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129-419: Wallace is a middle-aged man who lives at 62 West Wallaby Street, Wigan , along with his dog Gromit . His last name is never given. He usually wears brown wool trousers, a white shirt, a red tie and a green knitted pullover . He is fond of cheese, especially Wensleydale , and crackers . Nick Park, his creator, said: "He's a very self-contained figure. A very homely sort who doesn't mind the odd adventure". He

258-403: A 100 to 95.7 female-to-male ratio. Of those over 16 years old, 28.9% were single (never married) and 45.0% married. Wigan's 34,069 households included 29.7% one-person, 38.9% married couples living together, 8.5% were co-habiting couples, and 10.8% single parents with their children. Of those aged 16–74, 38.5% had no academic qualifications , a figure significantly higher than the average for

387-468: A borough, Wigan was represented in the Model Parliament from 1295 to 1306 by two burgesses  – freemen of the borough. The Charter allowed taxes to be made on transactions made in the borough by tradesmen and permitted the local burgesses to establish a guild that would regulate trade in the borough. Non-members of the guild were not allowed to do business in the borough without permission from

516-437: A film poster. His taste in music has been shown to cover Bach , "Poochini" (a play on Puccini ) and "McFlea" ( McFly ). Gromit gains his first love interest in A Matter of Loaf and Death , when he becomes attached to Fluffles, a poodle belonging to Piella Bakewell. NASA named one of its new prototype Mars explorer robots after Gromit in 2005. On 1 April 2007, HMV announced that Gromit would stand in for Nipper for

645-864: A firm favourite since A Grand Day Out , and in The Wrong Trousers Gromit's bookshelves feature titles such as Kites , Sticks , Sheep , Penguins , Rockets , Bones , and Stars , while he is seen reading The Republic , by Pluto (a nod to the Disney character of the same name and a pun on Plato ) and Crime and Punishment , by Fido Dogstoyevsky (a pun on Fyodor Dostoyevsky ). Gromit's various possessions make extensive use of puns: A Matter of Loaf and Death features " Pup Fiction " ( Pulp Fiction ), " The Dogfather " ( The Godfather ), " Where Beagles Dare " ( Where Eagles Dare ), " Bite Club " ( Fight Club ) and " The Bone Identity " ( The Bourne Identity ) all as book titles, and " Citizen Canine " ( Citizen Kane ) as

774-516: A giant veg-eating-rabbit-monster, it's up to the Anti-Pesto team to track it down and prevent it from ruining Lady Tottington's competition. Gromit does his best, but Wallace never seems to be around to help out when the monster strikes. Later in the movie, it's revealed that the Were-Rabbit was Wallace. Police Constable Albert Mackintosh (voiced by Peter Kay ) is the local village constable who judges

903-464: A good job of keeping Shaun in check. But in the movie, even he can not put the brakes on Shaun's crazy plans for a day away from the farm. An experienced 'peace-keeper', Bitzer is used to covering Shaun's tracks and shielding Farmer from his frequent mischief-making. Torn between his job as a faithful companion to Farmer and the role of 'big brother' to Shaun, Bitzer always tries to do the best for everyone. But Shaun's latest antics test Bitzer's patience to

1032-463: A house guest, but in reality is a criminal mastermind intending to steal an expensive diamond using Wallace's latest invention, The Techno Trousers. Upon escaping from the zoo, he manages to successfully pass himself off as a chicken by wearing a red rubber glove on his head. His name is featured on the back of a newspaper following his capture in The Wrong Trousers . Feathers also returns in

1161-402: A murderess who hated bakers and was eaten by crocodiles upon trying to escape justice. In Musical Marvels , after the montage of his three love interests, he refers to them as "the ones that got away". Gromit is a beagle who is Wallace's pet dog and best friend. Gromit is very intelligent, having graduated from "Dogwarts University" ("Dogwarts" being a pun on " Hogwarts ", the wizard school in

1290-437: A nation of dog-lovers and so many people have said: 'My dog looks at me just like Gromit does!'" Generally speaking, Gromit's tastes are more in vogue than those of Wallace, this being one of the many ways they contrast with each other as characters. Gromit seems to have a significant interest in the encyclopedia, classical and philosophical literature, and popular culture, including film and music. Electronics for Dogs has been

1419-541: A pair of dentures, which he used briefly to knock out a thieving rabbit. Miss Thripp (voiced by Geraldine McEwan ) is a neurotic spinster who goes to pieces over her fears for the vegetable competition's future after the truth of the Were-Rabbit is revealed. Mr. Growbag (voiced by Edward Kelsey ) is an elderly resident of Wallace and Gromit's neighbourhood and a founding member of the town's veg growers' council: he constantly recalls memories of incidents from previous Vegetable Competitions—comparing them to what may happen to

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1548-553: A poodle called Fluffles. Fluffles (voiced by Melissa Collier) is Piella's beautiful if slightly nervous pet poodle. Withdrawn and lacking in confidence due to many years of unkind treatment, Fluffles is nonetheless a caring soul who strikes a romantic chord with Gromit. Piella acts very kindhearted to her but at the end she is very cruel towards Fluffles. When Piella dies at the end, Fluffles joins Wallace and Gromit's side. Fluffles then continues with Wallace and Gromit and they all sell bread together. Baker Bob (voiced by Ben Whitehead )

1677-451: A prominent and influential Royalist in the civil war, made Wigan his headquarters. His forces successfully captured Preston but failed in assaults on Manchester and Lancaster and two attempts to capture Bolton. Abandoning attempts to secure Lancashire, he took his forces to the Isle of Man to secure his holdings there. The Earl of Derby was absent when Wigan fell, despite fortifications built around

1806-542: A regeneration programme that began in 2006 to revitalise the area. Part of Wigan's industrial heritage, Trencherfield Mill was built in 1907 and is a Grade II listed building. It houses a steam engine over 100 years old which was restored with help from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The quarter is also home to the Wigan Pier Theatre Company, which was founded in 1986. The Face of Wigan, located in

1935-603: A sport to play during the winter months. During the rugby football schism of 1895, Wigan FC, along with the other leading northern clubs at the time, split from the Rugby Football Union to form the Northern Union . Wigan have been a rugby league club ever since and added the Warriors suffix to their name in 1997, shortly after rugby league had switched to a summer sport in 1996. The club are the most successful English club in

