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For the larger local government district, see Metropolitan Borough of Wigan.

Template:Infobox England place Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, North West England. The town is the administrative centre of, the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, and covers around three and a half square miles (8.75 km²). It lies within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire. The town is roughly equidistant from the cities of Manchester, Preston and Liverpool. Wigan is neighboured by the towns of Leigh, St Helens, Bolton, Chorley and Warrington.

A former industrial centre for textile manufacture, Wigan has a population of 81,203 (2001 Census).

Geography and administration

Wigan was historically part of the hundred of Newton, later becoming part of the West Derby Hundred. The ancient parish of Wigan All Saints contained a number of townships which formed separate civil parishes from 1866.

Wigan was one of the few industrial towns of the 19th century to have already received a charter as a borough. It was reformed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, and was one of the boroughs to be granted the status of county borough by the Local Government Act 1888, giving it independence from Lancashire County Council. The former area of Pemberton Urban District was annexed to the borough in 1904. In 1974 the county borough was abolished and its former area transferred to form part of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan.

Wigan is in the Wigan Parliamentary constituency. It is part of the Anglican Diocese of Liverpool and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool.

Wigan Urban Area

The historic core of Wigan forms a tightly-integrated conurbation along with the areas of Pemberton, Orrell and Ince-in-Makerfield, this is connected by ribbon development to Standish and Abram. These areas, together with the Lancashire town of Skelmersdale, are defined by the Office for National Statistics as the Wigan Urban Area, with a total population of 166,840.

History

Etymology

There are two theories for the meaning of Wigan as a place-name. One theory is that the name is a Celtic one named after a person called Wigan; this would be a personal name place-name, e.g. Stevenston in Ayrshire. This may have been linked with Tref (meaning homestead) to give an original name of TrefWigan. It should be noted that gwig in Welsh signifies 'forest.' Either way, if the name is of Celtic origin, the Proto-Celtic form must have been *Wikanio-. This looks very much like an augmented form of the Proto-Celtic word *wika- meaning 'fight.' So the toponym *Wikanio- may have denoted 'battlefield.' Whatever the case, this Proto-Celtic form would have developed into *Vicaniom in Romano-British Brittonic. There is, however, no place in Wales with the name Wigan, the closest being Lledwigan which isn't recorded until the 14th century. However, other sources suggest the etymology is from Old English wig / wiga 'warrior' (not meaning the same as modern English wig) or wicga 'insect', which is not supported by most written records. The name was recorded as Wicgen in 1286. In total half a dozen explanations have been recorded by a former Wigan chief librarian. It is also possible that the name is cognate with Welsh wig hen, meaning "old fort", referring to the Roman vicus of Coccium.

Early history

The first people believed to have settled in the Wigan area were the Brigantes living in Chochion. The Antonine Itinerary mentions a settlement, in the general vicinity, by the Romans which was renamed around 79 AD following one of many wars with the Celts to Coccium. Whilst there is evidence of Roman activity, namely coins being found during construction work and the most recent finding, a hypocaust system discovered during the construction of the foundations for a new shopping centre in the town centre, there is no conclusive evidence of Wigan lying on the same site.

Wigan is not mentioned in the Domesday Book, probably as it was included in Neweton (now Newton-le-Willows). The traditional date given for the incorporation of Wigan as a borough is 1246 following the issue of a Charter by King Henry III. The earliest incorporation of the town is actually mentioned in the report of the Norroy King of Arms in 1613, that "The Towne and Bourrough of Wiggin was antiently incorporated by the most noble Kinge, Kinge Hen, the first, in the first year of his raygne,".

English Civil War

The Battle of Wigan Lane was fought on August 25, 1651 during the Third English Civil War, between Royalists under the command of the Earl of Derby and elements of the New Model Army under the command of Colonel Robert Lilburne. The Royalists were defeated, losing nearly half their officers and men. The Earl of Derby, as Lord of Mann, had enlisted ten men from each parish in the Isle of Man; 170 in total. David Craine states, "those who did not fall in the fighting hunted to their death through the countryside."

A monument, on Wigan Lane, stands in memory of Sir Thomas Tyldesley who was killed at the Battle of Wigan Lane.

