Photo-a-Day  (Saturday, 1st February, 2014)

Very nostalgic picture Dan, is this about forty to fifty years ago?

the iconic Wigan photo. Great!

I took near enough the exact same photo last week but on my iPhone 5 haa! I couldn't help but feel appalled at the state of the area espcially the old 'way we were' building. How long till that building is pulled down just like the old Wigan Pier nightclub is due to be pulled down? Surely in the state that its in leaving it to rot longer it's inevitable?

The buildings are now showing the dereliction that was there before. Also noticed the walkway is boarded off have all the timbers rotted? Once done up to show our Heritage now being allowed to rot and fall into disrepair shame on the council

Very sad that the pier is now heading into disrepair again.

Great record, Dan. And a nice toy you are using there. I umm'd are rrr'd about a new toy last year and went for the 6D rather than 5mk3.

Great picture have got to agree with Jonathan.

Nice picture Dan....For us that are not there any more....would look great in B&W too I think....cheers!!!

It should cheer Grumpy Dave up to see that 'Big Wigan' hasn't squandered Hindley tax-payers' money on doing up the Pier instead of their Library.
As for 'shame on the council', peterp - surely shame on all of us for wanting low taxes and the highest return for our pet concerns.

Talking about disrepair,Look what the council have done with Hindley Library ,leaving it to rot ,them wigan councillors are just 30 pieces of silver merchants and wpould sell their own mother

They could replace all this with another big box.

That's how I remember it. Going to school on the bus every day in the fifties.

Great photo. Very atmospheric, Dan.

I love how folk come on here making all kinds of comments about counsillors and so called inequalities of where the money is spent. I am as bad as many people carping on and not doing anything about it. Colin Barnes, you mention Hindley Library and a trully beautiful building it is too, but why haven't the people of Hindley come together to find a use for the building that will also pay for it's upkeep?
The fact is that there is not enough money to go round and the present gvt have savagely attacked the budgets of Labour Councils.
Alternatively you could always pay more tax.

It is a sad sight to see the pier buildings in such a state, but is a good place to get some great photos at the same time... And yes Andrew, the 5D 3 is an amazing bit of kit, as is the 6D. I've always been a big fan of Canon.

No money? They a aways find money for new shops, £60 million for new galleries that have only been up 25 years!

Talking about waste of money. How much has been spent on doing up the lodge at Mesnes Park after it was allowed to fall into disrepair?

Grumpy - it's private money, not tax-payers' money which will be going into the new market proposals. I'm sure if you can show a developer how to make money out of Hindley Library and the Pier (without knocking them down), they'll cough up.
Alan H - the Mesnes Park refurbishment is a great achievement, but only possible because of Lottery Funding of nearly £2m. Finding someone to pay to use the Lodge was probably key to the project going ahead. Given it's had a full make-over, I doubt if the extra costs arising from its having been left empty for a while will have added much to the bill.

Although as an ex-pat I really shouldn't have a say in this discussion, I can't help feeling saddened by the condition of what I still consider "my" heritage!
Good photograph, by the way,Dan.

Coincidentally I am just in the process of scanning some negatives of this area, taken 40 years ago. I will try to get them into the "album" slot as soon as possible.

Rev, Long my point is that these buildings should not have been let to deteriorate in the first place. Andrew Carnegie must be spinning in his grave at the state of the library in Pemberton. Incidentally I used to play for Ince St Mary;s in the 50;s before your time as vicar there.

Nice shot I like the look of the sky & the impending storm

Look at Haigh Hall, in any other part of the country it would be a thriving business venture. Soon they(wigan council) will most likely knock that down and build another. Just loke the Galleries! It was once reported that at a councol meeting, one councillor said"lets get a gondola and put it on the duck pond" to which another councillor said" lets get two, and breed them" The mind boggles with these guys!

Is it Wigan Pier?

http://www.whereiswigan.co.uk/pier/

Replying to JO's comment on gondolas breeding,this was once a comment made about the old Ince UDC when wanting a boat on the lake in Walmesey Park

Replying to JO's comment on gondolas breeding,this was once a comment made about the old Ince UDC when wanting a boat on the lake in Walmesey Park

PeterP I thought the very same thing. In fact just for a moment I couldn't decide if it was an old shot from years ago.. What a mess.