2064-554: A three-month period, promoting children's DVDs in its UK stores. In 2010, Empire magazine placed Gromit first in their list of The 50 Best Animated Movie Characters. Empire wrote that: "Gromit doesn't ever say a word, but there has never been a more expressive character (animated or otherwise) to grace our screens". In 2013 and 2018 there were auctions of two trails of 81 Gromit statues to help raise money for charity. The first one raised £3.5 million for an expansion of Bristol Royal Hospital for Children. The Gromit which attracted

2193-476: A toupee and hates Anti-Pesto. His hunting rifle is apparently a high caliber bolt-action model. It soon becomes clear in the film that Victor's only interest in Lady Tottington is her vast fortune which he is eager to get his hands on. After Lady Tottington discovers that Victor knew that the Were-Rabbit was Wallace all along, he reveals that all he wants is her money. His surname is similar to Allan Quatermain ,

2322-413: A traveller, in 1698 as "a pretty market town built of stone and brick". In 1720, the moot hall was rebuilt, funded by the members of the borough. It was used as the town hall and the earliest reference to it dates from the 15th century. Prior to its final destruction in 1869, the hall was rebuilt in 1829. Wigan's status as a centre for coal production, engineering and textiles in the 18th century led to

2451-554: A walk of fame, "Believe Square", for local public figures and groups. Plans for the 18-storey Tower Grand , which would have been the tallest building in Wigan, were scrapped after the Financial crisis of 2007–2008 . The Galleries Shopping Centre , which houses shops as well as an indoor market, was bought for £8 million by the council in 2018 as part of a regeneration plan due to long-term decline. The former Westwood power station site

2580-567: A year and used to host the Wigan One World Festival. Wigan's war memorial was unveiled in 1925. Designed by Giles Gilbert Scott and funded through public donations, the monument is now a Grade II* listed building and commemorates the fallen soldiers from the town in the First World War and other conflicts. In 2006, the plaques bearing the names of the dead were stolen; a year later they were replaced through council funding. There

2709-488: Is Wallace's next door neighbour who lives at 64 West Wallaby Street. He is a pigeon racer and has a flock of pigeons living in his back garden. Which makes life difficult for Wallace and Gromit whenever they hang their washing out to dry. He is also an expert with the shipping forecast which helps him with his pigeon racing. Mr Patel appears in the comics and audio adaptations of Anoraknophobia and Crackers in Space. Bill Cheeseman

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2838-457: Is a British term for attractive upper-class women) and develops a romantic interest in him. Her forename, Campanula is also the name of a bellflower and her surname is taken from the Lancashire village of Tottington. Mrs. Mulch (voiced by Liz Smith ) is a prominent, tough woman who has a maternal fixation on her gigantic pumpkin. Mr. Mulch (voiced by Dicken Ashworth ) speaks very little and has

2967-438: Is a baker who was killed by Piella. It is her 12th murder crime. Right at the start of the film, Piella is shown killing Baker Bob with a rolling pin. The Farmer's loyal, long-suffering sheepdog, Bitzer dresses for work in a blue knit cap, black collar, knitted wristlet, and large official-looking wrist-watch. He carries a clipboard and walks upright or on all fours as needed. He communicates, canine-fashion, via barks, growls, and

3096-422: Is a better prospect as the target of premeditated violence. He also owns a lady's purse decorated with flowers for spare change. Lady Campanula Tottington (voiced by Helena Bonham Carter ) is a wealthy aristocratic spinster with a keen interest in both vegetable-growing and 'fluffy' animals. For 517 years, her family has hosted an annual vegetable competition. Lady Tottington asks Wallace to call her "Totty" (which

3225-448: Is a clever, confident sheep, prone to mischief but equally adept at getting himself and his friends out of it. As there is no dialogue, he communicates, like all the sheep, entirely through bleating. However, he often explains his ideas to the flock by drawing diagrams on a blackboard. He is a good friend of Bitzer, the shepherd dog, though this does not stop him from playing pranks on Bitzer at times. In his 2015 spin-off film , Shaun and

3354-419: Is a famous cheese maker from Wensleydale and is the identical twin brother of Chalky. He has blonde hair and moustache and has a curl on top of his head. He is often bright and friendly and has a cheerful personality. He's also Wendolene's love interest and Wallace has a slight jealousy towards this. In the comics, he is twice kidnapped by Chalky and ends up being saved by Wallace and Gromit. Bill only appears in

3483-547: Is a penguin with a red rubber glove on its head. The gun-toting, 3ft tall criminal mastermind first terrorised viewers in 1993 Oscar-winning short The Wrong Trousers . The fact that he’s mute with expressionless beady eyes only makes him more terrifying." Feathers McGraw is the main antagonist in the Wallace & Gromit franchise. First appeared in The Wrong Trousers , he is a local zoo penguin who lodges with Wallace as

3612-524: Is a quotation from Wallace (though, surprisingly, some of the lines were originally spoken by Wallace after the incident with the Mind-Manipulation-O-Matic). Hutch wears clothes like Wallace's, including his slippers and tank top. Beware the moon! In the dark of the night, someone or something has been terrorizing the gardens and veg-plots in Wallace and Gromit's neighborhood. When it turns out to be

3741-407: Is a sheep who first appears in A Close Shave . At first he was a stray sheep who belonged to Preston but broke free of the truck containing him. He unintentionally barges into Wallace and Gromit's house and is occasionally seen in some of their antics. He is sometimes seen wearing a sweater which was given to him after his wool was shaved. In his own 2007 series , he is the leader of the flock. He

3870-495: Is a window washer. In The Curse of the Were-Rabbit , Wallace runs a humane pest control service, keeping the captured creatures (nearly all of which are rabbits) in the basement of his house. In the most recent short, A Matter of Loaf and Death , he is a baker. While he has shown himself to be skilled to some degree in the businesses he creates, an unexpected flaw in the inventions he uses to assist him in his latest venture, or simply bad luck, often ends up being his downfall. In

3999-561: Is also a memorial on Wigan Lane which marks the site where Sir Thomas Tyldesley died in 1651 at the Battle of Wigan Lane. The former Wigan Central Library opened in 1878 and is now the Museum of Wigan Life . A one-year restoration programme began in 2009 costing £1.9 million. George Orwell used it to research The Road to Wigan Pier . As of 2019 , the Wigan Pier Quarter is at the heart of

