Photo-a-Day  (Friday, 28th February, 2025)

That is some industrial area & great image Colin, I wonder how you were able to take it...a drone ? Eckersley Mill is one mighty ,solid looking edifice & I am happy to know it is not being demolished

Very impressive view of the new owd mills in Wigan.

Great picture thanks Colin, it brings back good memories of when I worked on the site, weaving shed, M&A fashions, Foster Len, I Diamonds, Westwood coaches, and the offices of Leslie Fink who owned the site at the time, the building that's being worked on now was an Auction centre shared with a bed manufacturer.

Although this is a bleak industrial pictures it does include the pastoral landscape of Shevington in the background. We should remember that Wigan is town and country

To help with this photo, I have copied the report I posted on PAD 21st February.
Even though some of the buildings will be demolished, others will be converted and new buildings constructed sympathetic in design to the old.
Heaton Group reveals £180m vision for Eckersley Mills
Proposals for the grade two-listed complex include a further 817 residential units, a 120-bedroom hotel, and a roller rink.
The Heaton Group has lodged its latest plans with Wigan Council for the regeneration of the 17-acre Eckersley Mills site off Meadow Road.
Plans form the third phase of of the Wigan-based group’s wider £180m masterplan for the transformation of the Victorian cotton mills.
The first phase is already under construction, as Mill One becomes a mixed-use building with 80,000 sq ft of offices, a rooftop restaurant, a food hall, and a microbrewery. Plans for Mill Three were approved in June for its conversion into 137 apartments.
Designed by Fletcher-Rae Architects, the scheme would see the demolition of various buildings including Mill Two, the former welfare building, the former 1884 reeling room, and Mill One’s weaving sheds.
Another former reeling block, as well as the winding block and offices on site would be retained and redeveloped.
The former reeling block would provide a 2,100 sq ft roller rink and events area, alongside 16,200 sq ft of commercial space.
In total, 13 commercial units ranging from 200 sq ft to 3,000 sq ft are proposed to be delivered within the former winding block and office building.
Heaton Group also wants outline permission to build 817 homes across five blocks, which would bring the total of homes across the site to 954. There are also plans for a 120-bedroom hotel and two commercial units totalling 4,600 sq ft, as well as a 289-space multi-storey car park.
Proposals feature 505 one-, 280 two-, and 32 three-bedroom homes, including 121 later living residences.
John Heaton, managing director of Heaton Group, said: “We’ve spoken to residents and key stakeholders from the council, Homes England and Historic England, and the local MP to explain our thoughts and take in their comments and feedback.
“For us as a Wigan-based business, we know that this site has been neglected for far too long and our plans will bring new life to an important site”, he continued.
“They will provide significant benefits for the whole town, providing high-quality facilities everyone will be able to enjoy.”
Paul Butler Associates is the scheme’s planning and heritage consultant. The project team also includes Rachel Hacking Ecology, Salford Archaeology, Exterior Architecture, Quality Engineering Design, Temple Group, Andy Maw Design, and JBA Consulting.

Very impressive photo. Well done Colin.

It must be by Drone or perhaps Colin’s got extremely long legs?

I can see the Shevington Viaduct and our house on this one.

It certainly shows the entire area wonderfully of works past and present, can see also that the allotments which folks from the Potteries once had are now covered with housing. The only pastoral scene I can see are the green meadows between Newtown and Worsley Mesnes, with all other areas from North to South and East to West being covered in housing and other buildings.

I think that view is more to the south east of Wigan, Shevington is more to the west.
That said, you are right in that there are a great many beautiful pastoral scenes and countryside north, south, east and west of our former industrial town, perhaps these will feature on PAD in the coming weeks and months.
When they finish this development I hope there will be green spaces, trees and open spaces for people to stroll, relax and enjoy their surroundings.

Eckersley mill looks a bit like a giant transistor radio in this shot , what with the crane jib sticking up an’ all .

Yeah ! … a bit fanciful I know , but no more fanciful than Big H claiming he can see his house … come on !

Now if he’d said “ I can just about make out the general area within which my domicile is located “ … then that would have been a different matter entirely.

Not to worry , just me double de-clutching down into pedantic mode .

Smiles all round .Ozy.

Is his scrapyard in theere?

Big H. wears his Shevy vest
Mick is tired, he needs a rest
Our house in the middle of our street
Our house in the middle of our

Does favour a ghetto blaster Ozy, and it is dull in the distance.

Btw have any Wiganers managed to see the 2025 planetary parade?

T. D. I have been out each night, I have the Planet App on my phone but by eye sight can only really see Venus of the inner planets and Mars and Jupiter of the outer but I know the rest are out there.
Never mind, I read that we are going to be hit by an asteroid in 2032 just before Christmas. I’ll be 92 so don’t think I’ll be ordering a Turkey that year!

Correction. I’ll be 94!!!!!
Goodness me, how time flies by, faster than the Planets.

I hope we are all still around to see that asteroid Colin.

I worked at both of these mills in the mid 60s. Lap-carrying.