Some shops that no longer exist

Does anyone remember the second hand shop on Darlington Street, opposite where the court is today. I think it was called Kays.

Teh department store on Station road was called Oxleys. I used to go there with my mother as a child. I remember they used to have a great big wooden rocking horse that I would sit on while my mum paid her bill, they would let you buy things and pay weekly for them.

My wife used to work at Nimans Jewellers from leaving school to being pregnant with our first son. Her name was Edna Twigg and she has filled me in with all kinds of information about the shop and the staff. She started work there at 14 and her first job every morning was to light the boiler in the cellar to get the shop warm. She then had to sweep the front of the shop off.She remembers with affection the girls that she worked with, Hilda Clare, Alice Hutchinson, Barbara Crompton,Joan Hitchmough, Kathleen Fowles, Mrs Brindle, Miss Walls, Barbara Dainty, Eileen Alker,and the girls at Mesnes Street shop, Joan Cunliffe, Joan Welsby, Joyce Parr, Phyllis Hodson, Audrey Pedder.She remembers going to Watkins and to the Scotch Bakery for lunches, also going to the back window of the tripe shop(Voses) for pies at dinner time.They went to Pooles Cafe in Standishgate for toast at the morning break.Bert Cowan, the owner of the shop had a Humber super snipe, but being a little man, he couldn't reach the pedals or see through the windscreen, so he had blocks on the pedals and 2 cushions to lift him up.In the cellar were cardboard boxes filled with straw, containing china tea sets and glassware from pre war days.

Having worked all my working life in retail, and some of it in Wigan, you get to see quie a bit of the unseen areas of town center's. I worked for 3 years at the new'ish Dixons where Barclays Bank now is. If you went upstairs in the lift you could walk around Lowes old dept store, don't know if you can now?.The car park at the back still has a Lowes Dept parking sign near Mr Chips. With a strange turn of fate 15 yrs after leaving Wigan I have returned to manage WH Smith (Menzies,Woolies), it still feels odd managing a Wigan Landmark, the building is getting old now esp compared to the new "Grand Arcade". At some stage before Woolies my staff inform me it was a dept store and before that a Hotel "The Station Hotel?" (Station Road), upstairs a lot of the corridors do have the appearance of a hotel, we've just had our floor replaced and underneath the old one was the definate shape of bar (possibly Saloon bar), we also have a celler that looks like it would have been used for bringing in beer kegs. If anyone has any info about the building it would be interesting and I could use it to impress my ever so knowledgable staff!

Bit harsh that Bert. Bit harsh. Can you elaberate?

I was always proud to be a Wiganer... the town had character and so did its "folk" These days however, there's nothing wrong with Wigan that a small thermonuclear device wouldn't cure.

to irene murphy you should remember the arcade on king street then'. many a time spent in there.ps .in case you are wondering who this is ' i have a twin sister

does anyone remember wf lyon bakers and gidlow lane?!

The New-Way cafe in station rd is where I met my wife,Christine,she used to work there.Do you remember Denise,i remember you.Where is your sister Sandra living now,Christine would like to know.

I remember going to The Bier Keller in King St in the late 1960s & the early 1970s. Then when this closed at 23-00hrs it was off to either The Casino, Puffers or Sloopies. Far better night-life that we had in St.Helens.

Now i am totally confused !!!I have just read a message from Eddie marshall referring to Voses Pies so I was right.... up until then everyone was talking about the UCP. and i thought i had my names mixed up..Thanks eddie they were definately VOSES pies weren`t they delicious ?

couldnt read anymore tonight !!!oh what memories hard remembering the names of streets !Olier summers mesnes st,i used to work oposite and had a crush on the young boy who worked there (1951) wasnt Kate conroys auntie`s shop on mesnes st? my friends sister worked there The fire at pendleburys is remembered about 1952 or 3.My pal who worked there was heartbroken because she had left her best shoes there !To Margaret seddon....Tommy moss .I went there every sayurday morning dancing.....loved it But missed the annual party as i turned up a day late ......cried all the way home. Dont remember it being over a cinema though ..just being in the market place by the buses. On an earlier posting i spoke of Voses tripe shop with delicious M&P pies think this was the ucp on standishgate that you all refer to. The cinemas i remember were the COURT,the COUNTY,the princess and theRitz ..I will finish reading the rest of the letters tomorrow and no doubt i will be writing more letters..Would love to hear from ex gidlow school pals who left in xmas 1950..

