Photo-a-Day  (Tuesday, 1st August, 2017)

Great photo Ron. Tons of memories, so much that it hurts.

Nice to see some lovely trees in our town centre, just look at the size of the tree thats up the Weind

Saturday afternoon in the 60's, either a new pair of shoes or a new dress. So many shops to chose from.

Gone down hill wigan town centre hardly any shops/ I am afraid to say that it is rubbish for shopping. I come from wigan I moved many years ago I have been back to shop wouldn't go near the place again its a waste of time nothing there sorry folks that's the way I feel about it.

I never miss coming to Wigan at least once or twice a week. The shops are the same as anywhere else. No it's not the old Wigan -but it's still the Wigan where I was born and bred.
Good picture - quite cosmopolitan that scene.

Agree with you Julie. Last time I went into town was towards the end of March and only then to collect foreign currency.
The picture itself is excellent.

Pray tell me Anne and Julie where DO you go to shop, some OTHER town with no shops ? You both want to go to Chorley if you want to see an absence of shops. As far as i'm concerned and it would appear from Ron's photo by the number of people on it, that you are both in the minority. That view up Standishgate has hardly changed in over 70 years that i know of, apart from it now being pedestrianised and as Mick says, a few trees, but still a street full of shops.

Julie ,Anne don't know where you shop but I'm a Wigan lad that s lived in atherton for many years when I moved here there was a shop for everything but not now ,even Bolton has become a ghost town all of our towns are being decimated by retail parks outside all our towns ,but that doesn't stop me going by train into Wigan to shop on a regular basis I stil enjoy the nostalger of the place that I spent my youth.

Jonno....I do my food and cleaning shop all in one go... supermarkets. Clothing, small individual establishments, one recently found in Cleveleys, otherwise items bought abroad. M&S nil. Electrical, gardening, DIY, hobbies out of town and some on line. Gone are the
days of trailing into town for me.

Julie ,Anne don't know where you shop but I'm a Wigan lad that s lived in atherton for many years when I moved here there was a shop for everything but not now ,even Bolton has become a ghost town all of our towns are being decimated by retail parks outside all our towns ,but that doesn't stop me going by train into Wigan to shop on a regular basis I stil enjoy the nostalger of the place that I spent my youth.

Jonno...also Debenhams nil. Will occasionally travel to Boundary Mill, Colne.

There aren't many towns now with decent shopping centres as many shop on line. I just feel drawn to Wigan it's in my bones- if I had emigrated to another country I would have haunted this site! It's like a 'fix' in some ways - I just feel better when I have been- there are too many memories to forget my old town of Wigan......and it's not just for the shops.

Have you been to Bury Sam? its only a small town, Tell you what theres a lot more shops than wigan. Its a lot more better shopping in Bury than Wigan anyday it may be spread out but you have a good choice in shops there.

Bury is an exception and it still has areas of the town that struggle. Most town centres are struggling because of similar attitudes of people as two we've seen comment on here.

Its the old saying use them or lose them.

Also take a look at areas with better more successful centres and markets nearly all have much larger immigrant populations and the culture to shop in markets and more local.

I have to agree with Julie.

Great photo, brings back very happy memories. Julie, after hearing many people rave about how good Bury was, I thought I'd take a trip up there. Afraid I was disappointed, no better than most other town centres.

Dazza... not attitudes, necessity. Attitudes and necessity are quite different. At one time it was possible to do ALL shopping in the town including carpets and furniture, now those items along with many others are no longer available.

Veronica, I go to Wigan twice a week as I pick up my grandchildren from school in Springfield and I always have a walk round as I hate just getting off one bus and getting straight on another, so we MUST have passed each other at some point. I can see everyone's point of view above.....changing times, retail parks and internet shopping are knocking all our towns, not only the markets but the town centres as well. I feel lucky to have seen them as they used to be. If you pass me in Wigan, I'm the good-looking one carrying the basket!!

Not attitude Dazza, necessity. People aren't goiing to visit a town centre if their requirements cannot be met. At one time there was EVERYTHING in town, furniture, carpets, fireplaces, undertakers and much more. Not anymore.

Julie , bury is a nice historical town, but the market is nowhere near as big and selective as it use to be.

I don't think there is any town centre where you can buy everything in one go. If I can buy in Wigan that's what I do.Irrespective of that I shall continue to come on the train for my weekly visit or two! Most of the shops are the same anyway! I will keep an eye open for the girl with the basket Irene. I spent a lovely couple of hours this morning meeting my brother and his wife in Wigan and then mooching around afterwards.

Used to work in the building to the right, in the early sixties, where the pink ice cream cone now is.It was Bulloughs Radio and TV sales. I was 17 years old.

I loved going shopping into Wigan back then with my new wife, going to the bus with bags of stuff.

Sadly, times have changed.

Bury market is now for tourist, if you want a good market go to Bolton, Ive been today and go every week

Any decent Wiganer would know it is spelt WIEND.

I love everything about Wigan. Unlike some northern towns, that didn't reinvent themselves after industrial decline... Wigan picked itself up, dusted of the grime and is now a town to be thoroughly proud of.

Fred Mason. Would you have a relative named Molly Mason?

Crossed this part of Wigan when going to Central Park club on Thursday nights and The Casino having left Tom Browns Park Hotel many times!