121-564: All Saints' Church in Wallgate, Wigan , Greater Manchester , England, is an Anglican parish church . It is in the deanery of Wigan, the archdeaconry of Warrington and the Diocese of Liverpool . The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building , and stands on a hill in the centre of the town. The oldest fabric in the church
242-403: 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
363-468: 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
484-507: A commission to build Bankside Power Station on the bank of the River Thames in Southwark , where he built on what he had learnt at Battersea and gathered all the flues into a single tower. This building was converted in the late 1990s into Tate Modern art gallery. Scott continued to receive commissions for religious buildings. At Preston, Lancashire he built a Roman Catholic church which
605-408: A couple in the south chapel that are badly defaced. These are considered to be effigies of Sir William de Bradshaigh, who founded a chantry in the church in 1338, and his wife, Mabel. The female effigy was re-cut, and the male effigy was copied, by John Gibson in about 1850. There are also memorials to James Bankes, who died in 1689, and John Baldwin, who died in 1726. On the east wall of
726-602: A debate on 25 January 1945, the House of Commons approved his choice by 121 to 21. After the immediate rush for building work caused by war damage had died down, Scott put a new roof on the Guildhall in the City of London and designed modernistic brick offices for the Corporation just to the north. Despite having opposed placing heavily industrial buildings in the centre of cities, he accepted
847-474: 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 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
968-454: A flat in Battersea , spending weekends and holidays at the farm. She regularly took them on cycling trips to sketch buildings in the area, and encouraged them to take an interest in architecture. Among the buildings the young Scott drew were Battle Abbey , Brede Place and Etchingham Church ; Scott's son, Richard Gilbert Scott , suggests that the last, with its solid central tower, "was perhaps
1089-657: A house he designed for himself in Clarendon Place, Paddington in 1924, which won the annual medal for London street architecture of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1928. Scott's residential buildings are few; one of the best known is the Cropthorne Court mansion block in Maida Vale , where the frontage juts out in diagonals, eliminating the need for lightwells . Scott continued working on churches during
1210-460: A not very impressive neo-Jacobean design". A later biographer, Gavin Stamp , praises the considerable technical achievement of keeping the building low in scale by building underground, but agrees that aesthetically the building is not among Scott's most successful. Nikolaus Pevsner dismisses it as "neither one thing nor the other". Scott's search for the "middle line" caused him difficulties when he
1331-408: A pipe-rack. The choice of winner was even more contentious when it emerged that Scott was a Roman Catholic, but the assessors' recommendation was accepted by the diocesan authorities. Because of Scott's age and inexperience, the cathedral committee appointed Bodley as joint architect to work in tandem with him. A historian of Liverpool Cathedral observes that it was generous of Bodley to enter into
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#17328558004671452-508: A pupil in Moore's practice, the diocese of Liverpool announced a competition to select the architect of a new cathedral. Two well-known architects were appointed as assessors for an open competition for architects wishing to be considered. G. F. Bodley was a leading exponent of the Gothic revival style, and a former pupil and relative by marriage of Scott's grandfather. R. Norman Shaw
1573-542: 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
1694-559: 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 the period, much of which has since closed. Wigan began to dominate as a cotton town in
1815-414: A south aisle with a porch at its west end, a north aisle with a two-bay chapel at the west end and a tower at its junction with the chancel, and a vestry to the north of the chancel. Between the nave and the chancel are the octagonal turrets remaining from the medieval church; these have crocketed caps. Along the sides of the church are embattled parapets and crocketed pinnacles. At the west end of
1936-603: 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
2057-514: A three rank mixture on the pedal organ, both of which were discarded in 1901. The old choir organ was replaced by an unenclosed positif organ of authentic antique scale and with the part of the instrument that was new in 1963 was placed in the eastern bay of the Leigh Chapel, with the pedal gemshorn on display. The specification was drawn up by Mr A. G. D. Cutter, the organist in consultation with Mr R Mark Fairhead, of Hill, Norman & Beard Ltd., who
2178-411: A traditional Gothic cathedral in the style of the previous century. He persuaded the cathedral committee to let him start all over again (a difficult decision, as some of the stonework had already been erected) and redesigned it as a simpler and more symmetrical building with a single massive central tower instead of the original proposal for twin towers. Scott's new plans provided more interior space. At
2299-554: 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
2420-451: A working relationship with a young and untried student. Bodley had been a close friend of Scott's father, but his collaboration with the young Scott was fractious, especially after Bodley accepted commissions to design two cathedrals in the US, necessitating frequent absences from Liverpool. Scott complained that this "has made the working partnership agreement more of a farce than ever, and to tell
2541-567: 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
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#17328558004672662-478: 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 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
