Commercial Yard

me and my mates used to have the commercial inn as our local in the 60s until it closed the best little pub in the world my mates were bill lancaster, george naylor jim belshaw,bill deacon,alan rylance bernard mullaney,norman smart i rember you carol as a young girl your mother kay and dad jack a gentleman. and your grandad fred. and there was don a regular a right character but i think he was on the other side he gave me a lift home once never again god rest is soul. o another mate was with us to eric green, good mate of mine still is we new rose to she used to go mad when when we all turned 18 . anyone who wants to get in touch can do talk about old times i wish i could turn the clock back i would go straight back to the commercial, good luck to everybody to you carol and your mum kay god bless my e mail enclosed.

spent a couple of hours drinking the falstaff winter warming ale in the commercial,only brewed in the cold months ,brilliant atmosphere,almost dickensian one night when it snowed,i kept blaming the snow for being a little unsteady,but it had much more to do with walkers brewery at warrington

In summer 1964 myself & Alan Hodson(Oggie) had started a group ‘Oggie & The Membranes’. One Saturday afternoon, Oggie and me got the bus to Wigan, from Ashton (neither of us could drive). We called at William Leyland’s shop(our agent) in Darlington Street, as we often did. While we were there, Bob McKinlay came in. ‘The Long & The short’ were at their peak, having charted with ‘The Letter’ and had been on Top of the Pops etc. - ‘The Letter’ was played constantly on ‘Radio Caroline’. We knew Bob quite well having performed with L & S several times and we lived quite near to each other. The three of us walked into the town centre and went for a drink in ‘The Commercial’ (Inn? Hotel? - Commercial Yard, - remember? - where ‘The Galleries’ is now). After a couple of jars, we strolled out on to Market Place, where we were spotted by a group of girls waiting for a bus(it wasn‘t pedestrianised then). They recognised Bob and came screeching & screaming across the road, this commotion attracted a lot of attention and pretty soon we were surrounded by every girl in earshot. I didn’t know whether to stand there or ‘leg it’, it was a bit intimidating, I think it’s accurate to say that we were ‘mobbed’ and spent quite a few minutes signing autographs. Oggie and me had done a bit of autograph signing before but not on this scale, we were obviously mistaken for Bob’s band, although Oggie had become quite well known in his own right (locally). Bob took it all in his stride, remaining relaxed and charming (as always). In those few minutes we got a taste of what it must be like to be a Beatle.

I always used to think Shannons was a Pet Shop, but only because thee was always a big lazy Tom Cat asleep on the sacks of dried goods. I can still rember the smell. Not of the Tom Cat but the Flour, grain, beans, peas, feed and a hundred other things rolled into one. Doubt you could ever smell anything like that anywhere now.

Hi David, no doubt I know you, as 1958 was the time I started having my hair cut at the Moot Hall. Carried on going there until the Commercial Yard was demolished.I can remember going in one day and asking for a NERO type haircut, (which was becoming the fashion). The barber cutting my hair said "You Need To Be An'ero To Walk Around Wigan With That Haircut" <g> As I am typing this I can remember it as though it was last week. Did the barbers move to a shop upstairs?

In 1958 I started as an apprentice hairdresser at the MootHall,in the commercial yard.My name is David Grundy.If you can't remember me. do you remember the other 2 hairdressers... Len Booth + Jack Cook also Tony Heart plus others.

My boyfriend (now husband of 36 years) worked at Sawbridges Butchers when we first met in 1968 (he was 17 and I was 15!). I remember going to Latimer's to buy fresh yeast,(which my Mam called "barm"), for a cookery lesson at school.I wish those atmospheric alleyways and arcades were still here instead of The Galleries and The Grand Arcade, which have about as much character as a bin-bag!

The tobacconists was Ashton and you had to go through the shop for the barbers shop which my uncle

i worked in the commercial yard, sawbridges butchers, 1968,i'd just left school then and was 15 years young,i used to deliver orders on a bike with a basket on the front of the bike, the traffic bobby at the top of market st always stopped the traffic for me when i was coming up brew on wallgate .i had a date with a girl who worked in the cafe up the steps at the bottom of commercial yard, sadley i don't remember her name or the cafe's name, but the sign on the cafe wall i can remenber, it had the word ' brunches', first time i'd heard that phrase. anyway girl if you remember me, we went to the pictures and i enjoyed the night, so thank you and i hope you're well

I remember working for J H Dewhurst butchers in mackinsons arcade and in market place just round the corner from commercial yard, we used to go in the commercial pub after we closed the shop at 6 oclock.

we used to go in commercial hotel for a drink after working on buses you was not allowed to go in pub in uniform at the time of mr james mcknight general manager but we did in early 60s

Just found the wigan site with letters and memories of the commercial yard and especially the pub.This was our regular pub in the 60s,with first your grandad Fred as landlord, after that Jack and Kay. Your dad was a personal friend of ours over 30yrs one of the best starting with the interest in vintage motorcycles [scotts] We remember you first,as a young girl in a plaster cast,and later with a black and white collie type dog called shandy.Do you remember the trap door in the living room leading down to the beer cellar,where a reputed ghost on occasions used to tip all the drip buckets into the centre drain? Nice to hear that your still around all the best to you and your mum. Eric and Joyce

I used to go in the Commercial Inn during the 60s - fabulous place. I remember the old landlord, Fred and also the place up the wooden steps where you could eat.