The cafe at the top of Wallgate above Joan Barries, and opposite the policeman on point duty, was Makinson's.We used to meet friends there in the 50's.One coffee used to last you all night!! Happy days.If any of my friends remember this I would like to hear from them.

Stumbling across this site, everything came back to me, McNulty's for Royals, ABC and Court Cinema. I used to go to Rathbones at dinner time from Whelley Middle for pie, gravy and chips. My fave shops were Chelsea Girl in the new arcade, Clobber, Van Allen and Dolcis. I bought loads of platform shoes from there! I used to go to a hairdresses above Dolcis, can't remember the name, I think it was John English, but it was really posh with mirrors all the way up the stairs with pictures of the days hairstyles!!!!!

Yes I remember Veronica ALmonds, I bought my wedding dress there in '61 and later in the late 60s we bought our first babys pram from Howards Pram Centre,it was a HCB the Rolls Royce of prams.Another shop not yet mentioned is Lewis Seperates on the corner of Crompton Street/Standishgate.I worked there on Saturdays from 60 to 61 to get some money for our wedding. I remember when Pendleburys burned it was in the August.It was Ince Carnival the next day and there was a silver cup on show in the shop window, fortunately it was salvaged.I can't remember what the cup was going to be presented for maybe best float or morris dancers??? Wendy Brown my husband knows the Brown family in the off licence as he came from Newtown near St Edwards Church.I know of your Auntie Elsie through her brother Clive Welding and would like to know if your mum is the Margaret Brown[nee Wood] who is related to Bea and Sammy Wood who live in Pemberton.

I remember Andre Bernards very well - I married Barbara Jackson who was the permer and tinter in the late 1960s. Also, the Stantons crumpet man used to call at our house in Standish in the 1950s and, by coincidence, I ended up going to the Thomas Linacre school, with David Stanton. He was one of the bright ones ...

I remember Lowe's department store on the Market Place well. It had thick plush carpets laid with brass stair rods on wide wooden stairs. My mother took me to buy my Wigan Girls' High School uniform there including the dark brown mac with detachable hood and purse sewn into one pocket and matching velour hat with striped brown and yellow ribbon bearing the golden eagle badge. The cash went whizzing off overhead in a cylinder along a tube system and the receipt and change came back with a whoosh. Then it was off to Craddock's shoe shop in the Market Place for the brown leather winter lace-ups and rubber-soled strapped indoor shoes.

i remember a girl i had a crush on when i went to st thomases school in caroline st her name was brender helen oaks she used to have long pigtails at school, and i think she had a crush on the cock of the school his name was billy holland

my father owned oliver somers cycles/toys and controlled the michellin man on mesnes street. I worked there at weekends, what a fantastic town I have so many memories

Hi Pat.I well remember cheese and tomato rolls from Mcandlishes. I also worked at Taylors Bridge Baron and Sykes. Before Mcandlishes we used to call the shop Dickie Lees.Kitty.

hello adella i remember your nan, if its the same one she used to live in fitzadam street off frog lane and have a son called alan and a daughter called linda. i knocked about with alan for many years. and i used to go to sloopies. where your nan was on the door,most of the time she would let me in for nothing, i think they should remember me, eddie garrett, all the best to your family

CAN ANYONE REMEMBER THE HAIRDRESSERS THAT USED TO BE IN WIGAN TOWN CENTER.ANDRE BERNARDS OPPOSITE THE RITZ AND CHARLES OVER THE(WHAT IS NOW A CARD)SHOP ON THE CORNER OF CROMPTON ST.THIS WAS AROUND THE 1960s.

