Located in the county of Greater Manchester (or Lancashire up until 1974), around 20 miles northeast of Liverpool, is the town of Wigan. Wigan has been a market town since 1246, when Henry III granted it a Royal Charter. During the Middle Ages Wigan became a coal mining town, and a producer of wool and pewter. In the 18th century industry in Wigan grew due to improved transportation, first with the Douglas Navigation in 1742 (i.e. expanding the River Douglas which runs through Wigan to better accommodate goods), then with the construction of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal which had reached Wigan by 1781. Wigan was a booming town during the Industrial Revolution. In 1818 the first power looms were introduced to the town for increased cotton production. By 1854 there were 54 collieries in and around the town. Iron and clock making industries had also emerged by this time. Also Wigan was one of the first towns in the country to be connected to the railways, when in 1832 the Wigan Branch Railway opened, connecting Wigan's coalfield to the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. Wigan's fortunes were to change somewhat in the 20th century. During the 1920s and 1930s there was mass unemployment in the town. In 1937 George Orwell wrote The Road to Wigan Pier, which documented the living conditions of Wigan and other northern towns around this time as being bleak. Whilst this may have been true of 1930s Britain, the stigma of it being "grim up north" has persisted to an extent into modern times, and rather unfairly so - something that I aim to demonstrate in these videos if I can momentarily break off into personal opinion! In 1992 Wigan hosted the inaugural World Pie Eating Championship, which has since been held annually on Wallgate. Dave Smyth won the first title, eating four pies in three minutes. In 2006 a vegetarian option was added to the event. Wigan is represented in football by Wigan Athletic F.C. and in rugby league by Wigan Warriors. Both teams share the DW Stadium (formerly the JJB Stadium - JJB was bought out by Sports Direct in 2012), west of the town centre. Famous people from Wigan include George Formby, Limahl and Richard Ashcroft. 👇 SUBSCRIBE TO 4K EXPLORER FOR NEW VIDEOS EVERY WEEK 👇 https://www.youtube.com/4KExplorer?sub_confirmation=1 Filmed: 18th May 2021 Link to the walk on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/jjtEgryfxQDbXjNG9 Filmed on a Sony FDR-AX700 with a Zhiyun Crane 2 and a Sony ECM-XYST1M Stereo Microphone. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Crompton Street 0:08 Standishgate 2:08 Market Place 3:04 Church Gates 3:55 Church Gardens 4:18 The Parish Church of All Saints 5:34 Church Gates 6:27 Wallgate 7:07 King Street 9:36 Rodney Street 10:13 Library Street 11:45 Wigan Town Hall (built 1903) 11:52 Library Street 13:19 Wallgate 13:28 Market Place 13:50 Market Street

• published: 22 May 2021
• views: 2242