Photo-a-Day  (Sunday, 20th August, 2023)

Is that where the Head was, or is it still there.

Hopefully be as good a weather today Dennis of on bike now.

Believe it or not a ‘waste of space comes to mind’..
it’s just an expanse of space doing nothing in my opinion. What is there to ‘believe ‘in ?
Such daft slogans whoever makes them up!?

Believe what ?
Better get those planners down to Wisbech & have a look....they have a new square that knocks this one into a Cocked Hat, as the old saying goes .
Perhap the idea is Wiganers will ' believe ' that one day the Good Fairy will come along a save Wigan.

Such a clean easy to walk modern area, shame about the wiend with all them uneven cobbles.

There isn't anything to 'believe in' in Wigan.......cloud cuckoo land.Mick, you seem to know 'the price of everything and the value of nothing' to pinch a quote.

"The Head", Derek, (which I always call The Face That Sunk a Thousand Shops"), is just out of sight, over to the right. There really isn't much to say about the square, except the statue of Billy Boston looks nothing like him. It is said that when it was unveiled, Billy's wife kindly said that it looked like him when he was a young man, but we've all seen photos of Billy as a young man and I'm afraid it just doesn't resemble him at all in my eyes, but perhaps others see it differently. However, he deserves to have a special place in our town; I just wish his statue was somewhere else. At least The Wiend has character....Believe Square has about as much character as a bin bag.

Looks like their still covid mode.I like this area including the stainless steel face but obviously plenty don’t and maybe that is the reason it always seems underused.

Dennis, it is a wonderful photo of the green trees and blue sky along with the superb buildings of the Wiend and Coopers Row. What follows is aimed at whoever destroyed that what was there before.

This square is horrible, and the building or glasshouse behind is horrible too, and what is that resembling a brown shipping container?
It was a very nice area around there with the impressive children's library building and the Georgian house which was a restaurant, wine bar and later a gastropub, then it was all ruined as usual.
Those cobbles/setts from the market square which they used as infill to level land for the Building Dept. offices down Christopher Street, why couldn't they have been uncovered and used for the square, but they probably would say they couldn't be used with them not being metric sizes.
It's the same with our George's statue to Irene, that doesn't really look like him, the two most influential and famed people from Wigan, and they both have had statues cast that don't even resemble them.
So I'm with you Irene in saying Believe Square has about as much character - as a bin bag!

I don't know who supposedly thought up the Believe slogan Veronica, but they probably got paid a lot of money for it, it was said the council paid a lot of money to whoever it was who had come up with the new name to replace Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council, apparently they came up with 'Wigan Council', and yet it was known as that years ago before reorganisation.

'It's the same with our George's statue to Irene, that doesn't really look like him, the two most influential and famed people from Wigan, and they both have had statues cast that don't even resemble them.'

George is from Wigan but Billy isn't

You're absolutely right about the statues of Billy and George, Ticsmon, and yet Dave Whelan's statue at the stadium is a dead ringer for him. It's a pity the same person couldn't have done the other two. I know Billy isn't originally from Wigan but he's as "Wigan" as an Uncle Joe's Mint Ball and will always be a Wiganer in the hearts of the people of this town.

You’d better believe it !

Thanks Irene, I will be able to see the abominations myself in mid September.

Helen, I agree - and Wisbech has better weather too.

If you haven't seen Wigan for a while, Derek, fasten your safety belt! But Welcome all the same. September can be the most beautiful month of the year, if we can get the sunshine; I love September. Hope you have a good visit.

What was wrong with calling it Millgate Square? Or any other relevant to Wigan names that have been used for centuries so they never die out.
Believe me when I say that space is good for nothing - but great as a case for a face that scares folk off! …
Where’s Dtease with his rhyming riddles? ;o))

Those people who come from all over Britain every year to attend the Wigan Diggers Festival seem to enjoy this area, they will be coming again on September 9th this year.

Ticsmon, having a nit pick backfired on you there didn't it, everybody knows that Billy originally came from Cardiff, but he is an adopted Wiganer, if you don't believe it ask him, and don't forget that he's lived in Wigan from being 19, and he's 89 now.

The Formby's latterly preferred to live in Warrington than Wigan, George's statue at Douglas Isle of Man does have a better look of him. https://www.waymarking.com/gallery/image.aspx?f=1&guid=6f3d1c60-e242-4c6c-bf8f-b1b3e487a000&gid=3

On Winter nights when the cold winds blow
And Autumn leaves lie under the snow
‘Tis said the “Face” doth moan and wail
To call his servants to this place
And there they dance with terrible grace
To please the devil and the”Face”
Is this the result of glasses full?
Na! It’s chucking out time at Ye Olde John Bull!

All they are bothered about going to that festival is to get off their head on alcohol and scoffing free food samples, Gerrard Winstanley may well have been born in Wigan, but he slung his hook 400 years ago and went off down south, and that's were he got together with like minded southerners who wanted land so as to be able to grow kale and pink fir potatoes.

I have seen photos of B/Boston and his statue looks nothing like him. Half of the plaques cannot be read and are badly worn

Therefore he isn't from Wigan.

Cyril, I don't think "Ticsmon" meant anything derogatory regarding Billy, I really don't. Veronica, "Millgate Square" would have been a much more suitable name; it has a "ring" to it that sounds traditional....."Believe Square" just doesn't sound very "Wigan"!

Cyril I thought you were bursting into rhyming riddles in your last post. It can be ‘catching’ Dtease with his usual sonnet up to scratch!
I agree Irene - something more Wiganish for the name of that space… it just doesn’t make sense at all…..it’s unbelievable!
Went to Lytham 40’s event today it was brilliant -I thought you might have been there with the Squadron Leader. ;o))