In trying to find out about the Maypole Grocer shops i happened upon your site. My grandfather, Arthur John Brockwell was resposible for most of the outstanding tiling that used to be on the walls of the shops. Does anyone know if any of his work is still in existance?

Yes I remember Joan Barries dress shop does anyone out there remember A.& L. Smith, Darlington St. & Veronica Almond (Scholes) two highly fashionable ladies shops, both sold beautiful dresses & coats which were highly fashionable and of excellent quality.I still remember some of the lovely clothes my mother bought for me from these shops in the nighteen fifties, if only todays clothes were of the same quality.(at that time they would be British made and come from British woven cloth)

I remember Nora Websters hair and beaty salon it was situated above Lowes

an earlies posting mentions STARR,S the printers, hunting throught the 1881 census I came across a James Starr at 9, Wrightington Street (swinley area)......Printing Master, employing.. 2 men... 3 boys....7 women. Was perhaps the founder of the Company

i worked in the newway caff from 1964 -1966 many happy times lots of good mem remembering all the pople friends and singing stars what used to come into the caff from the sixties who used to come for expresso at the caff

re: pend /fire Kate Conroy ,I stood on my bedroom window sill and could see the sky full of smoke and the flames , lived in kitt green

Does anyone remember the day Lennons supermarket opened, the had packets of tea at half price, the town came to a standstill!! I was there. I remember Kays of Darlington St being the most exciting shop, everything was army surplus! Anyone remember Myers chippy Manchester rd Ince, next door to Grundys furniture shop. What about Johnny cometomorrow the chemist, Lance Lucas tempereance bar at Higher Ince,Fishing in the canal and Ince Park Lake, and going swimming in the green waters... happy days.

Wot hapened to Mayburys pie shop in on the corner in whelley. great pies great gravy proper meat. satday afternoons great. todays pies - b. awful give me jip. wot hapened to Higsons chippy end of longshoot scholes. friday tea - wet misures and fish great. make your butty with fish and chips and dip in the pea wet. great - take your basin - just fish chips peas and babis yeds them days. always fresh. comelate - get nowt. today curry chicken susage warmed up pies - wots all that about. b. awful. frozen fish taste likes wallpaper paste. tinned mushy peas. wots mushy peas. steep em boil em proper. lets have some pea wet. make a fortune anybody opens a proper pie shop or a proper chip shop. todays pies and chippies. b. awful. Blue.

i remember the Bridgewater pub corner of bridgewater st wallgate.. sissy ryans toffee shop..farrs motor repair place corner of egerton st.. mrs livseys chippy . grimshaws cippy.. ogilvys toofee shop .. the temperance bar .. malleys shoe shop

I remember the Golden Lion in Wallgate very well that's where I first met my husband about 39years ago. My eldest sister Jean worked behind the bar for a while.

My Great-Grandfather, Stephen Gorman, was the barman at the Golden Lion for a few years before he took his family to Providence, Rhode Island USA in 1905. Stephen (1901), Harold (1903), and William Gorman (1905), the children of Stephen Gorman and Annie Pomfret, were born in the flat above the Golden Lion Pub. If anybody has a photo of this Golden Lion Pub/Hotel in Wallgate, please contact me: billdorgan@billdorgan.com

Hello Sully,of course I remember Crass and Discharge at Trucks we supported Discharge and played Trucks another couple of times on our own. Also remember Killing Joke blowing the electrics up those were the days. Remember all the trouble we got into because we were scousers? Still loved Trucks though.

