Museum of Wigan Life facts for kids
.jpg)
The Museum of Wigan Life
|
|
| Established | 1878 (Wigan Public Library) 1990 (The History Shop) 2010 (Museum of Wigan Life) |
|---|---|
| Location | Library Street, Wigan, Greater Manchester, England |
| Type | Heritage centre |
| Visitors | 16,000 (April–October 2010) |
| Public transit access | Wigan North Western and Wigan Wallgate train stations, Wigan bus station |
| Designations | |
|---|---|
|
Listed Building – Grade II
|
|
| Designated | 1988 |
| Reference no. | 1384510 |
The Museum of Wigan Life is a public museum and local history center in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. It's in an old building designed by a famous architect, Alfred Waterhouse. This building was once Wigan Library. Here, writer George Orwell worked on his famous book The Road to Wigan Pier in 1936.
The museum also works with other museums in the area. They are all part of the Greater Manchester Museums Group (GMMG).
Contents
History of the Museum Building
Wigan's First Public Library (1878–1990)
The building that is now the Museum of Wigan Life opened in 1878. It was designed by Alfred Waterhouse and became Wigan's very first public library. Two generous people, Thomas Taylor and Dr. Joseph Winnard, gave money to build it. Dr. Winnard's gift also paid for the library's first books. You can still see their portraits at the museum today.
The library was built where Wigan Grammar School used to be. It opened its doors on May 7, 1878. The building is a Grade II listed building, which means it's an important historical site. Its style is mostly Elizabethan Revival, with some cool Gothic touches like red brick arches.
When it first opened, the library had two main floors. Downstairs, there was a fancy entrance hall, a lending library, and a newsroom. Upstairs, you could find a reference library and a meeting room. There was also a third floor used for storage and staff.
The library worked hard to get the best books. They even asked experts from all over the country for help. Soon, they had over 15,000 books in the reference library and over 6,000 in the lending library. The newsroom, with its newspapers and magazines, was very popular. So, in 1892, they added an extra room just for it.
The History Shop (1990–2010)
By 1990, the library needed more space. It moved to a new building called the New Town Hall. In 1992, a new group called Wigan Heritage Services opened "The History Shop" in the old library building. Their goal was to host different exhibitions. They also wanted to keep Wigan's local history collection, like old records and family histories, in a special study area upstairs.
At first, The History Shop shared the building with another service. But in 1995, Wigan Heritage Services took over the whole building. They received money from the National Lottery and from Monica Whickham. She was the last daughter of a Wigan vicar named William Whickham. To thank her, the art gallery near the entrance was renamed the Whickham Gallery.
The Museum of Wigan Life (2010–Present)
The History Shop closed in 2009 for a big renovation. It cost £1.6 million to turn it into the Museum of Wigan Life. A lot of the money came from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Wigan Council and Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust also helped pay for the changes.
The building was carefully restored, both inside and out. The roof got new tiles, and the ground floor was updated. This area now focuses on different parts of Wigan's culture and daily life. New features were added, like another staircase, a family study area, and a new reception and shop. The Mayor of Wigan, Michael Winstanley, officially opened the museum on July 1, 2010. In its first six months, 16,000 people visited the new museum!