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4128-950: Is headquartered in the town. The bakery chain Galloways Bakers , and William Santus & Co. Ltd, the confectioner and producer of Uncle Joe's Mint Balls , are both based in Wigan. According to the 2001 UK census, the industry of employment of residents aged 16–74 was 22.4% retail and wholesale, 18.8% manufacturing, 10.2% health and social work, 8.6% construction, 8.0% property and business services, 7.4% transport and communications, 6.5% education, 5.2% public administration, 4.1% hotels and restaurants, 2.7% finance, 0.7% energy and water supply, 0.4% agriculture, 0.1% mining, and 4.8% other. Compared to national figures, Wigan had high rates of employment in retail and wholesale (16.9% in England) and manufacturing (14.8% in England), and relatively low levels of employment in agriculture (1.5%). The census recorded

4257-536: Is home to Wigan Athletic Football Club and Wigan Warriors Rugby League Football Club . The name of the town has been recorded variously as Wigan in 1199, Wygayn in 1240, and Wygan in numerous historical documents. The name Wigan is probably a Celtic place-name : it might be a diminutive form of Brittonic *wīg "homestead, settlement" (later Welsh gwig ), plus the nominal suffix -an has also been suggested (c.f. numerous places in France named Le Vigan );

4386-573: Is its administrative centre. The town has a population of 107,732 and the wider borough of 330,714. Wigan is part of the historic county of Lancashire . Wigan was in the territory of the Brigantes , an ancient Celtic tribe that ruled much of what is now Northern England . The Brigantes were subjugated in the Roman conquest of Britain and the Roman settlement of Coccium was established where Wigan lies. Wigan

4515-713: Is loosely based on Park's father, whom Park described in a radio interview as "an incurable tinkerer". He described one of his father's constructions, a combination beach hut and trailer, as having curtains in the windows, bookshelves on the walls and full-sized furniture bolted to the floor. The way he dresses and his passion for cheese is based on an eccentric school teacher. Wallace was voiced by Peter Sallis until 2010, and Ben Whitehead (2008–2009 and since 2010) in Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures and Wallace & Gromit's Musical Marvels commercials and apps. An inveterate inventor, Wallace creates elaborate contraptions that often do not work as intended. Their appearance

4644-606: Is needed is a battering ram or similarly immovable object. Wigan Wigan ( / ˈ w ɪ ɡ ən / WIG -ən ) is a town in Greater Manchester , England, on the River Douglas . The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester , 16 miles (25.7 km) to the south-east, and Liverpool , 17 miles (27 km) to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and

4773-467: Is no record that Lady Mabel was married to anyone other than Sir William Bradshaigh, and several facets of the story are incorrect. Haigh Hall was built in 1827–1840 on the site of a medieval manor house of the same name, which was demolished in 1820. The hall is surrounded by a 250-acre (101 ha) country park, featuring areas of woodland and parkland. The former town hall was a Grade II listed building. Designed by John McClean, Mesnes Park

4902-601: Is part of the Anglican Diocese of Liverpool and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool . The Grand Arcade shopping centre was opened on 22 March 2007. Construction, which cost £120 million, started in 2005 on the site of Wigan Casino and The Ritz. The area around the pier is planned to be redeveloped, in a multimillion-pound project rebranding the area as the Wigan Pier Quarter . Plans for

5031-523: Is similar to the illustrations of W. Heath Robinson and Rube Goldberg . Nick Park has said of Wallace that all his inventions are designed around the principle of using a "sledgehammer to crack a nut". Some of Wallace's contraptions are based on real-life inventions. For example, his method of waking up in the morning utilizes a bed that tips over to wake up its owner, an invention that was exhibited at The Great Exhibition of 1851 by Theophilus Carter . Wallace's official job varies; in A Close Shave , he

5160-456: Is specifically named in the Domesday Book . The rectors of the parish church were lords of the manor of Wigan, a sub-manor of Neweton, until the 19th century. Wigan was incorporated as a borough in 1246 following the issue of a charter by King Henry III to John Maunsell , the local church rector and lord of the manor. The borough was later granted another charter in 1257–1258, allowing

5289-547: Is talking to Gromit, a picture is seen behind Gromit of Wallace with a brown beard and brown hair. Wallace has had three love interests. The first was Wendolene Ramsbottom in A Close Shave , which ended quickly when Wendolene told Wallace that she had a calcium allergy . The second was Lady Tottington in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit , whom Wallace fondly calls "Totty". In A Matter of Loaf and Death , Wallace becomes engaged to Piella Bakewell, but this ended when she turns out to be

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5418-472: Is the only Scheduled Monument in Wigan itself, out of the 12 in Wigan Borough. It is a medieval stone cross that probably dates from the 13th century. There is a legend surrounding the cross that Lady Mabel Bradshaigh, wife of Sir William Bradshaigh, did penance by walking from her home, Haigh Hall , to the cross once a week barefoot for committing bigamy . There is no evidence the legend is true, as there

5547-419: Is the owner of the town's Wool Shop and Wallace's first love interest. She was the owner of Preston following her father's death. At the end of A Close Shave , Wallace tries to warm up to her by inviting her to his house for cheese but is heartbroken when he learns it brings her out in a rash. Preston is a cyberdog (robot) invented by Wendolene's father, and is the main antagonist in A Close Shave . Preston

5676-711: Is unconfirmed. Silas believed his father had the most involvement with the Flower Pot Men , although he also enjoyed the diverse cast of Captain Pugwash , being very proud when it appeared in The Times as a crossword clue: "The captain is all for the dog having a bath". By comparison, when it was claimed Hilda Brabban created the Flower Pot Men , Hawkins immediately wrote a rebuttal. According to Silas, Hawkins gave thought to every role, yet never looked back at them. Hawkins

5805-656: The Can We Help You? segment. Hawkins joined the show after being asked by the producer of a children's serial he was playing the villain for. In 1952, Hawkins became the voices of both Bill and Ben, the Flower Pot Men , for which he invented their Oddle-Poddle language. He made Bill's voice higher-pitched and Ben's lower-pitches to distinguish them, and praised the puppetry of Audrey Atterbury . The scripts would be written in English, and Peter would translate them into Oddle-Poddle, creating words similar to "Slogalog" (Slowcoach

5934-684: The Douglas Navigation in the 1740s, the canalisation of part of the River Douglas and later the Leeds and Liverpool Canal . The canal from Liverpool to Leeds was originally to serve Wigan on a spur, transporting cloth and food grown on the West Lancashire Plain to the Port of Liverpool. When construction restarted in the 1790s, after decades pause, as coal was rising in importance due to the progress of