Industrial Revolution

Wigan, primarily a mill town, was once an important centre of textile manufacture. The Leeds-Liverpool Canal was diverted from its original planned course, at the request of the mill owners, to transport coal from the Lancashire coalfield pits into Wigan for the mills and was used extensively to transport local produce. 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. After the 1914-18 war there was a boom followed by a slump from which Wigan's textile industry did not recover. The last working cotton mill, the May Mill, closed in 1980. The novel Rose by Martin Cruz Smith is centred around the Victorian era coal mining in Lancashire, not far from Wigan.

In 1937, Wigan 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 the insinuation that Wigan is in fact no better now than it was as at the time of writing as disappointing. A recent TV documentary about Orwell visited Wigan, and made a comparison to less-affluent areas such as Platt Bridge and Standish Lower Ground, commenting that not much had changed. This was met with widespread local disapproval.

Landmarks

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• Wigan Pier Experience on the banks of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal which includes the Trencherfield Mill Engine a working mill steam engine.

Regeneration

Wigan is currently in the midst of a large regeneration project with the 'Grand Arcade' shopping complex (due to open on the 22nd March 2007) being the largest current development. The area around the famous pier is currently being developed into the “Wigan Pier Quarter” with the redevelopment of Trencherfield Mill, as an office and residential building, being at the forefront of the development. A hotel, numerous bars and art studios are also set to the feature although plans for a new theatre look to be doomed because of spiralling costs. Other developments in the pipeline include a new swimming baths, to be built on the same site as the current baths, which are to be demolished, a new 18 storey tower block (retail and office space) next to the Grand Arcade, residential and office buildings on the site of the former police station and plans are also afoot to develop the old town hall which has been in a state of decay for many years.

Culture

Music

Wigan has been well known for its popular music since the days of George Formby Snr and George Formby Jnr. It was the birthplace of The Eight Lancashire Lads a dancing troupe who gave the young Charlie Chaplin his professional debut. One member of the troupe was a John Willie Jackson, The "John Willie" to whom George Formby would often refer in his songs. Local bands that gained wider repute include The Railway Children, Witness, The Tansads, Limahl of Kajagoogoo and (more recently) Starsailor and Moco.

The Verve are one of the most important British rock groups of the 1990s, finding success in the UK and abroad (even touring on the USA's famous Lollapalooza alternative rock festival). The band was formed when the members met at Winstanley College in 1989. They held their most famous homecoming gig at Haigh Hall, Wigan on 24 May 1998.

The Wigan Casino was, from 1973, the location for Wigan's weekly Northern Soul all-nighters (most being DJed by famous deep funk & northern soul DJ Keb Darge), until it was demolished in 1983.

Wigan remains a centre of popular music for young people, with a number of alternative pubs/clubs in the town centre. The town also has a music collective which exists to promote the scene and help out local musicians and bands. They host weekly gigs at The Tavern and also host various other activities such as the annual Haigh Hall Music Festival, recording sessions and gig advice for young musicians.

Transport

Roads

Wigan lies on the meeting point of two primary A roads, the A49 and A577 which link to the M6 and M58 motorways.

Railways

There are two railway stations in Wigan. These are located virtually across the street from each other in Wallgate, on the southern fringe of the town centre.

• Wigan North Western is linked to the electrified north-south West Coast Main Line.
  Virgin Trains provides express trains to London Euston, Birmingham, Lancaster, Carlisle, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Northern Rail has trains to Preston and Blackpool and a regular local service along the line to St Helens and Liverpool Lime Street.

• Wigan Wallgate serves lines running east and west from Wigan.
  Northern Rail provides trains to Southport and Kirkby (with connections to Liverpool Central and the Merseyrail system). A frequent local service also operates to Bolton and Manchester (Victoria and Piccadilly), with most trains from Wigan continuing through to other destinations such as Manchester Airport, Stockport, Oldham and Rochdale.

Buses

A network of local buses serves Wigan and district, co-ordinated by Greater Manchester PTE and departing from a bus station in the town centre, which is also served by National Express long distance services.

Since deregulation and privatisation of the bus industry in the 1980s and 1990s, a number of different companies have operated in Wigan, some big, some small.
At present the two larger national operators are:-

• First Manchester, which operates routes generally to the north-east, east and south-east of the town, including buses to Leigh, Bolton and Manchester.
• Arriva, which operates north and west of Wigan to Bolton, Chorley, Leigh, Preston, Skelmersdale, Southport, St Helens and Warrington.
• South Lancs Travel also provide services around the borough of Wigan.

