Photo-a-Day  (Wednesday, 16th December, 2020)

Beautiful Christmas photo Dave.
Thanks and cheers.

Now thats a place in Wigan I remmber very well. Many moons ago I used to go with my grandfather to the tea & coffee importers at the market hall end & there was a florists shop on the same side a little way up, the scent as you walked past it stays with me.
A real memory pic for me, thanks Dave.

The stained glass window when it's lit up takes your breath away, it's so beautiful... a little bit of old Wigan left alone. A lovely cheerful photo, almost Dickensian !

Makinson Arcade was built and owned by Richard Makinson in 1880. Richard was a tea and coffee merchant with premises at the bottom end of the Arcade.

That's right, Helen. It was Makinson's Coffee Shop which gave the arcade its name. It was at the opposite end of the arcade to the one we are looking at and the Makinson's name in mosaic is still on the floor in the entrance to the shop as you walk in. It was Thornton's Chocolates until very recently. The florists you recall was Highams. A lovely photo, Dave (Oy). Thankyou.

I often sit on the bench opposite while my wife does her shopping and it never seems busy these days like it was years ago.There was a clothes shop down the arcade where we went to get our new Easter clothes when we were children.Happy days.

Thank you Dave, brilliant.
All you Wiganers enjoy this, as there are changes ahead as you probably know for the Galleries, something is definately needed as we all probably admit, but, included, is a re - animated Makinson Arcade, the work is starting in 2022. Whether it will affect this facade or not, i don't know, i would hope not.
It is being completed in a joint venture between Cityheart and believe it or not Beijing Consruction Engineering Group. After what the 'Chinese' have dealt us recently, the world should drop them like a stone (my opinion of course). If you want a word with the lead director of BCEG, Dongwen Yu, you may find him eating a Wigan pie sat above what was 'The White City' (the underground toilets) which were across the street from Lowes, oh, sorry, they've gone as well.
Sorry folks, that's my rant for today.

Thanks Dave lovely picture brings back memories when I was young, I can remember all the of the good shops what used to be in there, I always used to go in boots for my mum, and slaters being in there, and sarah lynne and lennards shoe shop, and then going down to the market hall.

Oh no! What does 'reanimating' the old Arcade mean? There's nothing wrong with it! I dread to think what will happen to the stained glass. I hope it isn't shipped to China. I agree with you Roy after what has been laid at the World's doors with that deadly Virus, why give them work??

Lovely photo of the arcade incidentally when Thornton’s moved into the old Makinsons shop I worked there and on several occasions for no apparent reason we got a strong smell of coffee and on a few occasions when we opened the shop there would be boxes of chocolates on the floor.We could never explain this and we used to laugh and say old mr makinson didn’t like what had been done to his shop we always did feel there was a presence in that shop,but I loved working there.

In my teens me and my Mam used to go to Wigan town centre,the shop on the left of the photo used to sell beautiful blouses and dresses,we would stand looking at them,my Mam would say "look at that blouse you'd look lovely in that"then she'd go in and buy it..this happened that often that I started saying no I don't like that one,I just felt guilty,then we would go to Gorners cafe for a lovely tea..but that would be after we'd been to British HomeStores where I tried all the hats on which used to be on the left hand side as you went in..I could go on and on about our trips to Wigan shops,
I have so many happy memories just by looking at this photo..so thank you Dave (Oy).
P.S...Didnt Marks and Spencer start off in a shop on the left hand side going up the Arcade.

Roy if you want to drop the Chinese, for a start go and chuck everything in you house that is made in China.
If I was in charge of running this country I would give them more contracts and allow the Chinese people to come over here to help to build them.
Ive seen them working along side the Yangtze so one thing they could tackle straight away would be our canals and tow paths

Lovely photo of the arcade I used to work in Thornton’s when it first opened and some strange things happened very often we could smell coffee and sometimes when we opened the shop in the morning there would be boxes of chocolates on the floor and there would be no rational reason for this maybe mr makinson wasn’t happy with what had been done to his shop

I don't know about letting the Chinese mess with our canals & towpaths Mick but in their defence, once they discovered the DNA of the corona virus, they shared their findings with the world, which is a point in their favour. We maybe wouldn't have had a vaccine so soon if they had kept it to themselves.

I hope the WMC keep their hands off the Makinson Arcade...the word makeover or whatever the posh word is for it, fills me with dread ,it will be another Wigan asset gone.

Mick, i DO realise that 99% of the things that we buy are made in China, that's the problem, 25 years ago M & S sold 95% British Made articles, today it's probably 1%
Yes Mick you've seen them working for a pittance AND probably under forced labour. ENOUGH SAID !!!
After what has happened re the pandemic i am definately of the opinion that we and other country's should stop their tap.

Mick, instead of bringing the Chinese over here to do the manual jobs, like canals and tow-paths, why not make the workshy do it? And then make those who're fraudulently pocketing £millions from the government through their 'parliamentary connections', pay them for it.

I agree with all the comments by Veronica,Irene,Maureen and Julie.Yes,you're spot on Veronica, what does 're-animating the Arcade' mean for goodness sake??? Roy,I don't blame you for your rant,we (almost) all feel the same.It will sacrilege if that beautiful stained glass window is not preserved.

lovely photo Dave. Now this has a feel of old Wigan.Like it.

Jean, I am fascinated by the spooky story! It isn't the first time I have heard something similar with regard to a former owner returning and making their presence felt. It happened to a lady I once worked with who had a little bakery shop in Swinley Lane.

Maureen, Marks and Spencer's first shop was in Derby Street, Cheetham Hill, Manchester, not Wigan.

John,thank you.

John Noakes, i have a feeling Maureen meant M & S's first shop in Wigan, correct me if i'm wrong Maureen.
Veronica, Elizabeth....Re-animate means to restore to life, revive, or give fresh vigour or impetus to, which i don't think the arcade needs.
Helen of Troy, they gave us the DNA, yes, but they knew about a virus problem long before they told the world.

John,thank you.

It would appear that i'm wrong in reading Maureen's thoughts.

Yes Roy,you're correct,I did mean in Wigan..my fault for not being more explicit,and I also agree..the Chinese did know about the virus long before they're letting on.

Thanks Roy, although I still think there's 'nowt' wrong with the Arcade.
I agree about the Chinese, I also think there's been a big cover up. I believe there is going to be an investigation soon according to the News this morning, although I was only half listening.

Well said Roy .
I agree with every one of your sentiments as regards China . It may be the wrong forum for such a discussion but China is one nation we and the world should fear . I see very concerning challenges ahead . For too long we have put our heads in the sand as regards China . Was it Edward Heath or somebody who mentioned something about not waking up the sleeping bear . Well we need to wake up sharpish ! We’ve seen what has happened HK and it wants more . It builds up militarily but is critical when other nations do . We will have to see what Biden does because Boris looks scared to death .
Europe is saying very little also as more and more slave labour prison camps are built .
If they are saying something China , like always , is just ignoring it . Can you imagine what China would say if the pandemic came from the Uk or US and killed so many of their people . Even now they are making it difficult for inspectors to investigate the outbreak . It wants to hide the truth like the slave camps . Rant over . Sorry Dave but I think China is an issue we should be talking about more .

Copy and paste the following into your browser to find a photo of the original Wigan outlet off this very site.

https://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/photo.php?opt=5&id=14341&gallery=MAKINSON+ARCADE&offset=0