6063-521: The Grand Arcade development , and in 2008 at the Joint Service Centre development, have proven that Wigan was a significant Roman site in the late first and second centuries AD. The excavated remains of ditches at Ship Yard off Millgate were consistent with use by the Roman military and possibly formed part of the defences for a fort or a temporary camp. More remains were excavated to the south, in

6192-700: The Harry Potter books) with a double first in Engineering for dogs. He likes knitting, playing chess, reading the newspaper, tea, and cooking. His prized possessions include his alarm clock, dog bone, brush, and a framed photo of himself with Wallace. He is very handy with electronic equipment and an excellent airplane pilot. He often threatens the plans of the villains he and Wallace encounter in their adventures. Gromit has no visible mouth and expresses himself through facial expressions and body language. Peter Hawkins originally intended to voice Gromit, but Park dropped

6321-672: The West Lancashire town of Skelmersdale , are defined by the Office for National Statistics as the Wigan Urban Area , with a total population of 166,840. The town is part of the Manchester Larger Urban Zone . According to the Office for National Statistics , at the time of the 2001 United Kingdom census , Wigan had a population of 81,203. The 2001 population density was 11,474 inhabitants per square mile (4,430/km ), with

6450-509: The serial killer , who intends for Wallace to become the 13th of her " baker's dozen ". Having grown rich from her modelling days, she lives in a mansion filled to the brim with mementos of her former glory: at the end she gets eaten by a crocodile because she escaped Wallace's using the Bake-O-Lite Balloon which dropped her because she was too big to ride it. She pretends to fall in love with Wallace, however she actually hates him. She has

6579-476: The 16th century, with Bishop Stanley unsuccessfully challenging the right of the burgesses to hold markets, believing it should be the right of the lord of the manor. In 1583 the corporation of the borough attempted to usurp the lord of the manor by laying claim to the lordship. They did so because they felt they were fulfilling the duties of the lord: to improve waste and common land and allowing construction on this land, running courts, and mining coal. A compromise

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6708-590: The 2003 video game, Wallace & Gromit in Project Zoo where he has escaped from the zoo, then plans to kidnap the animals and turn the Zoo into a diamond mine. A poster of Feathers can be seen in A Matter of Loaf and Death right before Piella Bakewell enters the local zoo, indicating that he has once again escaped. He will return in Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (2024). Shaun (voiced by Justin Fletcher )

6837-476: The British novelist H. Rider Haggard 's big-game hunter character. Philip is Victor's vicious but cowardly hunting dog who resembles a Miniature Bull Terrier , and was the secondary antagonist of The Curse of the Were-Rabbit . He and his master will do anything to stop the Were-Rabbit, although Philip is bright enough to know that the Were-Rabbit is beyond his hunting skills and that Gromit, closer to his own size,

6966-577: The Daleks in every subsequent 1960s story they appeared in, as well as the two 1960s feature films, The Curse of the Daleks stage play and Out of the Unknown , and he and fellow Dalek voice David Graham would become lifelong friends, although star William Hartnell and guest star Kevin Stoney would also strike up a relationship. Despite his son Silas being a Doctor Who fan, he did not find it strange that it

7095-470: The Giant Vegetable Contest. With the havoc it creates every year, however, he would rather it did not happen at all. Reverend Clement Hedges (voiced by Nicholas Smith ) is the local vicar and the first person in the village to witness the Were-Rabbit. He describes the full horror of his encounter with the beast, but Victor refuses to believe him. However, when Victor discovers the true identity of

7224-474: The Industrial Revolution. The route was altered at the request of mill owners, with the spur becoming the primary route and Wigan a hub for transport of coal from the Lancashire coal pits to Liverpool and Leeds. As a mill town , Wigan was an important centre of textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution , but it was not until the 1800s that cotton factories began to spread into the town. This

7353-723: The Royal Naval Barracks' Scran Bag. Following his time with Scran Bag, Hawkins won a two-year place at the Central School of Speech and Drama , and in 1949, his television career began with an adaptation of J.B. Priestley's The Good Companions . He began his long association with children's television with the magazine programme Whirligig voicing several characters, including Mr. Turnip, Alexander Scrope, Petrio in Stranger from Space , Albert in Jeremy Make-Believe and

7482-515: The Scandinavian skali meaning "hut". Further evidence comes from some street names in Wigan which have Scandinavian origins. Wigan is not mentioned in the Domesday Book , possibly because it was included in the Neweton barony (now Newton-le-Willows ). It is likely that the mention of the unnamed church in the manor of Neweton is Wigan Parish Church and not the church of St.Oswald (Winwick) which

7611-507: The Tortoise) and "Haddap" (Hello). He, Audrey and Gladys Whitred would keep in touch for at least thirty years afterwards. In 1956, Hawkins married actress Rosemary Miller, who he met doing voices on Toytown . Hawkins was Ernest the Policeman, and reprised the role for the 1972 series. Hawkins would also meet Roy Skelton during Toytown , becoming a close friend. He would also be offered

7740-548: The area around Wigan—such as Bryn , Makerfield and Ince —indicate that the Celtic people of Britain were active in the area in the Iron Age . In the 1st century, the area was conquered by the Romans . The late 2nd-century Antonine Itinerary mentions a Roman settlement called Coccium 17 miles (27 km) from the Roman fort at Manchester ( Mamucium ) and 20 miles (32 km) from

7869-401: The area of McEwen's Yard (opposite the baths), where foundations of a large and important building were discovered, together with many other Roman features. The building is 36 by 18 metres (118 by 59 ft) in size with stone walls and a tiled roof. It contained around nine or ten rooms including three with hypocausts . It had a colonnaded portico on the northern side, which presumably formed

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7998-422: The beast, he turns to the vicar for advice on how to kill it. Reverend Hedges appears to have a wide range of knowledge on the habits and the slayings of supernatural animals and has a whole cupboard filled with the weapons to defeat them. Although his name appears in the credits, it is never said in the film. Piella Bakewell (voiced by Sally Lindsay ) is the main antagonist of A Matter of Loaf and Death . She

8127-654: The borough along with the entirety of the county of Greater Manchester became one of 10 constituent councils of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority . Wigan is in the Wigan Parliamentary constituency , which was recreated in 1547 after having covered the borough in the late 13th century. From 1640 until the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 , the constituency returned two Members of Parliament (MPs); from then on it had only one. Since 1918,

