Photo-a-Day  (Wednesday, 20th September, 2023)

What ever they build there Dennis we'll never get the Wigan we were so familiar with in terms of the great shopping days and great buildings and quality shops back we were so familiar with. I've said many times before, Wigan will never see the glory days again because they've been destroyed and demolished. And I will not change my mind, I hate change.

I agree with your words Dennis, will will never get our Wigan back and was never a lover of the Galleries anyway, but loved the old Market and traditional shops we once had.

The Queens Hall, at the back of the photo, ovelooking this disaster area, has been there since 1908, (yes, I know part of it was demolished for the new bus station, but part still stands), and must be bemused by what is happening. I'm sure it would shake its head in amazement if it could do so.

I never liked the Galleries, it never appealed to Wigan shoppers.

It’s nothing but an outrage and waste of tax payer’s money. I thought the Galleries were more significant than the the ‘white elephant’ that is the ‘Grand Arcade. But I agree with most folk we have lost the greatest and grandest town for miles around.
I don’t know how all this demolishing and re-building has been permitted. I can’t think of any other town where this has happened.
I could understand it if the ugly concrete buildings on Millgate and King St went but those monstrosities are still standing. I bet they would find ‘RAC’ in them if they were tested!

Veronica your words are music to my ears.

Dennis you've also captured in your shot of a fine beautiful building in the background.
I'm not too sure what the building is though.

Veronica,I know that if our grandparents or parents could come and see what they've done they would just say "What the hell fire have you done to our town".we're just going to look like any other town..all our own character has now gone.forever.

Its all good news for the scrapyards and recycling plants.

Just accept it and come to love life's changes, don't dwell on the past - that's gone! Look forward to putting right the wrongs and to a brand sparkling new town centre, which will last into the 21st Century.

Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is Mystery. Today is a Gift to all of us - that's why it's called the Present. or,
Yesterday is Relative, Tomorrow is Speculative, but Today is Electric, that's why it's called Current.

These Today's are our Children's Tomorrows

There's a good day coming for those who live to see it.

In the background the Queens Hall stands proudly overlooking the scene of destruction , I wonder what year the so-called Grand Arcade will meet a similar end?
Thanks Dennis.

Pascal Dedeye it’s already gone so there’s nothing else TO DO is there? It’s not putting things to right it’s destroying what was. Hopefully far in the future there will be a case for learning from mistakes made by the ‘children of tomorrow’.
Who knows they may curse and blaspheme what treasure has gone…

I would have demolished everything except that central area where the clock was and the top part leading on to Standishgate, and the car park ramp and car park to the boundary of the central area, so the car park would have been smaller, and then the central area under the clock could have been made into a new Market Hall or left that alone, and done what they are doing, and demolish Marketgate and have built a new Market Hall there, but they did not need to have destroyed all of it.

Tommy T perhaps Pascal Dedleg might know the answer to that…being in cahoots of those speculating ‘Tomorrow’s children’…
Probably another ten to 15 years at the most going by the number of years the Galleries and ‘new old’ Market have been standing.

Veronica, be careful pascal could be a wind up, don't bite.
Irene sorry didn't read you post properly, you answered my question.

Mr. Dedeye, it's certainly good to know that our brand new sparkling town centre will last into the 21st century, but I thought we WERE in the 21st century?!

They should never have got rid of the Roman settlement buildings to build the mediaeval monstrosities that replaced them.. Wigan's never been the same since..

Irene it's a wind.up.

We went in the 21st Century 1st January 2021.
I agree , some folk are taking the P.

You are probably right Sandra but with a name like Pascal Dedleg what else can you expect!? I have a feeling it’s the One with multiple name tags! Nowt else better to do..

Ladies try and not listen to tripe.
They love a reaction.
Good photo once again, Dennis.

We are IN the 21 century, maybe some people are a little behind.

"These Today's are our Children's Tomorrows" -

- and I don't envy them.

I see a bad moon rising,
I see trouble on the way.

I agree now that it's a wind-up....as I've said before on here, small things amuse small minds. Veronica has made me laugh with calling him "Dedleg"....very appropriate! He needs to act his age instead of his shoe-size.

Quite frankly I'm saddened to read the remarks left by commenters, I initially had heard of Wigan through a colleague who was originally from your town and learned her basic skills for her career at your local college. She spoke quite highly of your town and the friendliness of the townspeople, she told also of your website which I viewed yesterday and again today. I was planning on a visit to Wigan, though not now, I shall now tell her I found the people of Wigan to be quite brusque and not at all friendly to newcomers and to cancel all my itineraries. You also seem to be very wary of my name, if that is so may I suggest that you look it up. Sincerely Pascal. Au revoir.

Mmm yes and using Pascal’s
name whilst he’s ‘pontificating’ …still
‘ To err is human to forgive is divine’…

Pascale, we have heard all this before....plus ca change, plus ca la meme chose. Au Revoir. Pascale, et bon chance!

What a pity you aren't coming to Wigan, Pascal. I've not seen you for ages, but am now looking after the lovely gardens in Wigan, Mesnes Park, after leaving my last job at Les Conviviales after the thieving Gypsy bastards moved into the area.
It would've been nice to have met. Bonne journee.

Cheers Pascal .
Now for my sherry to celebrate.

There’s not much to come for now Blaise as you can see from the photo…even the posh hotels are full….

Dear Pascal, I, for one, am devastated that you will no longer be honouring us with your presence in Wigan.
I must admit though that my contemporaries can be, shall we say, a little uncouth at times. I have made strenuous efforts over the years to teach them how to raise their little pinkie whilst supping their tay, but, alas, my struggle has proved to be in vain and they now insist on supping their brew from a saucer in the style of Compo.
I have also made a great effort to improve on the way that they insist on greeting strangers to the town as I do not think that “ Nethen lad how’s thi bowels” is a suitable way of greeting our friends from dean saarf, especially when it’s followed with an instruction to”Keep thi mouth shut, lad un thi bowels oppun un tha’ll catch no harm”.
If you should have second thoughts and decide to come after all, please remember to bring a flat cap and a pair of clogs as I feel you may need these in case you are invited by one of the locals to a traditional “Clog porrin’ contest”. This is nothing to worry about but I would not discourage you if you feel the need to bring a wheelchair.

Thanking you in commiseration.

DTease.

There are some new names on here today.....Please watch the language.......let's not let photo-a-day become like the message-boards. Okay, we don't always see eye-to -eye on p-a-d, and arguments occur, but let's not let it degenerate.

DTease, that was so funny! .Your comments are just a bit of fun and we all enjoy them. It was other remarks that I was referring to re the language.

It's been a bit mad on here today, must be demolition fever, has the underground car park and the loading bays been filled in or are they to be used in the new builds? Wonder where all this concrete waste is ending up, the council say not to put building waste in the black bin so as not to end up in landfill.

It's a massive area under there in the car park and loading bays, and there is also the councils not so secret one time nuclear bunker, which Morrisons used as a storeroom. There's no drainage into the sewers down there either, everything got collected in a tank in the far corner near the bins, and then whenever it reached a certain level it was pumped into the sewerage system, it was awful whenever the pump broke down, there would be loads of flies alongside the smell, though there was always an horrible smell in that corner with the rotting vegetables in the bins, though it won't be smelling as bad now as I was told there's no greengrocers or butchers in the market.

How's Ozy, anyone know or heard anything, he's not posted for some months now.

Cyril, Ozy posted 10th September.

I think ozy uses other names too.

OZY uses Eddie or it could be his name.

My son's friend is working on this site as a security man and he was telling us that they have found some bones and a clay pot in one area so they have stopped work in that place until a team of historians have had a look.