I used to work at mcgregors in commercial yard I think moot hall barbers was furthur up off the market place down a littile alley leading down to the parish church

I remember a back access to the Conservative Club at the bottom of Commercial Yard and my dad taking me there to watch a snooker exhibition by Joe Davies early 1950's I guess,also recall the barbers where I used to go for haircuts,and once only,for a shave on the morning I was married,many fond memories of Wigan

My grandad had the George and Dragon in the late 60s, what a thriving pub that was in it`s time. It was at the top of Perch st . It was always packed people would knock on the door waiting to come in.

Oh, I remember that E-Type Jag! I was only very little, and my Mum used to drag me around town shopping. But it made my day looking at that car! I always said I'd buy it when I grew up! (I never did!) (Buy it, I mean. OR grow up!) Was there a fishmongers there too?

I remember the Commercial Yard from shopping with my mum as a child in the 50s and also the Commercial Inn where me and my husband used to go for a drink after our courses at Wigan Tech. before we were married in the 60s! I also remember the shops around the corner in Market Street as my mum would take me into Coopers grocers which had big containers stood around on the floor with dried fruit in and lentils and other pulses, it was a fabulous shop. Next door was Voses cafe where we would have some lunch and we also bought tea and coffee from Makinsons and pork pies etc. from Mark Williams on the bottom corner of the Arcade. Pooles also had a cafe in Market Street and I always wanted to go upstairs and sit at a table in the window so I could see all down Woodcock Street and everything that was going on!! Wonderful memories for me.

does anyone remember the barbers in commercial yard? I used to have my hair cut there in the 60s.sadly I dont need a barber these days!

Jean the shop that you bought your painting from would have been Mcgreggors which sold paint and wallpaper but I also remember seeing paintings for sale in the window.

We bought a painting from a shop in Commercial Yard in the 60s. 'The Wings of Love' but I can't remember the name of the shop. Also, someone asked if anyone remembered the Olde Dog Inn. My husband lived there in the late 50s/early 60s.

Waterworths Bros ( fruit shop ) . I worked at Waterworths in 65 / 66 , i was 18 then with bushy hair / DA and side burns. Does anyone remember me who worked there at that time , the manageress was Mrs Holland .I would love to hear from anyone of the above . Regards Bill Farrell

I do not have a personal memory but tracing family history I find that I have a great uncle who had a tarpaulin manufacturing business in Commercial Yard this was in 1881.

Howdy Degs probably is Cliff. We all went to that barbers in the school dinner hour. Cliff like the rest of us thought he was a teddy boy. Tight pants big shoes bunch o grapes quif DA and bum fluff sideboards.

i remeber moot hall hairdressers because my mate from school alan benson was a trainee barber there he now lives in canada

As a kid I remember we used to run past Shannon's and grab a handful of pigeon peas for our pea-shooters.When I was older went in the Commercial and moot hall.Would like to know if the C.higham is Cliff friend of mine from those times.

I remember the Commercial Inn I was working at Brians Furniture store in Mesnes St the year Foin Avon won the national I went in the commercial to celebrate with my winnings after work. Then went home pretty much sloshed

I remember the barbers just inside the yard on the right hand side, had a good haircut there. Wasn't there a provision mechant there with the name of E.H.Monks. This site is really great.

Hello Carol, I remember all your family Fred, Kay and Jack and yourself and Annie and Rose. I used to drink with Tommy Farimond and the Rainford brothers - haven't seem any of them since I left Wigan in 1977. Please give my good wishes to your mum.

HI ITS CAROL WHO USED TO LIVE AT THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL AGAIN.FIRSTLY TO THE CHAP ASKING WAS I A FRIEND OF ANN CRAIK..YES THATS ME!I SEE PEOPLE ARE REMEMBERING OUR LADIES WHO SERVED IN THE PUB.THE ONES I KNEW BEST WERE ANNIE AND ROSE.WE ALSO HAD A LADY CALLED MARGARET AND LATER A LADY CALLED WINNIE.ANYBODY REMEMBER THEM?SADLY MY DAD JACK DIED A FEW YEARS AGO BUT MY MUM KAY IS STILL WELL AND IS LIVING NEAR US IN STANDISH.YOU MAY REMEMBER MY GRANDAD FRED WHO WAS LANDLORD BEFORE MY PARENTS TOOK OVER..PLEASE WRITE IN IF YOU REMEMBER US OR THE PUB.IT WOULD BE NICE TO LET MY MUM KNOW WHOS STILL OUT THERE!