Labour Clubs

Wigan has long been a heartland of the National Union of Labour Clubs, having at one time 30 Labour Clubs in the town. In recent years this has gone down to about twenty. The NULSC has also used Haigh Hall for an annual festival.

Sport

Wigan's main sports teams are Wigan Warriors (rugby league) and Wigan Athletic (football). Wigan Athletic and Wigan Warriors share the JJB Stadium in Newtown. Wigan RLFC's ground, for most of the 20th century, was Central Park which stood alongside the River Douglas in Wigan. It was the scene of many Lancashire Cup Finals, Challenge Cup Semi-Finals, international games and test matches, Springfield Park, in Wigan, was the former home of Wigan Athletic FC.

As Wigan RLFC, the "Warriors" in the eighties and nineties were England's leading rugby league team. A poor start to the 2006 Super League season resulted in the sacking of Ian Millward as coach, and prompted the hiring of Bradford Bulls coach Brian Noble. Noble brought in players including Stuart Fielden and the team won 9 of their last 13 matches, ensuring that they weren't relegated, and finished 8th in the league table.

Wigan Athletic were elected to the Football League only in 1978 and had little success for many years, but they have recently gained promotion to the F.A. Premier League and the 2005/06 season was their first ever in the top flight. The team was in the top half of the table for the entire season, finishing tenth, and made it to the League Cup Final in February 2006, where they were beaten by neighbours Manchester United.

Wigan is one of relatively few towns in the UK to have an international-standard swimming pool in the town centre. The pool itself was built to exact Olympic standards, but has never been used for official Olympic sanctioned competition. The resident swimming club, Wigan Wasps, which has now changed its name to Wigan BEST has produced Olympic standard swimmers, including medal winner June Croft.

Notable people

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People who were either born or brought up in Wigan or it's surrounding area, or have had some significant connection with the town, or it's surrounding area, during their life, include:

Notable organisations

Business connections to the town include:

• Heinz the home of the baked bean, formerly 57 varieties, amongst the largest food manufacturers in Europe.
• JJB Sports, nationwide sports clothing retailer
• Wm Santus and Co, producer of the spherical mints known as Uncle Joe's Mint Balls.
• Thomas Beecham, sold his pills in Wigan for a short time, before moving to St Helens where he founded, what was to become, the world's largest pharmaceutical producer, Beechams
• The Lindsay art connoisseurs are connected with the town

See also

• Coat of arms of Wigan
• Wigan Rural District
• The Road to Wigan Pier
• Earl of Crawford
• Category:People from Wigan

References

1. "Official British Place Name Archives - Wigan". Greater Manchester County Records Office. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
2. Youngs, Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Volume 2.
3. "Table KS01 - Usual resident population - Census 2001". Office for National Statistics.
4. ^ "Celtic Wigan". Wigan Historical Society.
5. "Newsletter 15 - What's in a name?". Wigan Historical Society.
6. Hawkes, Arthur J. Outline of flue History of Wigan.
7. ^ "COCCIUM". www.roman-britain.org.
8. "Roman Wigan". Wigan Local Historical Society.
9. ^ "Medieval Wigan". Wigan Archaeological Society.
10. "Imperial Gazetteer for Britain entry for Wigan". A Vision of Britain.
11. Report of Wigan Lane by Robert Lilburne
12. Craine, D. (1995). Manannan's Isle. The Manx Museum and National Trust. ISBN 978-0901106100.
13. "Sir Thomas Tyldesley's Regiment of Foote".
14. Vallely, Paul (30 April 2003). "On the road again". The Independent. It seems funny to celebrate Orwell for highlighting all our bad points, but Wigan wouldn't be anywhere near as famous without him," says the Wigan Pier Experience's manager, Carole Tyldesley. "In the end George Orwell has proved to be a strong marketing tool.
15. Vallely, Paul (30 April 2003). "On the road again". The Independent. What he wrote still colours people's views of Wigan... But if Wigan is going to grow it's got to leave Orwell behind and sell all that.
16. "Wigan Wasps Website".
17. "Wigan BEST website".

External links

• Online borough guide
• wigantoday - Wigan Observer, Wigan Recorder, Wigan Evening Post

• Articles with unsourced statements from January 2007
• Wigan
• Towns in Greater Manchester
• Battles of the English Civil Wars