Photo-a-Day  (Monday, 29th July, 2024)

Still surviving not like the building in the background which will soon be a pile of rubble

I’ve guessed its secret, your going to tell us it was once Wigans biggest Pie Shop, three stories of Pie Heaven.
Wigan built on Pies.

Oh for an Oliver Sumners shop….loved it for fishing and cricket stuff 60 years ago

I remember it as a furniture store. We bought a bedroom suite from there. That would be the earl seventies. I didn’t know anything of its history at all. Also if I’m correct it was Pooles at one time in the 40’s and 50’s.

Oops! Not Pooles but Bon Marche. ( Or was it?)

Not quite WN6 it is far more interesting.
The above building was acquired by Richard Makinson in 1879 having advertised his previous property at 48 Millgate from which he ran his Tea Warehouse For Let. The 1871 census lists him at that address, Richards occupation is given as tea dealer and that of travelling draper.
So with his property up for let he he moved to new premises in 34 Standishgate. His warehouse was at the back then named Cowlings Yard and was named Cowling Warehouse. At the same time he acquired property on the opposite corner at 1 Mesnes Street.
He was a well known and esteemed buyer on the Liverpool Tea Market and his wholesale and retail prospered and a further property opened in the Moot Hall Building in Wallgate.
Richards dream was to sweep away the decay and slum buildings from Wigan and replace them with handsome arcades and shops with imposing architecture on busy modern streets. He built and owned more shop property than any other man in the town, in 1895 Richard purchased adjacent to 1 Mesnes Street in both Mesnes Street and Standishgate and demolished them in order to build Cowling Buildings to the new architectural plans of prolific Wigan architect George Heaton.
Richards next project was the extensive redevelopment of Mesnes Street his impressive row of shop was named Market Buildings (featured on yesterdays PAD).
Again working with George Heaton, Richard set to work on building the iconic Makinson Arcade with his Tea Warehouse and shop to the right hand side of the Woodcock Street Entrance, this eventually closed in 1974 but the mosaic tiled entrance on the floor is still in place.
Marks and Spencer opened the first 'Penny Bazaar' store at 29 Makinson Arcade in1899 before moving to Standishgate in 1931.
By 1901 Richard was living in The Old Manor House (Also known as Walmesley House) 19 Bishopsgate, off Hallgate. Now demolished to build Dorning Street Telephone Exchange (I think he would have been horrified).
Much or the above information are extracts sourced from the excellent article prepared by Wigan Building Heritage Trust so many thanks to them for their incredible work.

His name was Somers, I remember buying fishing tackle from Oliver, once one my mates said have any maggots for bate.
He said go and look for a dead cat you will find a lot on them.

Veronica, it was Bon Marche, all the outside finished in bright pink. At one time, either before or after Bon Marche, I remember it being a pram shop.

Thanks Derek….i don’t know where ‘Pooles’ came from! I don’t remember it being pink outside or a pram shop. But the furniture shop must have been later. Definitely mid seventies. That’s when we replaced the bedroom furniture which was given to us.

I can vaguely remember a furniture shop but not Bon Marche or a pram shop.
Cannot quite in down when it was acquired by The Noble Organisation who were based ( I think) in South Shields for slot machines and bingo.
Strange that when Mothercare opened that was the end of Pram Shop, then Toy & Hobby opened in Bryan House and that put paid to Toy Shops. Now both of them bit the dust and the former Market Hotel is now a Pram Shop!
Funny old world.

We built this city, we built this city, we built this city on Pies ‘n Peas.

Colin, marks and spencer didn’t open the first “penny bazaar” store in Wigan.
Veronica, ‘pooles’ originated from Liverpool.

In the 1950s - early 60s it was Boardmans household furniture store. Hardys took over from Boardmans in the mid 60s, then they were taken over by Harris Queensway about 1980 this shop becoming Harris Carpets.

Didn’t Howard P used to work at Mothercare ?… I’m fairly sure she did … and wasn’t she in charge of the department that dealt with polishing the Silver Cross prams with Dur -a - Glit ?

I just have this vague recollection… , could be mistaken .

I do have a vague memory of a Pooles store I wonder if it was the store that came before Oxleys.

Well I’m not absolutely certain that she was in charge of the Dur-a-Glit department , but I rather “suspect” that she was .

Goodbye my friend,
let memories spend
a moments time with you
what used to be
I no longer see
so sadness comes so easy
I’ve lost my place
in this different space
the rubber chap has come
and left but few
of the mine I knew
but a picture
and a soul …. now gone…

Ozy tins of Duraglit are available on EBay for the price of £12 !

DuraGlit is only cotton wool soaked in Brasso.

Veronica, Pooles department store ran all along Station Rd. from it's junction with Millgate until almost opposite the Ritz (or ABC depending on how old we are). It did become Oxleys and after Oxleys, the part at the junction of Station Rd and Millgate was taken over by a national chain furniture store, whose whose double barrelled name escapes me.

Veronica, I have remembered the name of the furniture store I mentioned in my previous comment. It was Waring and Gillow.

Yes you’re right Derek. I had forgotten the name of the furniture store. We bought a 3 piece bedroom suite from there. And it was Pooles before Oxleys. I remember having a bottle green uniform from there when I went to Senior school. That would have been
1957/ 58. That would have been when Oxleys went in the Pooles building. A lot of people went there because it was cheaper.

I always thought Pooles's was a Pemberton firm, not Liverpool.