Wigan Grammar School was founded in 1597; and closed in 1972 as part of the comprehensive education movement.

Notable former pupils

Ivor Abrahams Ivor Abrahams (10 January 1935 – 6 January 2015) was a British sculptor, ceramicist and print maker best known for his polychrome sculptures and his stylised prints of garden scenes. His career long exploration of new subject matter, novel ...

, sculptor * Stanley Alstead CBE, Regius Professor of Materia Medica and Therapeutics from 1948-70 at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

* Walter Anderson CBE, General Secretary from 1957-73 of NALGO * Sir James Anderton CBE, former Chief Constable from 1976-91 of

Greater Manchester Police Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester in North West England. , Greater Manchester Police employed 6,866 police officers, 3,524 memb ...

(GMP) *

Colin Bean Colin Bean (15 April 1926 – 20 June 2009) was an English actor. He was best known for his role as Private Sponge in the BBC comedy series '' Dad's Army''. Early life Born in Wigan, Lancashire, Bean's father played football for local side Wig ...

, actor in ''

Dad's Army ''Dad's Army'' is a British television sitcom about the United Kingdom's Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, and originally broadcast on BBC1 from 31 July 1968 to 13 November 1977. It ran fo ...

'' * Eric Bolton CB, Chairman from 1997-2000 of the BookTrust, Professor of Teacher Education from 1991-96 at the

UCL Institute of Education IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society (IOE) is the education school of University College London (UCL). It specialises in postgraduate study and research in the field of education and is one of UCL's 11 constituent faculties. Prior to ...

* Dr Gordon Brown OBE, Chief Engineer from 1958-62 of

Windscale Sellafield is a large multi-function nuclear site close to Seascale on the coast of Cumbria, England. As of August 2022, primary activities are nuclear waste storage, nuclear waste processing and storage and nuclear decommissioning. Former act ...

AGR, President from 1975-77 of the British Nuclear Energy Society (became the

Nuclear Institute The Nuclear Institute is the professional body representing nuclear professionals in the UK. It is a charity independent of the industry that promotes knowledge of nuclear energy amongst its members and the public and offers a route to professi ...

in 2009) * Sir

Ernest Bullock Sir Ernest Bullock (1890–1979) was an English organist, composer, and teacher. He was organist of Exeter Cathedral from 1917 to 1928 and of Westminster Abbey from 1928 to 1941. In the latter post he was jointly responsible for the music at th ...

CVO, Director from 1953-60 of the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including performanc ...

(RCM), President from 1951-52 of the

Royal College of Organists The Royal College of Organists (RCO) is a charity and membership organisation based in the United Kingdom, with members worldwide. Its role is to promote and advance organ playing and choral music, and it offers music education, training and de ...

(RCO) * Prof Kenneth Bullock, Professor of Pharmacy from 1955-70 at the

University of Manchester , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univ ...

* Prof Gilbert Causey, Sir William Collins Professor of Anatomy from 1952-70 at the

Royal College of Surgeons of England The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) is an independent professional body and registered charity that promotes and advances standards of surgical care for patients, and regulates surgery and dentistry in England and Wales. T ...

* Prof Noel Coulson, Professor of Oriental Laws from 1967-86 at the

School of Oriental and African Studies SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury a ...

* David Gee, Director from 1990-91 of Friends of the Earth, later at the European Environment Agency in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

* Sir William Gorman, Liberal MP from 1923-24 for

Gorton Gorton is an area of Manchester in North West England, southeast of the city centre. The population at the 2011 census was 36,055. Neighbouring areas include Levenshulme and Openshaw. A major landmark is Gorton Monastery, a 19th-century Hig ...

* Sir

Walter Greaves-Lord Sir Walter Greaves Greaves-Lord (born Walter Greaves Lord; 21 September 1878 – 18 June 1942) was a British Member of Parliament and judge. Born in Ince, Lord was educated at Wigan Grammar School, Southport College and University College, Liverp ...

, Conservative MP from 1922-35 for Norwood *

Thomas Halliwell Thomas Halliwell (27 January 1900 – 1 December 1982) was the Principal of Trinity College Carmarthen (now the University of Wales Trinity St David) in the middle part of the 20th Century. Early life and education Thomas Halliwell was bo ...

, former Principal of

Trinity University College Trinity University College ( cy, Coleg Prifysgol y Drindod) was a Church University College in Carmarthen, Wales. The institution was founded in 1848 as the South Wales and Monmouthshire Training College, a teacher-training college. It change ...

(now part of

University of Wales Trinity Saint David , image = Crest of TSD.png , image_size = 200px , caption = Coat of armsUniversity of Wales Trinity Saint David , established = 2010 (Saint David's College, Lampeter founded 1822 and opened 1827; royal charter 1828) , ...

since 2010) * John Heaton, Chief Executive from 1997-2004 of the Horserace Totalisator Board (

The Tote The Tote is a British gambling company which is the largest pool betting operator in the United Kingdom. Headquartered in Wigan, England, its main products are sports betting and online casino. Founded in 1928, the company was owned by the U ...