8256-517: The borough as a whole and England. In 1931, 9.4% of Wigan's population was middle class compared with 14% in England and Wales, and by 1971, this had increased to 12.4% compared with 24% nationally. Parallel to this slight increase in the middle classes of Wigan was the decline of the working class population. In 1931, 38.7% were working class compared with 36% in England and Wales; by 1971, this had decreased to 33.5% in Wigan and 26% nationwide. The rest of

8385-411: The borough corporation bought the rights associated with the lordship. The Local Government Act 1888 constituted all municipal boroughs with a population of 50,000 or more as " county boroughs ", exercising both borough and county powers. Wigan accordingly became a county borough on 1 April 1889, giving it independence from Lancashire County Council. Ward boundaries were altered, and the county borough

8514-540: The burgesses. It is thought that when the Charter was reconfirmation in 1350 it was changed, allowing the election of a mayor of Wigan for the first time. Three burgesses were elected to be presented to the lord of the manor who would choose one man to be mayor for a year. There was a rivalry between the lords of the manor and borough. The lord of the manor complained in 1328 that the burgesses were holding private markets, from which he gained no revenue. The rivalry continued in

8643-543: The club colours. The Wigan accent has even been affected by the great number of Irish coming to the town. The local word "moidered", known elsewhere as " mithered ", is said to have derived from pronouncing the word mithered in an Irish accent. The Brian Boru Club in Ashton-in-Makerfield was established in 1889 and is the oldest Irish club in the UK. In 1911 the town was described as an "industrial town ... occupying

8772-504: The comics and audio adaptations of The Curse of the Ramsbottoms and Crackers in Space. Chalky, otherwise known as Wret Lester (a pun on Red Leicester cheese ), is the identical twin of Bill Cheeseman. While Bill is good at heart, Chalky is the exact opposite: he is cruel and evil. It was discovered that when he was young, he had been caught tampering with other cheese mongers' cheeses at a competition, lacing them with chalk. This sent him on

8901-502: The constituency has been represented by the Labour Party . Lisa Nandy is the incumbent Member of Parliament for Wigan, having first been elected in the 2010 general election . Wigan Council takes part in the town twinning scheme , and in 1988 twinned with Angers in France. At 53°32′41″N 2°37′54″W  /  53.54472°N 2.63167°W  / 53.54472; -2.63167 (53.5448, −2.6318), Wigan lies respectively to

9030-434: The economic activity of residents aged 16–74, 1.9% students were with jobs, 2.9% students without jobs, 5.9% looking after home or family, 10.2% permanently sick or disabled, and 3.2% economically inactive for other reasons. There are 125  listed buildings in Wigan out of the 216  listed buildings in the wider borough with nine at Grade II* in the town. As well as being a Grade II* listed structure, Mab's Cross

9159-415: The first photo shown on The Curse of the Were-Rabbit , it is revealed that Wallace once had a full head of hair and a very thick moustache with muttonchops . In the photo that shows Gromit's graduation at Dogwarts, he had lost his beard but still had a little hair, in the form of sideburns just above his ears. In The Wrong Trousers , he still uses a hair-dryer. In A Matter of Loaf and Death , when Wallace

9288-514: The flock go off to the big city to save the farmer. Like with Gromit, there was a Shaun trail statue auction in 2015 in Bristol , but this time it was also held in London . It raised £1.1 million. The Gromit "globe-trotter" by Sarah Matthews sold for £28,000. In the second film, Farmageddon , Shaun meets an alien called Lu-La and attempts to send her back into space. Wendolene (voiced by Anne Reid )

9417-522: The fort at Ribchester ( Bremetennacum ). Although the distances are slightly out, it has been assumed that Coccium is Roman Wigan. Possible derivations of Coccium include from the Latin coccum , meaning "scarlet in colour, scarlet cloth", or from cocus , meaning "cook". Over the years chance finds (coins and pottery) provided clear indications that a Roman settlement existed at Wigan, although its size and status remained unknown. In 2005 investigations ahead of

9546-463: The forthcoming one. Two of the "disasters" he mentions are The Great Slug Blight of '32, "when there were slugs the size of pigs", and the Great Duck Plague of '53. Originally just another captive rabbit, Hutch receives special treatment, and his name, after an attempt to brainwash him and his fellows goes wrong. He was the first to be suspected of being the Were-Rabbit. Everything that Hutch says

9675-489: The greater part of the township, whilst its collieries, factories ... fill the atmosphere with smoke". After the Second World War there was a boom followed by a slump from which Wigan's textile industry did not recover. While the town's cotton and coal industries declined in the 20th century, the engineering industry did not go into recession. The last working cotton mill, May Mill , closed in 1980. In 1937, Wigan

9804-561: The hamlets in Normandy such as (Le) Vigan ( L'Oudon , Calvados) and Manoir du Vigan that derive from a Celtic given-name *Wigan , found as feodum Wigani in the 12th century or turres Wiguen at Thaon (Calvados) and survives in the Norman surname Vigan (still in use in Calvados). There is very little evidence of prehistoric activity in the area, especially pre-Iron Age; however, Celtic names in

9933-684: The highest bid was Gromit Lightyear, designed by Disney Pixar based on the Toy Story character Buzz Lightyear which sold for £65,000. The Cooker is the given name to a coin-activated robot made out of an oven and storage cabinet that patrols the Moon. It is very protective of the Moon and becomes hostile when it discovers Wallace and Gromit have landed there. It secretly has a lifelong dream of skiing . As well as being called The Cooker , an audio adaptation of A Grand Day Out refers to it as The Moon Machine . "The definitive screen villain of our age

10062-602: The highest-selling, by Seiyoken Hagiya Katsuhira and depicting the Three Sake Tasters, fetching £4,200, an auction record. His wife, Rosemary Miller, whom he had married in 1956, also had an interest in collecting paintings. On 27 August 1959, they had a son named Silas, who was named in case he grew up to become an actor, which he did, going to follow his parents' careers and provide voiceovers on shows such as Summerton Mill . Despite his busy schedule, Hawkins spent lots of time with his son, reading bedtime stories as if he

10191-483: The idea when he realized how Gromit's expressions could easily be made through small movements. Despite which, he has often barked in films like " The Wrong Trousers " (where he also made a growl) and " A Close Shave ". Many critics believe that Gromit's silence makes him the perfect straight man , with a pantomime expressiveness that drew favourable comparisons to Buster Keaton . He does at times make dog-like noises, such as yelps and growls. Nick Park says: "We are

