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Wigan
*** Shopping-Tip: Wigan
{{GBmap|Wigan|SD583055}}
'''Wigan''' is a large town in the north-west of
England, in the
metropolitan county of
Greater Manchester, lying in the historic county of
Lancashire. It is the biggest town in the
Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, with a population of 81,203 (2001 census). Other neighbouring towns are
Chorley,
St Helens, Merseyside St Helens,
Bolton and
Warrington and it is roughly equidistantly placed between
Liverpool,
Manchester and
Preston.
History
Origins
The first people reported to have settled in the Wigan area were the
Brigantes. The
Ancient Rome Romans took over "Chochion", as it was then known, in around 79 AD during one of many
wars with the
Celts and renamed the settlement “Coccium�. The Romans left some time in the 5th century.
[[Image:Wigan_coat_of_arms.JPG|thumb|right|The Arms of Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council
]]
By the time of the Middle Ages, Wigan had become a constituent manor of the Barony of Makerfield, and received its Royal Charter from King Henry III in 1246 when it was made into a Borough in its own right. Its new status as a Royal Borough is reflected in the insignia of the town Coat of Arms.
The earliest incorporation of the Town is actually mentioned in the report of the Norry King of Arms in 1613, that "The Towne and Bourrough of Wiggin was antiently incorporated by the most noble Kinge, Kinge Hen, the first, in the first year of his raygne," i.e. the year 1100. If so, this would make the borough the oldest in Lancashire, and one of the oldest in the country.
How the town got its name is mysterious, although we know that it was named after 1086 (it is not mentioned in the
Domesday Book). Some suggest the name is old
Welsh language Welsh Gwigan, meaning settlement whilst others attribute the name to
Anglo-Saxons Saxon English or
Viking.
Due to its loyalty to the crown during the civil war, the town was bestowed by royal decree with the motto "Ancient and Loyal" which remains the oldest such motto, in the English language.
[[Image:Wigan_2.62999W_53.54564N.jpg|thumb|right|Satellite image of Wigan
]]
Industry
Wigan was once important for
coal mining and
cotton textile production. The Leeds-Liverpool
canal was used extensively to transport local produce. In 1818 William Woods introduced the first power
loom looms to the Wigan cotton mills. These mills swiftly became infamous for their dangerous and unbearable conditions, low pay and use of
child labour. After the 1914-18 war there was a boom followed by a slump from which Wigan's textile industry did not recover. The last working cotton mill, the
May mill, closed in 1980. The novel ''Rose'' by
Martin Cruz Smith is centered around the
Victorian era coal mining in Wigan.
Local government
Wigan was one of the few industrial towns of the
19th century to already be a borough. It was reformed by the
Municipal Corporations Act 1835, and was one of the boroughs to be granted the status of
county borough by the
Local Government Act 1888.
Pemberton, Greater Manchester Pemberton, previously an independent
urban district was annexed to the borough in 1904.
Wigan Pier
Wigan is probably most famous for its
pier, once an important loading/unloading building for the mills and collieries, now a popular local
museum and nightclub. Wigan Pier is certainly most famous for a reference in the title and body of
George Orwell's anti-poverty polemic,
The Road to Wigan Pier:
:[I] ''had'' [my] ''heart set on seeing'' [it]. ''Alas! Wigan Pier has been demolished, and even the spot where it used to stand is no longer certain.''
The town has enjoyed a complex relationship with this association. Sometimes embracing it, the Orwellian link has provided the area with a modest tourist base over the years. However, most regard the insinuation that Wigan is in fact no better now than it was as the Victorian era slum with objection and frank hostility. A recent TV documentary about Orwell visited Wigan, and made the facile comparison to less-affluent areas such as
Platt Bridge, commenting that not much had changed. This was met with widespread local disapproval.
Culture
Music
Wigan has been well known for its
popular music since the days of
George Formby Snr and
George Formby Jnr. More recently,
The Verve were one of the most important British rock groups of the 1990s, finding success in the UK and abroad (even touring on the USA's famous
Lollapalooza alternative rock festival), but did not actually come from Wigan ( with the exception of
Richard Ashcroft, vocals - who hails from the Wigan district of Appley Bridge). Rather, the band hailed from nearby Up Holland, to the West of the town. Other local names of some repute include The Railway Children, Witness, The Tansads,
Limahl of
Kajagoogoo and (more recently)
Starsailor. The
Wigan Casino was, from 1973, the location for Wigans weekly
Northern Soul all-nighters, until it was demolished in
1983 after a mysterious fire gutted it. Wigan remains a centre of popular music for young people in the
Lancashire area, with the annual
Haigh Hall music festival, and the many alternative clubs in the towns centre, including the
Northern Lights club night which attracts over 500 people every Friday night.
Labour Clubs
Wigan has long been a heartland of the National Union of Labour Clubs, having at one time thirty Labour Clubs in the town. In recent years this has reduced to about twenty.
The NULSC has also used Haigh Hall for a annual festival.
Sport
Wigan's main sports teams are
Wigan Warriors (
rugby league) and
Wigan Athletic F.C. Wigan Athletic (
Association football football). The two teams now share the
JJB Stadium.
Wigan Athletic were elected to the
Football League only in
1978 and had little success for many years, but they have recently gained promotion to the
F.A. Premier League and the 2005/06 season will be their first ever in the top flight. Currently, the team has been in the top half of the table for the entire season and made it to the League Cup Final in February 2006.
As Wigan RLFC, the "Warriors" in the
1980s eighties and
1990s nineties were one of England's leading
Rugby League teams. While still a potent force in the game, recent changes to the structure and organisation of the game have diluted their dominance.
Wigan is one of relatively few towns in the UK to have an international-standard swimming pool in the town centre. The pool itself having been built to exact Olympic standards, but has never been used for official Olympic sanctioned competition, as it failed to meet IOC criteria since it was found to be an inch too short once tiled. The resident swimming club,
Wigan Wasps, which has now changed its name to
Wigan BEST has produced Olympic standard swimmers, including medal winner
June Croft.
Famous residents
*
Andrew Farrell, former Great Britain Rugby League captain and Wigan Warriors captain
*
Billy Boston, Rugby League Hall of Fame inductee.
*
Alan Bamford, artist
*
George Stubbs, artist
*
Gerrard Winstanley, founder of the 17th century
Diggers
*
Mrs Hemans, poet
*
George Formby, comedian
*
Lawrence Isherwood, artist
*
Frank Randle, comedian
*
Ted Ray, comedian
*
John Rylands, philanthropist
*
Leslie Cannon, trade union leader
*
Joe Gormley, trade union leader
*
Wallace and Gromit, fictional inventors [http://www.wigantoday.net/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=66&ArticleID=1255444]
*
Dave Whelan, businessman and owner of the Wigan Warriors, Wigan Athletic and JJB Sports
*
Ian McKellen Sir Ian McKellen, Hollywood actor
Business connections to the town include
JJB Sports,
Uncle Joe's Mintballs,
Pataks and
Marks and Spencer (which was founded in the town).
The extraordinary (Thomas)
Beecham family and the
Lindsay art connoisseurs are connected with the town, as is
John Charnley’s famous hip replacement department.
External links
-
Online borough guide
-
A look at Wigan through the eyes of the locals
Category:Towns in Greater Manchester
Category:Towns in Lancashire
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*** Shopping-Tip: Wigan
