Photo-a-Day  (Monday, 11th March, 2024)

This place has been on here several times this year, and were only in March.

I know Colin..... I have a dream.....its going to be a sunken garden /piazza with bijou cafes & restaurants aound the edges with trees & fountains where the good people of Wigan can while stroll & away the hours in the sunshine.
But I fear that may a only be a dream as I doubt there is any cash in the pot for anything else. Probably end up as an underground car park with flats above....think of the money the council will rake in , loads more to spend on grand schemes that dont befit a town built on coal & cotton.
Good photo to show us what is going on though.

Could be utilised for car parking for the cinema/bowling alley/flats if and when they are built

Over to the left was the basement under Boots' Chemists on Market Street before we moved across to The Grand Arcade. It was where the delivery lorries unloaded and where the stockroom staff unpacked the goods and where we, (the sales staff), went to collect stock to fill up the shelves on the shop floor. I remember huge skips where we used to discard carboard boxes. which had to be broken down before binning, and which I imagine went to be recycled. I never thought to see it from this viewpoint!

A photograph to remember Colin. The ground towards the corner under the clock tower appears to sink down a bit because of the load. I like the two cones guarding such a big hole. Well captured.

Just what is going to become of all that space?

Thanks Colin, but I'll only repeat myself on this post.
We all know how I feel about "new Wigan".

Phil, I take your point but this is a much clear picture from an elevated position. First floor at the bottom of Makinson’s Arcade to be precise with no obstructions (fencing) in front.

Peter Walsh that's only an optical illusion, sometimes the eyes can play tricks.
I am tired of seeing these images of the Galleries, we need to move on....

That’s my Pit you’re all taking about.

I think it would make fine cellar for storing barrels of Sherry?

Just make it go away!

Colin and Garry, a little tale about sherry barrels. (please scroll past, everyone, if you don't want to read it; it 's not really to do with today's p-a-d but they always bring a memory somehow). When I left school I worked in a small chemists shop where, believe it or not, (in 1969), we sold sherry out of barrels and customers brought their own bottles to be filled! There was a choice of British or Cyprus sherry and it was known as "Sherry from the Wood". One day a lady came in and asked for "Wood from the Trees!" 'Can you imagine the effect of that on us young 16-year old girls?! We just fell about laughing and got a good telling-off from the boss! It still made me laugh this morning, 50-odd years later, and I couldn't resist telling you! So think on, Garry, when you pour that sherry, about those giggly young girls!

Helen, at the time I took the picture I thought it might have filled up with water after all the rain we have had. This made me think that landscaped it would make a great Lido for the pleasure and jollification of the towns folk. But perhaps not.

Dtease, it will be gone soon enough replaced with those glorious blocks of flats we all crave for.

Does anyone know when the so called New market hall is going to be built? It is supposed to be up and running in 2024 so the traders who have stuck by, will have a place to trade when the present market hall comes down?

its the biggest pothole i've seen for a while

Wigan council just dont know what they are doing they need to bring shops back not put bowling and daft things as if people want rubbish like that no wonder this country has gone down hill everyone today are brainwashed there no money coming from local goverment and why would you waste money on things what are no good to the economy wigan needs shops to the town.

Haha that's a great story Irene, that is the best post today in my opinion. I remember going to outdoor with empty bottles for refills. I just love the 60s, the way we lived was fantastic and great memories.

Superb photo Colin, and good of the arcade staff to let up to the viewpoint. I do like photos of this area and around town, as it is history in the making, and being almost 40 years since the area was last seen like this when being built, and I doubt we will be seeing it like this again.

Irene, those Trees from the Wood sherry casks on shop counters looked the part and I thought they contained Sherry, until I once saw the delivery of a couple of large plastic containers of Sherry to an off licence who had a little wooden barrel shaped dispenser on the counter, though no doubt those plastic containers being delivered had been filled from the large wooden casks at a Jerez bodega.

We didn't fully appreciate Dave Oy did we. He would visit places all over Wigan and Leigh. Haigh Hall, Pennington Flash, from birds to butterflys, insects to farmland. (And buildings too) He took some breathtaking photos with outstanding quality.
I for one miss him, come back Dave, please!

Colin please don't photograph those block of flats your referring to with DTease.

I remember the barrels of Sherry Irene. I thought it must have been cheaper to buy it like that. So I still bought a bottle or two at Christmas when I was first married. In other words I thought it must have been slightly inferior but that was when I was young and numb!

You were right Colin it would make a fine ‘Lido’ ..if only the climate warming reached us here in the North. Brrrrr. If ever it did I could imagine Palm trees and Coconut trees swaying in the breeze.
Pipe dreams though.

