Wigan Pier

Today it wasn’t raining for a change, so I caught the train to Wigan to visit Wigan Pier and have a few bevvies at some of the good beer guide pubs there.

The photos on this page show some of the warehouses at the Pier.

Wigan Pier a place I’ve wanted to visit for a long time. Probably since my school days back in the early seventies, when I had to read George Orwell’s The Road to Wigan Pier in an English Literature class. The pier was originally a coal loading jetty, that was known as the pier, that existed long before George Orwell wrote his book. Apparently, George Formby used to tell jokes about it.

It’s easy to get there from the town centre, just follow the Wallgate Road past Wigan Northwestern station.

I found it to be a disappointment; it’ll be a long time before I return. As you can see from the photos, there are some fine warehouses there. They’ve been refurbished and saved for prosperity, which is good (given that developers love tearing down old buildings to replace them with awful concrete ones). But there isn’t much else, like shops and bars. It’s also surrounded on both sides by main roads, which doesn’t help.

According to the Wikipedia page for Wigan Pier, a planning proposal has been approved for new homes, an artisan food hall and event spaces (and maybe a bar?). Maybe then it will be worth visiting. Maybe then I’ll return.

Today was chilly and because of my disappointment with the area I didn’t stay long. I should have taken time to walk along the canal past building four, to get some shots from the tow path back towards the pier.

The photo below shows the closest the canal gets to Wigan. You can make out the roads on either side; both roads have two lanes.

Below is a photo of Trencherfield Mill. It’s on the Canalside across the road on the right.

The Wikipedia page for the mill, tells us that the mill was powered by a 2,500hp steam engine. And, that the engine has been preserved and operates as a visitor attraction on selected dates. Though, according to the Wigan Museums website, it’s currently closed while they repair the roof.

Tomorrow I’ll write about some of the pubs I visited.