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Town in Greater Manchester, England
Photo: citizenandrew, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Wigan is an industrial town in Greater Manchester in the north of England. It's 17 miles northwest of central Manchester and until 1974 was part of Lancashire. In 2019 the population was 108,000.
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The famous pier is simply an old canal wharf, and the area has been redeveloped with apartments. Its centrepiece is the museum of Trencherfield Mill, which has a mighty steam engine restored to working order; but the museum is closed, probably throughout 2020. Even the pub "The Orwell" has closed.
Council-run museum depicts life in Wigan from the Roman settlement of Cocchium to its present status as an urban borough within Greater Manchester. Closed for refurbishment, reopening in Summer 2027.
"The Latics" were relegated in 2023 so they now play soccer in League One, England's third tier. Their home ground is DW Stadium (capacity 25,000), a mile west of town centre, which they share with Wigan Warriors RLFC. In 2022 this hosted games (along with Leigh Sports Village) in the Rugby League World Cup.
formerly Leigh Centurions
Leopards play at Leigh Sports Village, below. They were promoted in 2022 so they too play in the Super League. The women's team also play in their top tier.
A large country park two miles northeast of town. It's arranged around Haigh Hall, a 19th-century mansion converted into a hotel (see "Sleep", but the hotel is closed). There are extensive grounds and parkland, and two golf courses, the Balcarres of 18 holes and the Crawford of 9. There's also a kid's playground, stables, shops and cafe. It's bordered to the west by the Leeds and Liverpool canal.
Modern city centre chain hotel. A bit dated but comfy and fair value.
Pub with rooms.
Comfy business hotel in sports village.
By air
Manchester Airport (MAN) 25 miles southeast has a direct train hourly, taking one hour to Wigan North Western and continuing north to Barrow-in-Furness.
By rail
Wigan North Western station has trains hourly from London Euston taking 2 hours via Warrington, and continuing north via Preston, Lancaster, Penrith and Carlisle to Glasgow Central.
By bus
National Express Bus NX570 runs daily from London Victoria, taking six hours to Wigan via Milton Keynes and Birmingham, and continuing to Preston and Blackpool.
The town is compact and you can easily walk between centre, canalside, museum and football ground. The borough however is large, with satellite towns.
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