Photo-a-Day  (Thursday, 27th July, 2023)

OMG ! it is at least 50 years ago that I was last in the Wiend, and there were certainly no flowers then.
What a beautiful photo,Dennis, very well framed.

Fabulous picture Dennis . One where you have to rub your eyes and take stock of where you really are . The colours are quite overwhelming .
I'm almost expecting a mini moke taxi to appear to take Number 6 , dressed in blazer and straw boater to a game of giant outdoor chess somewhere in ' the village ' .

Beautiful! That is an absolutely lovely shot of The Wiend. It reminds me of some little street abroad somewhere, like Naples or somewhere in Italy, (not that I've been, but I've see pictures). One of the few places they haven't ruined in Wigan, even though it looks very different than it did in my youth. It is still characterful. Lovely, Dennis.

What’s not to like about the Wiend? One of the last remnants of old Wigan with it’s old slab stones and cobbles that still echo it’s past. A pity some of the others that were done away with weren’t made more of. You can still find other ‘secret’ passages if you have a mind to.
Other places like Skipton for instance treasure the past and make the most of these oldie worldly ‘cut throughs’ and integrate them with the modern. Day trippers love them..
I love the pink Lilies on display.

Many years have passed since I was there...well I think I used to go there with my grandfather.....to a printers ? Anyone know if years ago there was a printers shop in The Wiend ?

A hidden gem tucked away from the main drag

One thing that spoils the Weind are the cobbles, very uneven and a nightmare for pensioners who are unsteady on their feet.

I visited Wigan last month and sat in that exact spot having lunch with a friend. Yes the Wiend has certainly changed for the better, and taht who area around the Believe square is a credit to Wigan

Sorry to hijack this post but I thought that members would like to know that Dennis Dickinson (a regular contributor to P.A.D.) who was originally from Upholland but residing in New Zealand sadly passed away on Monday after a short illness.

Ezra Sidebottom Printers Helen. I knew someone once who worked there.

Helen There was Tickles craft shop. Just the place for all things in the craft line.

Ezra Sidebotham was the printer Helen . He is buried in St .Wilfrid's .
His family were the last residents of Killey Court before it was converted into a hotel.

Helen - the printers would have most likely been Ezra Sidebotham's, which was across the top of the Wiend.

Yes, there was a printer's in The Wiend, Helen, and Tom Whalley's Pet Shop was there at one time too, before he moved to Millgate. There used to be a parrot in a cage outside the door. Tickle's shop was there too, where you could get all manner of things for craft work, and how Mr. Tickle knew where everything was is a miracle, but he did! There was a fishing shop too, at one time.....Blackledge's?? I'm sure someone will know.

Yes Helen of Troy there was a printers in the Wiend. Side bottom was the name. My wife’s grandmother lived next door to it. There was the start of a passage in the cellar heading towards the Parish Church but it had been bricked up after 10 yards.

I don't think there's anyone in Wigan that doesn't love the Wiend..it brings back so many memories of the little shops that I used to go in..and I distinctly remember the barbers on the left hand side going down was the first place to see a photo on the wall just inside of a nude Marilyn Monroe..when I wanted to go to Tickles shop I had to barge through a horde of teenage boys.

Sorry to hear the sad news about Dennis Dickinson. God Bless. Thankyou to "JamButty" for letting us know.

JamButty,were very sorry to hear about Dennis..he will be sorely missed..and please convey our condolences to his Family..R.I.P. Dennis.

It might appear a nice and bright place to be, but that's only because of the flower tub. If you really love this place go and have a look this morning, now that the flowers have died off, you will see the gutters overflowing and green moldy brickwork.
What should have happened with this area, in between the wiend and coopers row is for complete demolition, except for the john bull chop house.
Then it could be redesigned with some proper cafes and bars, where you could sit outside and enjoy the view of the market place and the believe square.
It would still need steps in places but they could make them similar to the Spanish steps in Rome,

Lovely photo Dennis, you get in every nick & cranny to get the picture. Very good!!

I remember Dennis well, he was one of the first to leave a message on Wigan ex-pats.

Posted by: Dennis Dickinson from Palmerston North

Comments: I enjoy reminiscing - reading through the various comments etc.

I miss: The Wigan / Lancashire sense of humour.

Beautiful pic Dennis,well done.Love the Wiend,so much character.Like Veronica says,towns like Skipton and Shrewsbury have kept many of their original features,just so glad we still have this in Wigan.

Thank you, thank you Dennis. What a photo - superb! I lived in Wigan for 36 years and loved everything about it. After recent photographs of dilapidated, rundown properties, it's good to see that there's still a little corner of the 'old' Wigan, which has managed to escape the Council Planning Department's notice.

Thanks to everybody re the printers shop, seems I have still got some marbles left !
I remember I used to sit on a high stool while my grandfather spoke to a man. I do know....now.....that he used to write articles for The Mining Gazette..or something similar.

I read Dennis Dickinsons comments on the ex pats board and communicate,seemed a nice bloke.RIP.

A great photo of a once wonderful shopping area Dennis.
I liked to go having a browse through the thousands of books and collectors items that was in Paul Prescott's Wiend Books & Collectables when it was in the first shop on the right and carried on down the row, it was a maze of rooms and attics and going up and down rickety narrow stairs and corridors which seemed to go on for ever. I've only walked along the Wiend once since it closed and it was all bars. Strange how some folks who have commented think an area full of bars and vomit is heaven. Give me the old style Wiend any day.

I like the Wiend and it does remind me of Portmeirion in Wales where 'The Prisoner' was filmed, or even Diagon Alley from the Harry Potter films, and going back over 50yrs ago, across Market Place from the Wiend, there was Commercial Yard and the Little Arcade (Market Arcade) and the thing they replaced those with was 'Marketgate', which is at present being demolished, so why not build a modern day equivalent of Commercial Yard and the Market Arcade there, along with tastefully designed town houses, instead of the high rise blocks of flats which are planned for there, because Wigan Council should realise that we are not back in the 1960s, high rise flats were a failure, it would be possible to build nice houses there instead, and some of you may have heard of 'Poundbury' https://poundbury.co.uk/ so why don't Wigan Council build something akin to Poundbury in the town centre ?

Yes I have heard of Poundbury it’s one of King Charles ‘s brain schemes. People are very lucky who live there Sir Bob.

Here's a link to a photo of the Wiend in the 1970s to compare.
https://flic.kr/p/2iRZ9xG

It looks to be very rough, though when all those shops were open it was quite a busy thoroughfare and a lot smarter too. I can't remember why it became to be blocked off on Market Place, maybe a cellar and footpath had collapsed?

As you look to the right of the picture a little shop that sold leather/suede jackets. I bought a lovely green jacket there in the 60’s.