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Photos of Wigan
Photos of Wigan



Photo-a-Day Archive
Photo-a-Day Archive

Photo-a-Day  (Friday, 17th May, 2024)

Swan Meadow


Swan Meadow
The re-birth of Eckersley's Mill. Towering over Wigan Pier.

Photo: Dennis Seddon  (Sony DSC-HX99)
Views: 1,479

Comment by: PeterP on 17th May 2024 at 07:21

Glad to see a building being repurposed instead of going to a ruin like the Pagefield building. When finished lets hope it is in use for many years to come

Comment by: Helen of Troy on 17th May 2024 at 07:25

Is the mill being turned into flats....or is it better that I should say apartments ?!

Comment by: Irene Roberts on 17th May 2024 at 07:54

I wonder what my late Auntie and all the other people who worked there would make of this? The site of the forbidding mill chimney coming nearer and nearer as they hurried to work, frightened of being late and of having their wages docked, and having to "mee-maw" to each other to make themselves understood above the deafening looms. I believe it is being made into offices and apartments, and after its history of noise I hope it will be a quiet and peaceful home for the people who will live there.

Comment by: Colin Traynor on 17th May 2024 at 08:21

Thanks for the picture, the area already looks much better than the last time I visited 40 years ago!
I understand the entire project will cost in the region of £200 million.

Comment by: Veronica on 17th May 2024 at 08:46

Do you think they will be interviewing for some old hands in the weaving shed Dennis? I doubt there’s anybody left - I could perhaps do a bit of ‘doffing’..if thats any use. This is very ‘nystagmus’ photo ..

Comment by: John (westhoughton) on 17th May 2024 at 14:41

Dennis is where you was standing to take this photo the starting point for the canal cruise boats?

Comment by: Sue on 17th May 2024 at 15:47

I can remember when that chimney was a big un

Comment by: Alan P on 17th May 2024 at 17:51

"nystagmus", Veronica ! That's a rare diagnosis, but you got it right !

Comment by: Sir Bob on 17th May 2024 at 18:51

That chimney, which used to be a 'big un' and is now a 'little un' is a 'listed' chimney, and a couple of decades or so ago, the owners of the said 'chimney' asked the council if they could take the top five feet off the chimney for safety reasons, to which the council agreed, now whether it was bad communications with the 'taking top off chimney people' or slight of hand, or in this case slight of sledge hammer, after a few days of demolishing the chimney, somebody important from Wigan council, realised that they were demolishing the entire chimney, not the top five foot of it, to which the said 'official' ran screaming on to the site yelling "oi you can't doo that" to which the workmen said "oops, we've dropped a b*llock here" to which it was replied "No, yoove dropped a chimney"

Comment by: Dennis Seddon on 17th May 2024 at 19:00

Yes John, I was on the little bridge near number one Wigan Pier.

Comment by: Veronica on 17th May 2024 at 21:26

I can’t take credit though Alan I ‘pinched’ it from John Noakes.

Comment by: Rev David Long on 19th May 2024 at 13:00

Before anyone else misuses the term nystagmus as being related to nostalgia - it's from the Greek for drowsiness, and describes an involuntary oscillation of the eyes, especially common among miners (OED definition). I'm presuming Mr Noakes was being ironic - in response to my comment that Nostalgia is a disease.

Comment by: Maureen on 19th May 2024 at 17:09

James Galway..the lovely Irish man who played the flute suffered with Nystagmus.

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