Wigan - Greater Manchester A Great Place To Visit

The north west of England is a lovely place but Wigan, Greater Manchester is somewhere that little bit special that you may want to visit if you’re in the area. It is known for many different sites and attractions one of which was the Wigan Casino, known all across England as the place to be in the 70’s for their amazing Northern Soul dance nights. Sadly it burned down and it wasn’t feasible to rebuild it. There is now a multi million pound shopping centre called the Grand Arcade there instead.

Wigan Pier is an area of Wigan very close to the centre and so is accessible to many residents and visitors alike. The pier is a jetty where coal (which was the areas main industry years ago) was loaded ready to be transported to homes around the area for fuel consumption. Alongside the pier itself is a museum where people can see what it was like to live in those times including a working Victorian classroom.

The Pier area also has a well known nightclub where funky house dance music is played well into the small hours of the morning and DJs can get the crowds really going! The area is close to the town centre so is popular with all walks of life and has many shops and places to eat out and have a nice meal from intimate Italian restaurants to family eateries.

When some people think of Wigan they think of sport. Soccer and rugby are massive with the soccer team known as Wigan Athletic being one of the best teams in the north west for the past 5 years and with the rugby team the Wigan Warriors being world club champions in 1987 it really is a town with a total adoration for sport.

The locals of Wigan are affectionately known as pie-eaters, this is because of the actions of Wigan workers during a general strike in the UK in 1926 formed by workers in the public sector. The Wigan workers were the first to go back to work probably forced to do so because of their poor living standards and mass poverty. They were said to be eating ‘humble pie’ and thus the name was coined.

Not far from the town centre of Wigan is the original and first ever Heinz food factory which is actually now the biggest food production company in all of Europe. JJB Sports which is a large sports wear company was also founded and created by a Wigan man and was later bought out by the chairman of both Wigan Athletic and Wigan Warriors David Whelan, so as you can see there is a big influence in Wigan when it comes to big business!

So Wigan overall has a lovely mix of history and of modern loves of sport and industry. Whatever your visit you will find something to entertain and educate you as you walk around this beautiful town.