Hello Alan Sullivan in Oz. I saw Crass etc play at Trucks in 1981. Does anyone remember the CND benefit around the same time (the System played).It was filmed and shown on BBC1 (Nationwide).Since my last entry on this website (a while ago)I've had an interview for a job in Wigan and am due to start at Christmas.I couldn't help noticing that they've flattened the shops that used to be on Station Road, including the cafe where the Sex Pistols played pool after the Casino gig was cancelled. As for a Trucks reunion, quite bizarrely I've discovered that my new boss is currently in a band with Andy Coward (ex-the System). I also met Tony Singleton after he came to a gig I put on at the Tudor (Len Price 3)with the Club Rendez- Vous boys (Mel and Dave Arnold). Tony might take some convincing but I think a Trucks reunion will be on the cards for the new year.There's a chapter on Trucks in Stuart MaConie's book 'Cider with Roadies' (all about growing up in Wigan) for anyone who's interested. Blimey. One last thing; Keily- that Notsensibles album ('Instant Classic') should go for £30 tops ! (even the early version). Cheers mate. Punk rock and pies.

What memories reading all this brought back. I lived in Wigan right up until 2005 from 1960 so I saw a lot of these changes. I remember the large bathroom and plumber's shop on the corner of Woodcock Street and Hope Street. The Wishbone cafe on the corner of Hope Street and Marsden Street. Gore's neswstand in the old bus station. JJ Bradburn's sports shop in Market Street (I think) that is now the JJB Sports empire. Oliver Somers toy and cycle shop in Mesnes Street with the Michelin man outside. Waiting for the 25 bus to Beech Hill outside the Happy Palace Chinese in Market Street. Latimer's grocers also in Market Street. Jacksons the Tailors and the Fleece Hotel opposite Lowes. I used to work in the Natwest Bank in Standishgate and we had a little bank in Woodcock Street as well. I remember Whelans supermarket in Hope Street and Oobidoo's (spelt correctly) when it started in Wallgate opposite the Post Office. Warring and Gillow's furniture shop down the side of Woolworths on Station Road. The old Boots at the top of makinso's Arcade. Syd Smith's stall in the Little Arcade with top and bottom Legs pretending to be the longest pub in England. I used to have my hair cut at Moot Hall in Commercial Yard by Ted. Such memories are priceless. I remember St Andrew's primary school in Springfield, Gidlow Middle and Whitley High. Do you remember Alf Peacock's stalls in the old Market Hall selling curtains and material? I recently heard that Peter Peacock (who ran the stall up until the Market hall was demolished) had recently passed away. Condolences to his wife and two children. As the theme tune to 'Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads' said "the only thing to look forward to is the past". Not strictly true but as we get older, memories are to be cherished. Thanks everyone for those memories.

does anyone remember the British Restaurant in king street , was next to the court cinema, also new square at bottom of standishgat

I stated work in 1961 at Edmondsons barbers in Library Street.I worked there for 10yrs. I remember many of the old places Iused to go to th UCP for lunch.Does anyone remember the first Chinese to open in Wigan?There was one above Joan Barries and one down the Royal arcade (upstairs).I think one was the Happy Palace.Great to think back.

Does anyone remember Crass playing at Trucks or Discharge ? Discharge actually stayed at my mates flat in Skem that night ! Who said punk was dead ..

MY auntie HIlda and uncle Cyril were the landlords of the Golden Lion pub in Wallgate, their last name was Livsey, I remember a young man by the name of cliff worked for them behind the bar. They are long ago deceased and also their only son, my cousin Kenneth died also quite a few years ago. I lived with them for about 3 or 4 months before returning to Canada. I have wonderful memories of Wigan.