Veronica, Colin had mentioned "the hole" being a place to store barrels of sherry, which he just intended as a joke to our lovely Garry, who knows we all know of his fondness for a glass or two and doesn't mind at all. It just triggered off the memory of the "Wood from the Trees" lady! At the same time in the chemists there were some disposable nappies, (many years before "Pampers" appeared), called Tufty Tails, and we had a customer in the chemists who always asked for "Toby Twirls"! Isn't it odd what stays in your mind over so many years?? I know my comment went off at a tangent from the photo but I just hoped it would bring a smile to people....let's face it, we need one in Wigan at the moment!

All part of an important historic record. Thanks Colin :)

Another good picture Colin, you are making good use of that ' Access all Areas ' pass :) I remember going into the service area when the market was open, it looks so much bigger now that the lid is off. Do we really need a cinema here ? I read the one at Robin Park is re opening and getting a complete facelift. The parking is better down there too. Same with the bowling arena, the one just off Wallgate is barely ticking over. Don't get me started with the appartments.

No disrespect intended to Dave ( Oy ) . He was everything that everyone says he was ,
( and he still is ) .
But he ultimately found himself in a position whereby posting photos on p.a.d. became …well ,
shall we say , …. a little confrontational ,… or not worth the hassle .

I’m of the opinion also that Singapore Mick wasn’t fully appreciated either Margaret , even though he did pretty much everything Oy did, even though some of his pics may not have attained the professional standard set by Oy .

But unlike Oy , Mick didn’t take photos in order to pay his bills .
Neither did Ron Dawber.
They both did it because that’s what they wanted to do …
… free , gratis , and for buggerall.

And now Mick appears to have abandoned ship also .

There may be a moral here should we take the time and trouble to search for it .

What karmic crime did Wigan do ,
that turned the good to bad ,
what shame of face
that turned this place
from goodness now to sad .
Now left to ponder
like Southport sea
I waited once but left it be
never touching or reaching thee
unlike my salt called Wigan...

I don't think Mick has abandoned ship at all, Ozy; I think he appears under different names.

I remember when I worked at ROF Euxton Irene, an ‘old lady’ - to me! (60yrs) in charge of a box of shiny ball bearings which she had to insert in some component or other complaining “I don’t like these balls I would rather have
“Ferretti’s greasy balls”…said in all innocence. We were all rolling about laughing and she was oblivious. I think that was the correct name of the ball bearings I know it sounded Italian.
Sorry if it sounds offensive but I’ve never forgotten the incident. Perhaps one of the men knows the correct name. I think they were famous.

That’s true Irene. He can’t hide either…

That's hilarious, Veronica! It's one thing keeping your face straight when you're alone but not when there are a few of you, (particularly when you're all young!) I've asked Peter about the ball bearings but he doesn't recall the name Ferrettis except for the ice-cream van with that name, and wonders if the ball bearings could be "Ferex"?

I say this respectfully ,
but for what it’s worth , I think you’re both mistaken , although it has been obvious for some time that there are one or two clowns about trying to con you into thinking they’re Mick .

I can reel off a whole list of names who’ve been cited as being suspects in the past months , so how long will it be before we’re all suspected of being Mick I wonder .

My advice would be to let it drop . Allow it to go over your heads and try to avoid becoming paranoid .

Just a piece of friendly advice , nothing more .
Please don’t take it amiss .

By the way Veebs , they may have been
“Ferranti’s greasy balls”
as Ferranti had a massive factory at Chadderton near Oldham ….
… Still funny though .

When speaking in the Wigan lingo, Veronica, we would tend to say, "We use Ferrex's ball-bearings where I work", which WOULD sound like "Ferretti's" . Just a thought.

It’s 60 odd years ago Irene. She was called Alice and came from Whelley, she spoke really slow with a Wigan accent.. The name of the ball bearings sounded Italian definitely. It was eye watering anyway…

Take me hat off to Wigan Council, that sure is one fine hole they have built in Wigan Town centre, it sort of looms large as you walk down Makinson Arcade, filling you with a feeling of dread.

I wonder if the ground floor of the Galleries has been left in situ, so as to reinforce the retaining walls of the basement, so that Market Street and New Market Street do not collapse into the basement area of the former Galleries ?

On about the sinking ground near to the tower, that is actually the block paving which has been left there for access to the Market Hall, the block paving was laid to undulate slightly, so as to allow rain water to run off into the drainage channels provided.

That can be seen in this Google Maps link

https://maps.app.goo.gl/F4fVUWWk3VcM9Jpj6

On about the great Oy he runs his own photo website

https://www.wdphoto.co.uk/forum/index.php

FERRANTI’S that’s it Ozy! I knew it began with F. And Italian to boot. ;o))
To be honest that wouldn’t go down at all well in today’s workplace. I wouldn’t have swapped it for the world though.

I think I will also buy a bike when the weather gets a little warmer Colin.