10320-527: The immigration of Irish to the town the biggest factor. The Irish mainly settled in the central areas of the town such as Scholes and Ince with the area around Belle Green Lane referred to as Irishtown. St Patrick's church in Scholes was built in 1847 on the back of huge swathes of Irish immigration. The local amateur rugby league club Wigan St Patricks has the Irish shamrock on the club badge with green and black being

10449-455: The limit. She is the biggest member of the flock. A gentle giant, she is usually seen placidly eating, though she is intimidating enough to have defended Shaun from Pidsley the cat. She is so big that large objects routinely disappear into (or are deliberately hidden in) her fleece. She quite often gets stuck herself, needing the other sheep to push, pull or even sling-shot her out of trouble. However, her size can also come in very handy when what

10578-603: The lord of the manor to hold a market every Monday and two annual fairs. The town is recorded on the earliest-surviving map of Britain, the Gough Map made around 1360, which highlights its position on the main western north–south highway with distance markers to Preston and Warrington . Edward II visited Wigan in 1323 in an effort to stabilise the region which had been the source of the Banastre Rebellion in 1315. Edward stayed in nearby Upholland Priory and held court in

10707-480: The main entrance. The structure's ground-plan and the presence of the hypocausts show it may have been a bath-house . A timber building excavated at the Joint Service Centre (top of the Wiend) has been interpreted as a barrack block. This suggests a Roman fort occupied the crest of the hill, taking advantage of the strategic position overlooking the River Douglas. The evidence gained from these excavations shows that Wigan

10836-408: The majority of which was within the hundred of Newton . On 26 August 1246, Wigan was granted a Royal Charter, making the town a free borough. This happened after the granting of royal charters began in the 13th Century as a way of establishing corporations and defining their privileges and purpose. In Lancashire , Liverpool was granted in 1207, Salford in 1230 followed by Manchester in 1301. As

10965-406: The milk yield, thus making the other cheese makers go out of business, so that only his cheese, known as Wendolenedale, remains. A polar bear cub who appeared in the video game, Wallace and Gromit in Project Zoo. Having been adopted by Wallace and Gromit, the duo go to West Wallaby Zoo to celebrate Archie’s birthday, only to find that he is being held captive by Feathers McGraw during his takeover of

11094-525: The name Springfield Borough. The club is now defunct. Amateur rugby league is popular in the town, with Wigan St Patricks , Wigan St Judes and Ince Rose Bridge all playing in the National Conference League , the amateur game's top level. Peter Hawkins Peter John Hawkins (3 April 1924 – 8 July 2006) was a British actor. From the 1950s to 1980s, he was one of the most sought-after voice artists for television. Peter John Hawkins

11223-566: The name of their form. He worked at Pitman's from the ages of 16 to 18, writing similar shows at a youth club. Hawkins joined the Royal Navy , entertaining with impressions for which he wrote scripts, and survived when HMS Limbourne sank after being torpedoed escorting the cruiser Charybdis near Guernsey . He was rescued by Ronnie Hill, a theatre actor at the time, and while recovering, Hawkins took part in plays, which resulted in his being taken into Combined Operations' Entertainments productions of

11352-553: The narrow lanes around the town and decided to wait for his foot soldiers to arrive and flank the town. The Royalists seeing an opportunity to engage the divided force turned around to engage but Lilburne decided to hold his ground deploying cavalry on Wigan Lane and infantry in the hedgerows to the sides, The Royalists made several charges but after two hours were unable to break the Parliamentarian line and were forced to flee after being overwhelmed by superior numbers. Although Stanley

11481-405: The occasional whimper. He also gives instructions to the flock by blowing a whistle. Despite a tendency to be caught listening to music, he takes his job very seriously, to the point of occasionally letting his power go to his head. He is, however, a generally good friend to Shaun and does his best to keep the whole flock out of trouble. He is sensible and a stickler for the rules. Bitzer usually does

11610-472: The other zoo animals in attendance. He is shown to be very fat and wearing round glasses as well as a red and green scarf in a photograph with Wallace and Gromit. Lord Victor Quartermaine (voiced by Ralph Fiennes ) is an arrogant, cruel, upper-class bounder who is fond of hunting and the main antagonist in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit , he is rarely seen without his rifle and his hunting dog Philip. He wears

11739-414: The path of evilness when he swore to get revenge on them. Years later, he had gotten engaged to Wendolene and moved in with her at Ramsbottoms Hall (a country estate which she inherited). With the help of robot gnomes, scarecrows, and a rebuilt Preston, he begins once again to tamper with the cheese makers, by spreading soap flakes in pastures where cows graze. He hopes that the soap flakes will become part of

11868-531: The period, much of which has since closed. Wigan began to dominate as a cotton town in the late 19th century, and this lasted until the mid-20th century. Wigan, being almost equal distance from Liverpool and Manchester received high immigration rates of Irish people in the 1800s following the Great Famine (Ireland) . According to ‘Wigan World’ website, Wigan's population (including Ince and Pemberton townships) doubled from 39,000 in 1851 to 77,000 in 1881 with

11997-641: The pilot, he also voiced Sunshine, Bramble and Pillar, but after many policy changes they were removed. He tried to rewrite gags, which proved hard for the target audience, and so left the series, despite being asked to stay. He was eventually replaced by Roy Skelton, whom he recommended. Throughout the 1980s, as well as providing voices in SuperTed , The Family-Ness and Jimbo and the Jet-Set , Hawkins reprised his roles of Bill and Ben for various shows, including Six Fifty-Five Special and Blue Peter . He claimed

12126-532: The place name may refer to a Latin viccus . It has also been suggested directly a Celtic personal name Wigan , a name corresponding to Gaulish Vicanus , Old Welsh Uuicant or Old Breton Uuicon . Similar place-names to the English Wigan exist in France, such as Le Vigan, Gard ( Avicantus , Roman inscription ; Locus de Vicano 1050) of unknown origin and Le Vigan, Lot , from Latin vicanum , derived form of vicus "town" + suffix -anum , and

12255-519: The population was made up of clerical workers and skilled manual workers or other miscellaneous. The slow decrease in the working class goes against the trend for a steeper national decline, reinforcing the perception of Wigan as a working-class town. At the 2001 UK census, 87.7% of Wigan's residents reported themselves as being Christian, 0.3% Muslim, 0.2% Hindu, and 0.1% Buddhist. The census recorded 6.2% as having no religion, 0.1% had an alternative religion and 5.4% did not state their religion. The town