) * Brian Hill CBE, Chief Executive from 1977-90 of Lancashire County Council *

Arthur John Hope Arthur John Hope, known as “AJ” (1875–1960) was an architect and president of the Manchester Society of Architects (1924). Hope was born on 2 October 1875 Atherton in the historic county of Lancashire. He attended Wigan Grammar School and ...

, architect * Prof Paul Geoffrey Ince, Professor of Neuropathology at the Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience

University of Sheffield , mottoeng = To discover the causes of things , established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions: – Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield , type = Pu ...

, President from 2016-2018 British Neuropathological Society, President from 2017-2020 European Confederation of Neuropathological Societies * Stanley Jones, President from 1981-96 of the Printmakers Council, Director from 1959-2012 of Curwen Studio * Sir Ian McKellen CBE, actor (for one year until he was twelve) * Ian Macleod, surgeon * Prof Stanley Mason, Principal and Vice-Chancellor from 1993-97 of

Glasgow Caledonian University Glasgow Caledonian University ( gd, Oilthigh Chailleannach Ghlaschu, ), informally GCU, Caledonian or Caley, is a public university in Glasgow, Scotland. It was formed in 1993 by the merger of The Queen's College, Glasgow (founded in 1875) and G ...

(former Glasgow Polytechnic) * Sir

Roy Meadow Sir Samuel Roy Meadow (born 9 June 1933) is a British retired paediatrician. He was awarded the Donald Paterson prize of the British Paediatric Association in 1968 for a study of the effects on parents of having a child in hospital. In 1977, he ...

, Professor of Paediatrics and Child Health from 1980-98 at the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

, Chairman from 1983-84 of the Association for Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and from 1994-96 of the BPA (now the RCPCH since 1996) * William Ormandy, former President of the Institute of Automobile Engineers * Prof Norman Pye, Professor of Geography from 1954-79 at the

University of Leicester , mottoeng = So that they may have life , established = , type = public research university , endowment = £20.0 million , budget = £326 million , chancellor = David Willetts , vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah , head_lab ...

* Bryan Rigby, Chairman from 1998-2009 of the Anglo-German Foundation * A. G. Rigg, medievalist *

William Roby William Roby (1766–1830) was an English Congregational minister. Life Born at Haigh, near Wigan, Lancashire on 23 March 1766, he was the half-brother of the poet John Roby; his parents belonged to the Church of England. He was educated at Wi ...

Bryan Talbot Bryan Talbot (born 24 February 1952) is a British comics artist and writer, best known as the creator of ''The Adventures of Luther Arkwright'' and its sequel '' Heart of Empire'', as well as the ''Grandville'' series of books. He collaborated ...

, writer and artist, married to Mary M. Talbot, created ''

The Adventures of Luther Arkwright ''The Adventures of Luther Arkwright'' is a limited series comic book written and drawn by Bryan Talbot. The story is adult in tone, with many mythological, historical and political references, and a little explicit sex. English writer Warren El ...

'' * William Thomson, Editor from 1944-73 of The Practitioner, Medical Correspondent from 1956-71 of ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'', and from 1971-83 of the '' Daily Telegraph'' * Richard Warburton OBE, Director General from 1979-90 of

RoSPA The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) is a British charity that aims to save lives and prevent life-changing injuries which occur as a result of accidents. In the past, it has successfully campaigned on issues of road safet ...

Professor David Turnock MA PhD Cantab - Professor of Geography Leicester University * Charles Wilcocks CMG, President from 1963-65 of the

Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, more commonly known by its acronym RSTMH, was founded in 1907 by Sir James Cantlie and George Carmichael Low. Sir Patrick Manson, the Society's first President (1907–1909), was recognised as "t ...

Gerald Wilkinson Gerald Sedgewick Wilkinson, (9 February 1926 – 10 March 1988''Reading Evening Post'', Tuesday 20 February 1990; p.9) was a British illustrator, art historian, naturalist, photographer, artist and book-designer, known for his books on J. M. W. Tu ...

, illustrator, art historian, naturalist, photographer, artist and book-designer * Russ Winstanley, began the Northern soul nightclub at

Wigan Casino The Wigan Casino was a nightclub in Wigan, England. Operating between 1973 and 1981, it became known as a primary venue for Northern soul music. It carried forward the legacy created by clubs such as the Twisted Wheel in Manchester, the Chateau ...

in September 1973, later a broadcaster on Radio LancashireRuss Winstanley
/ref>

References

External links

History
{{authority control 1597 establishments in England 1972 disestablishments in England Defunct grammar schools in England Defunct schools in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan Educational institutions established in the 16th century Educational institutions disestablished in 1972 Wigan