2783-561: 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
2904-950: 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
3025-467: 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
3146-526: 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 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
3267-567: Is notable for an unusually long and repetitive nave. His Carmelite Church in Kensington , up the road from St Mary Abbots built by his grandfather, used transverse concrete arches to fill a difficult site (the church replaced another lost in the war). Scott created the design of the Trinity College Chapel in Toronto , completed in 1955, a lovely example of the perpendicular Gothic, executed by
3388-564: 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 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
3509-601: 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
3630-526: 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 ); 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
3751-472: 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
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3872-515: Is to be found in the lower parts of the tower which date from the later part of the 13th century. The belfry stage was probably added in the 16th century. Between 1845 and 1850 the church was rebuilt, other than the tower, the north chapel, and two turrets between the chancel and the nave . The architects responsible were Sharpe and Paley of Lancaster . The total cost of this was £15,065 (equivalent to £2,030,000 as of 2023). In 1861 E. G. Paley , now working alone, added another stage to
3993-572: 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 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
4114-635: The Commons chamber of the Palace of Westminster was destroyed by bombs in 1941, Scott was appointed in 1944 to rebuild it. Here he was hemmed in entirely by the surviving building, but was entirely of the view that the new chamber should be congruent with the old as anything else would clash with the Gothic style of Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin . This view found favour with Winston Churchill who observed "We shape our buildings and afterwards our buildings shape us". In
4235-575: 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 the Industrial Revolution. The route was altered at the request of mill owners, with
4356-661: The New Bodleian Library , Cambridge University Library , Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford , Battersea Power Station , Liverpool Cathedral , and designing the iconic red telephone box . Scott came from a family of architects. His father George Gilbert Scott Jr. was a co-founder of Watts & Co. , which Scott became the second chairman of. He was noted for his blending of Gothic tradition with modernism , making what might otherwise have been functionally designed buildings into popular landmarks. Born in Hampstead , London, Scott
4477-564: The New Bodleian Library , in Broad Street in Oxford. It is not generally considered his finest work. Needing to provide storage for millions of books without building higher than the surrounding structures, he devised a construction going deep into the earth, behind two elevations no higher than those around them. His biographer A S G Butler commented, "In an attempt to be polite to these – which vary from late Gothic to Victorian Tudor – Scott produced
4598-672: 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
4719-541: 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 the Douglas Navigation in the 1740s, the canalisation of part of the River Douglas and later
4840-602: 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 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
4961-476: 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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5082-509: 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 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
5203-475: 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 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
5324-508: 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 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
5445-657: The First World War Scott was a Major in the Royal Marines . He was in charge of building sea defences on the English Channel coast. As Liverpool Cathedral rose Scott's fame grew, and he began to secure commissions for secular buildings. One of the first was for Clare College, Cambridge , Memorial Court, which was in a neo-Georgian style on the west bank of the River Cam. This style was also used for Chester House ,
5566-686: The GPO's " Kiosk no. 2 " or "K2". In 1932 the design was expanded to include a posting box and two stamp vending machines as " Kiosk no. 4 " or "K4". Later designs adapted the same general look for mass production: the Jubilee kiosk, introduced for King George V 's silver jubilee in 1935 and known as the "K6", eventually became a fixture in almost every town and village. In 1930 the London Power Company engaged Scott as consulting architect for its new electricity generating station at Battersea . The building
5687-585: The Isle of Man to secure his holdings there. The Earl of Derby was absent when Wigan fell, despite fortifications built around 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
5808-600: 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 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
5929-504: 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 the Grand Arcade development , and in 2008 at the Joint Service Centre development, have proven that Wigan
6050-406: 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 was recorded that in 1854 there were 54 collieries in and around the town, about
6171-561: 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 was an important Roman settlement, and was almost certainly the place referred to as Coccium in the Antonine Itinerary. In the Anglo-Saxon period,
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#17328558004676292-561: 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 the Scandinavian skali meaning "hut". Further evidence comes from some street names in Wigan which have Scandinavian origins. Wigan
