Museum of Wigan Life
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The Museum of Wigan Life is a public museum and local history resource centre in
Wigan Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the north-east and Warrington t ...
,
Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tam ...
, England. The nineteenth-century
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
is by the noted architect Alfred Waterhouse. It originally housed Wigan Library, where George Orwell researched his book ''
The Road to Wigan Pier ''The Road to Wigan Pier'' is a book by the English writer George Orwell, first published in 1937. The first half of this work documents his sociological investigations of the bleak living conditions among the working class in Lancashire and Yor ...
'' in 1936. The museum works with other museums in Greater Manchester as part of the Greater Manchester Museums Group (GMMG).


History


Wigan Public Library (1878–1990)

The building which now houses the Museum of Wigan Life was designed by Alfred Waterhouse and opened in 1878 as the town's first public library. Its construction was funded by mill owner Thomas Taylor and Dr Joseph Winnard, who each bequeathed £12,000. Dr Winnard's donation paid for the library's books, and portraits of the benefactors remain on display at the museum. Built on the site of Wigan Grammar School, the library was opened on 7 May 1878. A Grade II
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
, the architecture is largely in Elizabethan Revival style, embellished by some Gothic features such as its red brick arches. On opening, the library comprised two main floors. The ground floor contained an ornate entrance hall, lending library and newsroom, whilst the first floor incorporated a reference library and the corporation's Public Library Committee meeting room. A third floor, later used for storage and later still as a staff rest-room, accommodated the custodian or caretaker-cum-security officer's flat. The librarian of the reference department was Henry Tennyson Folkard 1850-1916) who compiled a ''Catalogue of Books'' in the department (13 pts. 1890-1918) and various catalogues for particular subjects. After eight months of discerning book acquisition –nationally renowned specialists were consulted on the selection of new books– the reference library totalled 15,300 volumes and the lending library 6,808. In response to the popularity of the newsroom where current newspapers and periodicals were held, an annexe was built in 1892.


The History Shop (1990–2010)

In 1990, due to an increasing need for space, the library was relocated to the New Town Hall, on site of Wigan Mining and Technical College. In 1992, the newly formed Wigan Heritage Services opened the History Shop in the old library with intentions of hosting travelling (temporary) and in-house (permanent) exhibitions and the Wigan local history collection, parish registers and census returns in a study/research area on the first floor. Initially, the History Shop shared the building with the Wigan Careers Service which moved out in 1995 and Wigan Heritage Services took over the entire building. Funding –a total of £260,000– came from the National Lottery and Monica Whickham, last surviving daughter of Wigan vicar William Whickham. In honour of the donation, the art gallery by the Library Street entrance was renamed the Whickham Gallery.


The Museum of Wigan Life (2010–)

The History Shop was closed in 2009 for a £1.6million refurbishment, to be reopened as the Museum of Wigan Life. £500,000 of
Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...
money was matched by Wigan Council and Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust for the building's redevelopment, which involved extensive internal and external restoration. The roof was re-tiled, whilst the ground floor exhibition space was renovated to focus on aspects of Wigan life and culture. New features included an extra staircase, family study area and a refurbished reception area, meeting room and shop. The museum was formally opened by Mayor of Wigan Michael Winstanley on 1 July 2010. In its first six months of operation, the renovated building saw 16,000 visits.


References


External links


Museum of Wigan Life

Facebook page for Museum of Wigan Life
{{authority control Museums in Greater Manchester Museum of Wigan Life Museum of Wigan Life Museum of Wigan Life Alfred Waterhouse buildings Library buildings completed in 1878 Local museums in Greater Manchester Art museums and galleries in Greater Manchester Art museums established in 1992 Museum of Wigan Life Musical instrument museums