12384-572: The reason for being able to remember such voices was that he believed that the right voice would appear if the right ideas were thought in a live-action role, and used the same thoughts to reprise the role. In 1988 he, his wife Rosemary Miller and David Graham did voices together for the English dub of the German animated film Stowaways on the Ark . Due to Hawkins' role as Spotty Dog in The Woodentops , he

12513-428: The redevelopment of the area have been in place since 2006. Trencherfield Mill , at the centre of the pier development, has been refurbished and used for apartments and office space. The Wigan Life Centre south building opened on 19 September 2011, housing office accommodation for Wigan Council, Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust and NHS Ashton, Leigh and Wigan, Wigan Library and a swimming pool and fitness suite, with

12642-570: The role of a Doctor in Miller's star series Emergency Ward 10 , although due to his many voice roles, he was unable to appear. One of his best-known roles was all the voices in Captain Pugwash . Creator John Ryan praised him for his ability to perform many different voices, although he had to be hidden behind a monitor due to his facial expressions distracting the animators. Because of this, he could write down notes about incidental characters in

12771-519: The script and be reminded by them appearing onscreen. Hawkins gained a reputation for pulling off difficult character voices, which led to him being cast as the Daleks in Doctor Who in 1963. After a trial session he settled on a monotone, which caused worry among executives that it would become monotonous. He solved this problem by raising the voice's pitch when the Daleks got angry. Hawkins would voice

12900-608: The sport, winning 24 league championships and 21 challenge cup titles, as well as being crowned world club champions on five occasions. The club currently play in the Super League . Liverpool Stanley were a professional rugby league club formed in the Highfield area of Wigan in 1902 as Wigan Highfield. The club didn't stay long in Wigan, however, relocating around England several times. Blackpool Borough briefly played in Wigan at Wigan Athletic's Springfield Park from 1987 to 1988 under

13029-585: The stadium upon its completion in 1999 from their former home, Springfield Park . The Warriors also moved into the stadium in 1999 from their previous home, Central Park . The 1,200-capacity multi-use Robin Park arena is located next to the DW Stadium. Rugby football has been played in the town since 1862. Wigan Warriors , originally called Wigan FC, were formed out of the Wigan Cricket Club in 1872 to provide

13158-401: The story and cast of his last Dalek story, The Evil of the Daleks , to be the best. Hawkins never returned afterwards, as he had enough of having to fund it himself. He was, however, going to be the voice of K9 before John Leeson , with whom Hawkins had worked with on the first year of Thames Television's Rainbow , won the role. One of his most prominent live-action roles in the period

13287-546: The town centre since 2008, is a stainless steel sculpture of a face. Created by sculptor Rick Kirby , The Face stands at 18-foot-tall (5.5 m) and cost £80,000. The 25,138-capacity DW Stadium , originally called the JJB Stadium, is located in the Newtown area of Wigan and is shared by professional association football club Wigan Athletic with professional rugby league football club Wigan Warriors . The Latics moved into

13416-498: The town centre. Coal mining ceased in the later 20th century. Wigan Pier , a wharf on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal , was made famous by the writer George Orwell . In his book The Road to Wigan Pier (1937), Orwell highlighted the poor working and living conditions of inhabitants in the 1930s. Following the decline of heavy industry , Wigan Pier's warehouses and wharves became a local heritage centre and cultural quarter. The Brick Community Stadium (formerly known as DW Stadium)

13545-462: The town of Wigan has been divided between five of the twenty-five wards of the metropolitan borough, each returning three councillors to the 75-member borough council. The five wards are: Douglas, Pemberton, Wigan Central, Wigan West and Worsley Mesnes . The metropolitan council provides the local services. At the Norman Conquest, the settlement of Wigan was part of the larger parish of Wigan,

13674-482: The town over a period of several days. During the medieval period Wigan expanded and prospered and in 1536, antiquarian John Leland described the town, saying "Wigan paved; as big as Warrington and better builded. There is one parish church amid the town. Some merchants, some artificers, some farmers". In the English Civil War , most people in the town were Royalists and James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby ,

13803-697: The town, Wigan was captured by Parliamentarian forces on 1 April 1643, the takeover was complete in two hours and the town was pillaged before the defences were broken down and the Parliamentarians retreated. In 1648, Royalist forces under James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton , occupied Wigan after they had been defeated by Oliver Cromwell at the Battle of Preston . The soldiers looted the town as they retreated to Warrington, and afterwards, it experienced pestilence. Cromwell himself described Wigan as "a great and poor town, and very malignant". The Battle of Wigan Lane

13932-545: The town. H. J. Heinz is amongst the largest food manufacturers in Europe. Their 55-acre (22 ha) food manufacturing facility in Wigan is the largest food processing facility in Europe. JJB Sports , a former nationwide sports clothing retailer, was founded in Wigan as a sports shop by John Jarvis Broughton (later JJ Bradburn) and was bought and expanded by businessman Dave Whelan . DW Sports Fitness another nationwide sports retailer and fitness business owned by Dave Whelan

14061-433: The west and north of Hindley and Ashton-in-Makerfield , and is about 16 miles (26 km) west of Manchester city centre and 12 miles (19 km) north of Warrington . The historic town of Wigan forms a tightly integrated conurbation along with the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan districts of Orrell and Ince-in-Makerfield ; this is connected by ribbon development to Standish and Abram . These areas, together with

14190-507: The zoo. Unlike the other baby animals who were caged, Archie serves as Feathers’ main hostage throughout the game, being held by a collar and rope by the penguin as Wallace and Gromit pursued them throughout his diamond operation within the zoo. Eventually, the duo successfully rescue Archie and reunite him with his parents while Feathers is once again incarcerated in the same penguin enclosure from The Wrong Trousers. Returning home, Wallace and Gromit celebrate Archie’s birthday with his parents and

14319-590: Was 1965's The Big Spender , for which he grew and curled his hair for three months. As well, throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s he appeared in many advertising magazine programmes. In 1969 he played an Albanian interpreter speaking English in The Power Game , which he considered his hardest role to play. In 1972, Hawkins joined the ensemble of Dave Allen at Large , even writing various skits, and staying until 1978, as well as voicing Zippy in Rainbow . In

14448-635: Was an important Roman settlement, and was almost certainly the place referred to as Coccium in the Antonine Itinerary. In the Anglo-Saxon period, the area was probably under the control of the Northumbrians and later the Mercians . In the early 10th century there was an influx of Scandinavians expelled from Ireland. This can be seen in place names such as Scholes —now a part of Wigan—which derives from