6413-434: The best of tradition with a fresh modern approach, to eschew dogma, and recognise "the influence of surroundings on the choice of materials and the technique of their use. … My plea is for a frank and common-sense acceptance of those features and materials which are practical and beautiful, regardless as to whether they conform with the formula of either the modern or the traditional school." From 1937 to 1940, Scott worked on
6534-654: 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,
6655-467: 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
6776-411: 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
6897-429: The boundary wall of the churchyard and two archways, the gate piers at the north entrance to the churchyard, railings encircling the church, and two sections of the churchyard wall. Citations Sources 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
7018-438: The building displayed "the same enjoyment of modelling in mass which is Sir Giles Scott's chief personal contribution to contemporary architecture." Scott was elected president of the Royal Institute of British Architects for 1933, its centenary year (having already been awarded the RIBA's prestigious Royal Gold Medal in 1925). In his presidential address he urged colleagues to adopt what he called "a middle line": to combine
7139-490: 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
7260-413: The chancel by means of a door through the screen. Apart from re-voicing and one new rank on each division, the great and swell organs remained much as they were. Only the pedal organ was significantly enlarged by adding ranks of 4 ft and 2 ft pitch, a three rank mixture and 4 ft solo reed, and the trombone was extended to 8 ft and 4 ft pitch. Before 1901 there was a 4 ft stop and
7381-417: The chapel are marble monuments to the 23rd Earl of Crawford , who died in 1825, and his wife, and to the wife of the 24th Earl of Crawford who died in 1850. There is a ring of ten bells, all cast in 1935 by John Taylor & Co of Loughborough . The earliest record of an organ is in 1620 when there was an organ on the screen between the chancel and the nave. A new instrument, built in 1623,
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#17328558004677502-410: The church is a six-light window, and the east window has seven lights. Inside the church are six-bay arcades carried on quatrefoil piers . The roof is coffered . There are corporation stalls of 1850. The reredos and pulpit were designed by Paley. The font has an octagonal bowl with a quatrefoil frieze and incorporates a fragment from the 14th or 15th century. The chancel screen of 1901
7623-435: 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
7744-448: 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
7865-426: The development of his style. Scott and his brother Adrian worked on Grey Wings , a house in Ashtead, Surrey in 1913. While working in Liverpool, Scott met and married Louise Wallbank Hughes, a receptionist at the Adelphi Hotel ; his mother was displeased to learn that she was a Protestant. The marriage was happy, and lasted until Louise Scott's death in 1949. They had three sons, one of whom died in infancy. During
7986-444: 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 was injured he managed to find refuge in the town. David Craine states, "those who did not fall in
8107-434: 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
8228-442: The enormous library for the entire University of Cambridge . He placed two six-storey courtyards in parallel with a twelve-storey tower in the centre, and linked the windows vertically to the bookstacks. The main reading room measured nearly 200 feet (61 m) by 41 feet (12 m) and 31 feet (9.4 m) high, lit by 25 round-headed clerestory windows on each side. At the time of its opening in 1934, The Times commented that
8349-415: 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 , a traveller, in 1698 as "a pretty market town built of stone and brick". In 1720,
8470-498: The germ of Liverpool Cathedral". Scott and his brothers were raised as Roman Catholics; their father was a Catholic convert. Giles attended Beaumont College on the recommendation of his father who admired the buildings of its preparatory school, the work of J. F. Bentley . In January 1899 Scott became an articled pupil in the office of Temple Moore , who had studied with Scott's father. From Moore, or Ellen Scott, or from his father's former assistant P. B. Freeman, Scott got to know
8591-498: The globe. Construction continued throughout the 1930s, but slowed drastically throughout the Second World War, as it had done during the First. Scott continued to work on the project until his death, refining the design as he went. He designed every aspect of the building down to the fine details. The cathedral was finished in 1978, nearly two decades after Scott's death. While Scott was feuding with Bodley in Liverpool, he managed to design and see built his first complete church. This
8712-489: 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
8833-575: The inter-war years. Shortly after his work on the nave at Downside Abbey he was commissioned to design the small Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady & St Alphege, Bath , the first part of which was completed in 1929. His design was inspired by the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin , Rome. Scott's distillation of the main elements of that large and ancient church into the much smaller Bath parish church has been described as "a delight" which "cannot fail to astonish". Some 25 years later he wrote "The church
8954-469: 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 the immigration of Irish to
9075-476: The latest re-building in 1963. The work was done by William Hill and Son and Norman and Beard, also known as Hill, Norman & Beard who had a connection of more than 100 years with the parish church. Most of the 1901 instrument was retained after restoration and re-voicing. The pneumatic action was replaced with electro-pneumatic action, and a new detached console was placed in the Crawford Chapel with access to