I remember as a kid, 1950's, leaving home in Fairclough St, along Darlington St, then King St. Old Fire Station and Police garage, Hippodrome burned down and became Lennons, old Trustees, 2 cinemas, bridge to north western station. Another bank on the corner, then turn right past the Dog and Partridge, Ashtons ? Howards ? biks shop. Round the corner, Lowes, down past the old cobbled Market Square, Gas Showrooms, cricket field with fives court, then past the Grammar School into Mesnes Park. Ducks everywhere, immaculate lawns flowerbeds and rhodedendrons, then up the hill or the steps and past the cafe to the grass we were allowed to play ball on. It's changed a bit, and not all for the better. Reckon George Orwell would recognise the place, but at least he'd be unlikely to pick it for the same reasons. Latics doing better than the rugby, Central Park a memory, Springfield park also gone. Millgate baths now an International pool, is it true about the tiles stopping it being an Olympic Pool? Planned by someone from St Helens, I bet.

Albert Hurst, my Dad, delivered your bread, Bill Deluce,but did not collect the rent. That was his brother, my uncle, Jack Hurst. He lived in those flats with his wife Alice. I remember Crawfords Wool Shop.My mum used to buy our brown school cardigans there for Ashton Grammar School. I got my wedding dress from Joan Barries. Does anyone remember a clothes shop called Wilson's, I think,opposite M and S, and near the dentists, "butcher" Brown's on Standishgate.I used to be terrified of going to that dentists.

I remember oobidoo's on King street. My Nan used to take me, my brother and my cousins during school holidays and we'd all spend our 50ps that she gave us. everyone got christmas and birthday presents from us that we bought at Obbidoo's. Also the old market hall(eurrgh! that fish smell from the stalls outside)and petticoat lane sticks in my mind, it was just a corridor that ran parallell with market street, from one end of the market hall to the other. loads of stalls selling allsorts. The big co-op was ace as well (seem to remember it being where index was - and upstairs from there, at the bottom of centre arcade) pre galleries.

Remember buying winkle picker stiletto shoes from kays in the 70s brilliant for us punks, got loads dead cheap too.

Dave Greenall.... i remember the record exchange well, there used to be a sign in there saying please dont put records up your jumper bring them to the till and we will put them in a bag.... i wonder if anyone did :), i remember trucks, only went a few times as i moved to Bolton when i was 17 & there was a lot more going on there, i met a girl in Atherton bike rally last week who used to go to truks, and anytime theres anything happening in the area truks always seems to still get a mention, nice to see someone still remembers the Insane & the System, i still annoy the neighbours with them, i also remember the Notsensibles, `i`m in love with Maggie Thatcher ` Little Boxes` Happy days eh ?, their album fetches around £200 in mint condition...... Nice memories

I've stopped going to our local reminiscence group; its not as good as it used to be...

Does anyone remember the old Tescos supermarket on King Street with its white marble effect facade and blue tiled interior now unrecognisable as The Chicago Rock Cafe? I also remember M.A.S. Stores (Does anyone know what M.A.S. stood for?) taking over the lower floor space soon after Tescos vacated the building. They sold all kinds of junk just thrown loosely into cardboard boxes marked with various prices and placed lined up on the floor for you to rummage through at your leisure. You would find allsorts of things in these cardboard boxes from odd cupboard shelves made from chipboard and planks of wood costing 70p each to toy cars with a wheel missing (No kidding!) for 5p each. I remember M.A.S. Stores also trading briefly across the road from Tescos in the old County Playhouse building now the Ibiza Bar, around the same time where all these boxes of junk where just placed on the street at the bottom of the steps and a hastily hand written sign beckoned you to follow the arrow and go inside with the simple words "More Inside. This Way". It may have been basic to say the least but you couldn't resist having a quick rummage through those boxes as you passed to see what they were selling. Ah happy days.

In the late 50's I used to go into Woolies snack bar for a HOT DOG, with real sausage, Butter and plenty brown sauce. OHHHHHHhhh

I remember going to Kay's also. Mum used to by us Army surplus gear to wear. I used to look really funny going to school dressed as a Japanese General. Getting the 343 double decker home from Wigan to Shevington on dark winter rainy afternoons. Gasping for breath as headscaved women puffed on Woodbines....Happy days!!

the cafe opp the abc was the newway cafe we used to go there and drink hot vimto