in these sort of photos, but I'll say this, "there's no style in the building"...looks like a big shed.

Another spoiler for Wigan.

a welcome addition for the youth of Wigan

Supposed to provide youth with leisure facilities....to get them away from staring at screens all day....to promote a more healthy lifestyle etc.etc. Where do they put it? On a playing field, one of the last green spaces in the town centre.

Mesnes Field ? Was The Box built on a greenfield site ?

A Box is the cheapest building you can erect...& quickly...doesn't say much for architecture though. Awful.

mesnes Field? don't live in Wigan anymore - was this the cricket field near the Thomas Linacre School?

I like the Idea of what the building is for, hope it is a great sucess.

To Lizzie. It seems you have a gripe about Australia which is a pity because it is a beautiful country. I do not think the paving would tempt me to England.

Mick, they will get all their money which they have spent on this tin shed back, along with a very nice bonus from interest; courtesy of the tax payers. Their kind won't do owt for nowt!

Lizzie Down Under, if you are so over the moon about Wigan, then bugger off back there, and take your cheers, cheers, cheers with you!

Tricia, maybe Lizzie lives in a different area of your vast country.. things may be different there.
Regards
tricia

Sounds like your jealous of them Cyril.

Whelan saved Wigan Rugby league and Wigan athletic, hes also keep Pooles pies going by selling them in the supermarkets.

If he hadnt taken over Pooles pies when he did they would have been taken over by Bolton based Greenhalghes.

And the Ainscoughs have done loads of stuff that nobody hears about.

The restored Tank in Leyland is all down the Ainscough.

I'm not jealous of them Mick, but they do like to blow their own trumpets don't they, there are many folk who are doing excellent charitable work in Wigan, but do they ever get mentioned - no.

They're not what you would call Philanthropists either are they, they only do these things to make money, Pooles pies are in name only as all the recipes and original suppliers were thrown out by Whelan, so in reality they are Whelco Holdings pies. See General messageboard 1st November 2012 Pooles tearoom to re open and bennies post of 2nd November at 22:27

In actual fact I and many other Wiganers I'm sure prefer Greenhalgh's pies to the faux Pooles pies.

I hope the Youth Zone is a success but it is an ugly building. Does anyone know what is happening to the building on the corner which was Drumcroone. Also Mr Whelan may have done a lot for Rugby League etc but what about Orrell RUFC - I am not a fan of them but it is a shame what happened to them.

Lizzie, the paving you see is neat, only because it's at a bus stop.

What an eyesore, is this the best that 2 multi millionaires can offer the town. Whelans pies are terrible, nothing like the proper Pooles pies, Greenhalghes miles better.

Nice plumbers merchant near town centre,you will have to build a nicer looking building than this Dave to become sir Dave

Hopefully this building will successfully fulfill the purpose for which it is intended despite the fact it is not pretty. Syd, your comment about Lizzie was a teeny bit vicious - I am sure her comment about paving is valid but also a bit tongue in cheek!

No he bought the football club and the rugby club to get a grant to build a multipurpose stadium then sold the rugby club once he got his grant and built the stadium.

Its Ok to show off any new building in Wigan, but what about the Bomb site at the bottom of King St.Ex Town Hall, with just a frontage, and a car park behind. This so-called listed building is an utter disgrace,and the people responsible should forced to do something about this EYE-SORE.

Syd down under
Nothing wrong with feeling nostalgic re your Town of birth.
She is entitled to this and I am sure meant no harm.
Its a pity more people do not take a pride in Wigan instead of wasting money to demolish everything they can and making it a clone of lots of other faceless towns.
Absolutely no call for such bad tempered insulting remarks.

Forgot to say... The last Poole's pies I got from the freezer in the English shop (it was run by a guy from Ashton in M) were absolutely dog's do do's.
I gave the rest to the dogs... and they were not keen. So full marks to you Mr Whelan for ruining a good thing.
Galloways for me every time when I am back home.

I know that I live in the most beautiful country for it's amazing and awesome places. Don't get me wrong, I love this land, no way would I ever return to my homeland, and yes it still is my homeland, nothing will change that!!!! Just having a bit of a gripe about our uneven paving on our footpaths, cheers all!!!

Maggie K..... Got agree with your comments about Orrell RUFC..... He couldn't get rid quick enough...... Whelanville takes shape!!

On my visits to Wigan I used to stand overlooking Mesnes Field and my thoughts would race back well over 50 years when The Grammar School challenged The Linacre to a snowball fight one lunchtime on Mesnes Field. About 50 of us from The Linacre assembled for the battle.Suddenly hundreds of Grammar boys charge through the gate on the other side of the field.We got well and truly hammered and the victorious army cheered as we fled towards The Savoy for our fish and chips dinner.Another memory now obliterated by an awful looking building like so many other awful looking buildings.

Little boxes
Little boxes all the same
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same
---
Part of some song lyrics about modern houses, but the sentiments apply here.

Talking of ugly buildings, have you seen what as replaced the Seven Stars Hotel?.

The only thing that killed Orrel R U club was rugby union going professional.
There is no way a professional R.U. club could survive in Wigan its out and out Ruby League.

The "Little Boxes" song is here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgJmWlOmMfs
if you don't know it and you are interested.

Whelcough Ltd are not philanthropists,they are plutocrats, who now appear to be controlling Wigan Council. This open, honest and transparent Council that contributes little to the welfare of its council tax payers.

Drumcroon is to become the junior and disabled youth zone.

Joint65 Wigan Rugby Union are not professional and still managed to hold on to their Club House so why could Orrell not hang on to their club house. I suspect it is more complicated but someone let Orrell RUFC down.

i remember going in the Pools pie shop in Wallgate there where no nicer pies than them sad to see how the shop is now

Planning notices are posted & people can see the plans of buildings...did anyone object I wonder ?

They could replicate the Taj Mahal or hanging gardens of Babylon in Wigan, folk would still complain..Same folk would still complain. I forget how palatial every Wiganer's house must be.

I like it. Modern and practical.

Well..in regards to Ozzie compared to the UK ... The UK is the winner.
Nowhere else on earth could you find such a diverse landscape in a country just one thousand miles long. If the weather was warmer, most ex-pats would be home tomorrow!
Fly the flag for Great Britain!

I agree with you Dennis England is a most wonderful place, unfortunately I only lived there for 14 years. I really adore England but my family is here in Australia which is a country I love with a passion!!! My children are fair dinkum Aussies and they are very proud of their home country. So yes I am torne between the two. Since I have only been on the Internet for a couple of months I am revelling in the sights of my England that I have not seen for a long time. I was born in Billinge Hospital just for the record. Cheers!!!

I saw this building for the first time on Sunday. It's horrendous. Totally out of character with the rest of the town centre.
It belongs on an industrial estate.

I have seen this monstostity a few times this week. They should be ashamed of it. It looks lie an over sized storage box. Totally out of place and an absolute eyesore!

I agree with the comments wigan is not the place for such a industrial type building in its center it should have been errected on the perimiter of town or not at all
I am delighted that so many of you are concerned about how your town should look
there is a number of like minded people have formed group called ""Save Wigans Heritage ""

Well worth joining

jj