Photo-a-Day  (Friday, 23rd December, 2022)

The land in the foreground, was the Millgate multi-storey car park, built circa 1971.

I wish we could have had one of those "before-and-after" photo taken from the 1950s or 1960s , at the same angle, to compare how it looked back then to how it looks now. I realise the grey sky and the snow in the foreground aren't helping to give the scene any warmth, but it looks so desolate.

I'd completely forgotten about the whole 'Tower Grand' thing until I saw this. You'd think that they could tidy it up a bit into a garden or something.

I remember the Roman ruins in the foreground. I think that was 2007 when the ‘dig’ was going on and people were invited to come and look. It’s nothing like the Millgate I knew though. The old, old baths on the right and the Horseshoe pub on the left out of the picture. Etc, etc….it’s just a very busy highway these days, soulless!

In the foreground is the land where the remains of a Roman hypocaust system were discovered, along with a sign which said "Coccium Welcomes Careful Chariot Drivers" and is now on display beside the Grand Arcade (the hypocaust, that is, not the sign, which has since gone missing).

That piece of land has not yet been excavated, It is the concrete base of the old car park.

The plans for this vacant plot is for the friends of Scholes village to take it over, we will make it as tidy as possible with fake grass and rocks.
We are also planning to hold car boot sales on Wednesday,Saturday and Sundays.

'In the foreground is the land where the remains of a Roman hypocaust system were discovered, along with a sign which said "Coccium Welcomes Careful Chariot Drivers" and is now on display beside the Grand Arcade (the hypocaust, that is, not the sign, which has since gone missing).'

Bloody Council!

I hope they do have an excavation there as it'll be interesting to see what antiquities turn up, though they'd need a big concrete busting demolition jackhammer to get through that big lump of reinforced concrete, Bob is correct with it being the ground floor of the Millgate multi-storey car park, before that I thought it was the Bath Springs pub, however according to Ron's photo from the Album the pub was further up. https://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/photo.php?opt=5&id=33347&gallery=Millgate&page=8

This corner of Millgate and Station Road had hoarding up so what became to be built there I've no idea, but looking at Kevin's aerial photo from the 1959 it still looked to be derelict then. https://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/photo.php?opt=4&id=12728&gallery=Millgate&offset=0

Bruce, I'm sure the hypocaust on display is a copy, with the original taken away to a Manchester Museum. If it really was the original would be in an area through a side door that hardly anyone uses and no signs saying it is there, also being outside in all weathers, then again they initially shoved the George Formby statue down the corridor near that door until a petition got it moved to the front reception.

Cyril if you get up off your bum and walk up Millgate you will see that Wigan hypocaust is mostly original, and its now protected with a glass fence.

Wigan Archaeological Society said, "a reconstruction of the hypocaust to be displayed in the Grand Arcade development using as much of the original material as possible".

So, we can only take it that it's a reconstruction, using mostly original materials.