9196-464: The local firm of George and Moorhouse and featuring windows by E. Liddall Armstrong of Whitefriars. Scott remained working into his late 70s. He was working on designs for the Roman Catholic Church of Christ the King, Plymouth , when he developed lung cancer. He took the designs into University College Hospital , where he continued to revise them until his death aged 79. Scott was buried by
9317-495: 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 the town over a period of several days. During the medieval period Wigan expanded and prospered and in 1536, antiquarian John Leland described
9438-408: 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
9559-424: The monks of Ampleforth Abbey outside the west entrance of Liverpool Cathedral , alongside his wife (Scott specifically requested that no body should be interred inside the building as he did not want it to become a mausoleum). Although originally planned in the 1942 design for the west end of the cathedral to be within a porch, the site of the grave was eventually covered by a car park access road. The road layout
9680-486: 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. Giles Gilbert Scott Sir Giles Gilbert Scott OM RA FRIBA (9 November 1880 – 8 February 1960) was a British architect known for his work on
9801-555: The new building. For architects, the competition was an important event; not only was it for one of the largest building projects of its time, but it was only the third opportunity to build an Anglican cathedral in England since the Reformation in the 16th century ( St Paul's Cathedral being the first, rebuilt from scratch after the Great Fire of London in 1666, and Truro Cathedral being
9922-505: 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) 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
10043-519: 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
10164-428: 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
10285-407: The reputations of the two men!" Scott's father and his grandfather had been exponents of High Victorian Gothic ; Scott, when still a young man, saw the possibility of designing in Gothic without the profusion of detail that marked their work. He had an unusually free hand in working out his ideas, as Moore generally worked at home, leaving Freeman to run the office. In 1901, while Scott was still
10406-481: The same time Scott modified the decorative style, losing much of the Gothic detailing and introducing a more modern, monumental style. The Lady Chapel , the first part of the building to be completed, was consecrated in 1910 by Bishop Chavasse in the presence of two archbishops and 24 other bishops. Work was severely limited during the First World War, with a shortage of manpower, materials and money. By 1920,
10527-510: The second, begun in the 19th century). The competition attracted 103 entries, from architects including Temple Moore, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Charles Reilly . With Moore's approval, Scott submitted his own entry, on which he worked in his spare time. In 1903, the assessors recommended that Scott should be appointed. There was widespread comment at the nomination of a 22-year-old with no existing buildings to his credit. Scott admitted that so far his only design to be constructed had been
10648-516: 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 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
10769-608: 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
10890-438: 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 was due to a dearth of fast-flowing streams and rivers in the area, but by 1818 there were eight cotton mills in
11011-585: 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
11132-544: The time of its opening, The Observer , though expressing some reservations about details of Scott's work, called it "one of the finest sights in London". In a poll organised by The Architectural Review in 1939 to find what lay people thought were Britain's best modern buildings, Battersea Power Station was in second place, behind the Peter Jones building. In Cambridge , next to Clare College's Memorial Court, Scott designed
11253-411: The tower including clock faces and pinnacles . The church was restored and its exterior partly re-faced in 1922. Further restorations and repairs have been carried out since then. The church is constructed in sandstone . Its architectural style is Perpendicular , following the style of the church it replaced. The plan consists of a six- bay nave, a two-bay chancel, both of which have a clerestory ,
11374-436: The tower. In 1877 the organ was moved to the eastern end of the Leigh Chapel. The main case, designed by Paley, dates from this time. In 1886 it was moved again to the western bay of the Leigh Chapel. In 1901, when Sir Edward Bairstow was organist, the instrument was rebuilt by Norman & Beard of Norwich. Parts of the former organ were retained, but most was new. Further work was done in 1906 and 1948. It remained in use until
11495-546: 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
11616-462: 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,
11737-499: 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
11858-610: 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 , 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
11979-545: 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
12100-423: The truth my patience with the existing state of affairs is about exhausted". Scott was on the point of resigning when Bodley died suddenly in 1907, leaving him in charge. The cathedral committee appointed Scott sole architect, and though it reserved the right to appoint another co-architect, it never seriously considered doing so. In 1910 Scott realised that he was not happy with the main design, which looked like
12221-433: 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
12342-413: The work of his father. In a 2005 study of Scott's work, John Thomas observes that Scott senior's "important church of St Agnes, Kennington (1874–77; 1880s–93) clearly influenced Giles's early work, including Liverpool Cathedral Lady Chapel ." In later years Scott remarked to John Betjeman , "I always think that my father was a genius. … He was a far better architect than my grandfather and yet look at