14577-525: Was born on 3 April 1924 in Hargwyne Street in Brixton , south London , to Detective Inspector John Stephen and piano player Doris Matilda. According to his son Silas, his father's talent was derived from his mother's ability to mimic others. Hawkins made his first stage appearance as a member of the chorus in a musical. During his last year at school, he wrote, with three friends, a revue entitled The Five Bs ,

14706-404: Was chosen by Nick Park to voice Gromit in his short film A Grand Day Out . He eventually decided to make Gromit a mute character to save on the effort required to animate his mouth, instead using his eyes and monobrow to communicate. None of Hawkins' original dialogue has been publicly released. Although Gromit snores and whimpers in A Grand Day Out , whether or not these were recorded by him

14835-512: Was created to watch over and protect Wendolene if her father ever died, but the cyberdog subsequently turned out to be evil. He is the head of a sheep kidnapping operation that turns them into dog food. When put in control of the Mutton-O-Matic, he sees an opportunity to make use of all the shorn sheep. He is a spoof of the Terminator as he has a robotic endoskeleton under fake fur. Mr Patel

14964-657: Was divided into ten wards, each electing one alderman and three councillors. The former area of Pemberton Urban District was annexed to the County Borough of Wigan in 1904, adding four extra wards to the borough. In 1974 the County Borough of Wigan was abolished and its former area became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan . The current Wigan Town Hall was opened by the Princess of Wales in November 1991. In April 2011,

15093-484: Was due to a dearth of fast-flowing streams and rivers in the area, but by 1818 there were eight cotton mills in the Wallgate part of Wigan. In 1818 William Woods introduced the first power looms to the Wigan cotton mills. These mills swiftly became infamous for their dangerous and unbearable conditions, low pay and use of child labour . As well as being a mill town, Wigan was also an important centre for coal production. It

15222-408: Was formerly the mascot of Bake-O-Lite Bread but she was fired because she got too overweight to ride the 'Bake-O-Lite Balloon' so she begins affairs with a chain of 12 local bakers before murdering them, believing it was their fault for her becoming overweight. With her charming nature and captivating smile, Piella is normally seen as very kind but she is actually very angry, fierce, evil and revealed as

15351-733: Was fought on 25 August 1651 during the Third English Civil War , between 1,500 Royalists under the command of the James Stanley, Earl of Derby marching to join the King at Worcester and 3,000 of the New Model Army under the command of Colonel Robert Lilburne hunting them. Lilburne arrived at Wigan to find the Royalists leaving to march towards Manchester but with his force consisting mostly of cavalry recognised it would be dangerous to engage in

15480-567: Was his father voicing the Daleks, although the Daily Express framed it as if he boasted to his friends about it, which Hawkins hated. In 1966, Hawkins voiced the Cybermen in the fourth and final part of the Doctor Who serial The Tenth Planet , originated by Roy Skelton . For the subsequent three Cyberman serials he used an electrolarynx, which he described as very uncomfortable. He considered

15609-489: Was incorporated as a borough in 1246, following the issue of a charter by King Henry III of England . At the end of the Middle Ages , it was one of four boroughs in Lancashire established by royal charter . The Industrial Revolution saw a dramatic economic expansion and rapid rise in population. Wigan became a major mill town and coal mining district; at its peak, there were 1,000 pit shafts within 5 miles (8 km) of

15738-483: Was injured he managed to find refuge in the town. David Craine states, "those who did not fall in the fighting [were] hunted to their death through the countryside". A monument on Wigan Lane marks the place where Sir Thomas Tyldesley a Major General commanding the Royalist troops fell, it was erected 28 years after the battle in 1679 by Alexander Rigby, Tyldesley's standard bearer. Wigan was described by Celia Fiennes ,

15867-516: Was interested in jewellery, fossils, "serious" music and eating out. He supported Chelsea F.C. . He used his record collection to expand his vocal range, and also had a collection of Japanese sword guards and Impressionist works, including those of Pierre-Auguste Renoir , Camille Pissarro and Claude Monet , much to the delight of Gale Pedrick . He considered his collection as "applause" for his busy yet anonymous voice work. In 1977, however, he sold his collection of sword guards at Sotheby's , with

15996-433: Was opened in 1878; McClean was chosen to design the park through a competition. There is a pavilion in the centre and a lake. The Heritage Lottery Fund has donated £1.8 million to regenerate the park and Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council added £1.6 million to that figure. The pavilion and grandstand will be restored. The 20-acre (8.1 ha) Mesnes Park is north-west of Wigan town centre. It receives two million visitors

16125-540: Was prominently featured in George Orwell 's The Road to Wigan Pier which dealt, in large part, with the living conditions of England's working poor . Some have embraced the Orwellian link, as it has provided the area with a modest tourist base over the years. Others regard this connection as disappointing, considering it an insinuation that Wigan is no better now than it was at the time of Orwell's writing. Since 2004,

16254-502: Was reached, dividing some power between the two parties. Under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 , the town was reformed and was given a commission of the peace . The borough was divided into five wards with a town council of forty members: two aldermen and six councillors representing each ward. Rectors from the local parish church were the lords of the manor since records began until 2 September 1861. On this date,

16383-502: Was recorded that in 1854 there were 54 collieries in and around the town, about a sixth of all collieries in Lancashire. In the 1830s Wigan became one of the first towns in Britain to be served by a railway ; the line had connections to Preston and the Manchester and Liverpool Railway . This was the first in a network of public and industrial railways which served the town during

16512-431: Was recording, which Silas thought was overwhelming. Hawkins regularly smoked 20 Olivier cigarettes in his prime, and, later, it would give him eczema. According to his son Silas, Hawkins' wife Rosemary would constantly dress his rashes. In 1992, Hawkins had an operation to remove a tumor in his brain, which left him unable to read and made him very drowsy. Hawkins died on 8 July 2006, aged 82, of pneumonia . The funeral

16641-571: Was redeveloped in 2006 into the Westwood Park business park and features a large amount of Wigan MBC office space. However, plans for a £125 million 55-acre (22 ha) textiles centre on the site with 1,000,000 square feet (93,000 m ) of manufacturing and research space, in co-operation with the Chinese state-owned trading company Chinamex , fell through. The Tote chain of bookmakers has its headquarters in Wigan, providing about 300 jobs in

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