Hello Lidsay - only just seen your post. In the early '70s the was a very pleasent lady called Rose she had blonde hair - and I think lived in Wigan Road past Boars head on the left. She served me many times.

My first day at work as an apprentice plumber was in the Conservative club entered by Commercial Yard. Later we worked alongside the decorators from McGreggors onother jobs.

I was a conductor come driver on Wigan Corpy in the late 50's. We used to walk into Commercial Yard at end of shift up the first steep flight of stairs, to pay-in, all the Pennies, threepenny bits, tanners, shillings and all the rest. Weighed a ton. In summer possibly a swift half or two in Commercial Inn.

i knew rose she was from worsley hall she waited on in tape room,me and my mates would drink there every week end we were only 17 if she new that we would have got a clip round ear hole

my nan was rose and she was a barmaid at the commercial has anyone any memories of her

I used to visit a barbers in the Commercial Yard 50s and 60s. I think it was called Moot Hall for a reason I don't know. Had my first Teddy Boy crop there - bunch o' grapes and DA.

I have very good memories of the commercial pub it was one of the first pubs my boyfriend Dave later my husband took me in.

For Catherine Rosbottom. Your Mums cousin would be Jimmy then.He is on a photo in Album, Schools,Whelley Primary( it should be "Secondary"). He is on the the left on the front row next to the teacher.

Someone mentioned Greenhalgh's barbershop in the Commercial yard. It was run by my Mum's uncle Ernie. I vaguely remember going in there as a very small child in the late 60's.

Coincidently it had to be another Green (Carol) to be the only one to mention ".Waterworths" I worked there after leaving school in 1936 as an errand boy.used to get my hair cut next door, and after the war when i came back to Wigan I used to have the odd pint in the commercial inn. Jimmy Ratcliffe drove Latimers delivery van.

Iremember the commercial inn well as i used to work in coopers grocery shop on market street. lunch time on friday was a treat we used to have a shandy and a meat and potatoe pie with the raw pickled onions on top.a treat worth waiting for.oh for the 60's again, such happy days.

i remember thowd chap taking me and my brother for a crop in mot hall barbers in 1967 down to wood he said didnt turn out for a fortnight

i remember Jack & Kay Latham at the Commercial pub.I seem to remember Jack's father also being called Jack and he was the previous landlord.As well as his red Jaguar,young Jack also took pride in a vintage motor bike.I used to work in the Commercial Yard and would go to the pub at luchtime for a drink and one of their famous meat & potato pies with raw pickled onions on top (I can taste them now as I write) I'm not sure if it was Carol Latham that I am thinking about but I remember a daughter of Jack's was in plaster up to her hips on both legs when she was a child. Best Regards Brian Webb

DO'ES ANYONE REMEMBER THE OLD DOG PUB JUST OVER THE ROAD FROM THE COMMERCIEL YARD. AS LADS IN THE 50'S WE USED TO GO IN THE COMMERCIEL FOR A COUPLE OF PINTS, AND THEN GO IN THOWD DOG FOR A SING SONG UNTILL 10ISH,& THEN WE ALL WENT TO THEMPRESS.

Carol Latham, I think I may know you from yesteryear! Where you a friend of Ann Craike???

i have a very close friend, (m pratt nee walker) margaret's dad used to work in armstrong's boot repairer's in millgate, and she was asking me if any-one remembers dewhurst toffee shop,marsden's wholesale warehouse, walker's leather shop, and the bath hotel pub, she remembers getting ladders from marsden's, and they're still useable

I should remember commercial yard,I lived there!It was my grandfather then parents that ran the Commercial Hotel.I lived there until it was demolished when I was 15.This web site was only just brought to my attention and it was fascinating to read peoples memories of Commercial Yard and our pub in particular.I too remember all the businesses that traded in the yard I also remember Waterworths fruit shop that used to be at the top end which no one seems to have mentioned.I will keep checking the web site to see if anyone remembers me or my family.

I well remember the Commercial Yard and all the businesses there.We had a road transport firm based in Wigan and for many years I delivered tinned goods etc.to Latimers, and spices and cornflour to Shannons .It was no mean feat negotiating an 8ton Leyland lorry down Commercial yard and was even narrower coming out past Shannons !

Fab pub used it with my late husband, in fact we bought the engagment ring from Bakers jewelers and Harry put it on my finger in the Commercial pub, happy days!

In reply to Ken Birch's contribution about barbers, wern't there two barbers shops? One at the Market Place entrance after the tobacconist and the other at the bottom of the yard on the right. Up some stairs, wasn't it called Moot Hall? I seem to remember having "A pow theer", never went back though.