12463-430: The workforce had been brought back up to strength and the stone quarries at Woolton , source of the red sandstone for most of the building, reopened. The first section of the main body of the cathedral was complete by 1924, and on 19 July 1924, the 20th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone, the cathedral was consecrated in the presence of King George V and Queen Mary , and bishops and archbishops from around
12584-467: 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 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
12705-401: Was an eclectic architect, having begun in the Gothic style, and later favouring what his biographer Andrew Saint calls "full-blooded classical or imperial architecture". Architects were invited by public advertisement to submit portfolios of their work for consideration by Bodley and Shaw. From these, the two assessors selected a first shortlist of architects to be invited to prepare drawings for
12826-549: Was appointed as architect for the new Coventry Cathedral in 1942. Pressured by the new Bishop of Coventry for a modern design and by the Royal Fine Arts Commission for a recreation of the old cathedral, he was criticised for trying to compromise between the two and designing a building that was neither fish nor fowl. Unable to reconcile these differences Scott resigned in 1947; a competition was held and won by Basil Spence with an uncompromisingly modern design. After
12947-439: Was changed, the grave was restored and the grave marker replaced in 2012. A requiem mass for Scott was celebrated by Father Patrick Casey at St James's Roman Catholic Church, Spanish Place, London, on 17 February 1960. In addition to his father and grandfather, other members of Scott's family who were architects included an uncle, John Oldrid Scott , a brother, Adrian Gilbert Scott and son Richard Gilbert Scott . Following
13068-454: Was designed by W. D. Caroe . Built into the splay of a north window is a Roman altar. The stained glass includes fragments in the north window dating from the 15th century, that were reassembled in 1956–57 under the direction of Eric Milner-White . Elsewhere are 19th-century windows by William Wailes , Heaton, Butler and Bayne , Hardman & Co. , Lavers and Barraud , Clayton and Bell , and Burlison and Grylls . The monuments include
13189-441: Was designed by the company's chief engineer, Leonard Pearce , and Scott's role was to enhance the external appearance of the massive architecture. He opted for external brickwork, put some detailing on the sheer walls, and remodelled the four corner chimneys so that they resembled classical columns. Battersea Power Station , opened in 1933 but disused since 1982, remains one of the most conspicuous industrial buildings in London. At
13310-441: Was destroyed by Parliamentarian soldiers in 1643. In 1714 another organ was built in the same place, with a passage of twelve feet beneath it obstructing the view of the chancel. It remained in place until 1844, after which another was installed at the west end of the Leigh Chapel. This instrument was started by Richard Jackson of Liverpool, and finished by William Hill and Son of London. It was re-built by Hill in 1867, and sited under
13431-657: 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,
13552-531: Was my first essay into the Romanesque style of architecture. It has always been one of my favourite works". On the capital of one of the pillars beneath the west gallery W. D. Gough carved a representation of the architect, and a shield inscribed "Aegidio architecto" (By Giles the architect) – possibly the only depiction of Scott in stone. Scott's most ubiquitous design was for the General Post Office . He
13673-538: Was one of six children and the third son of George Gilbert Scott Jr. and his wife, Ellen King Samson. His father was an architect who had co-founded the architecture and interior design company Watts & Co. in 1874. His paternal grandfather was Sir (George) Gilbert Scott , a more famous architect, known for designing the Albert Memorial and the Midland Grand Hotel at St Pancras Station . When Scott
13794-561: Was one of three architects invited by the Royal Fine Arts Commission to submit designs for new telephone kiosks. The invitation came at the time Scott was made a trustee of Sir John Soane's Museum . His design was in the classical style, topped with a dome reminiscent of the mausoleum Soane designed for himself in St Pancras Old Church yard, London. It was the chosen design and was put into production in cast iron as
13915-433: 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
14036-540: 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,
14157-502: 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,
14278-571: 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
14399-502: Was responsible for the tonal finishing of the organ. The organists, some of whom were notable, include: To the south of the church in a triangular garden is a war memorial of 1925 designed by Giles Gilbert Scott , which is listed at Grade II*. It is in Portland stone with bronze plaques recording the names of those who fell in both world wars. In and around the churchyard are structures that have been listed at Grade II. These are
14520-668: Was the Church of the Annunciation, a Roman Catholic church in Bournemouth , in which he made a high transept similar to his original plan for Liverpool. His work on another new Roman Catholic church at Sheringham , Norfolk showed his preference for simple Gothic frontages. Other churches built by Scott at this time, at Ramsey on the Isle of Man, Northfleet in Kent and Stoneycroft in Liverpool, show
14641-493: Was three, his father was declared to be of unsound mind and was temporarily confined to the Bethlem Royal Hospital . Consequently, his sons saw little of him. Giles later said that he remembered seeing his father only twice. A bequest from an uncle in 1889 gave the young Scott ownership of Hollis Street Farm, near Ninfield , Sussex, with a life tenancy to his mother. During the week Ellen Scott and her three sons lived in
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