The Road to Wigan Pier

One day we went Wigan to meet cousin Audrey and her husband Steve for lunch at the Juniper restaurant. We took the train there, and as I was crossing under the far track to get to the exit I saw that there was an art installation called "An A to Z of Wiganese" It's a mural designed by local artist Jessica Riley. It celebrates the unique language of Wigan in colorful phrases. Here are some samples:

and my favorite:

I exited the station and walked to the Wiend Historic Shopping Street.

It was a bit grim, mostly fast food, bet shops and cheap stores, but it certainly had personality.

I found the Makinson Arcade, which dates back to the 1890s. I love these old shopping arcades which are all over the UK. I can imagine how grand the Makinson was at the time.

Though the stores are not of the posh variety that once occupied the space, it still held a certain charm.

The shopping mall across the street was certainly more modern, but the stores were quite budget-oriented, leading me to conclude that Wigan is pretty hard hit by the current economic situation in Britain.

It did have a statue of famous native son George Formby, though.

I have to admit that my view of Wigan was tainted by the fact that I've read George Orwell's book, The Road to Wigan Pier, which documents the bleak living conditions among the working class in the industrial north of England before World War II. There's no denying that his prose painted a very bleak picture, as in this passage,

"I remember a winter afternoon in the dreadful environs of Wigan. All round was the lunar landscape of slag-heaps, and to the north, through the passes, as it were, between the mountains of slag, you could see the factory chimneys sending out their plumes of smoke. The canal path was a mixture of cinders and frozen mud, criss-crossed by the imprints of innumerable clogs, and all round, as far as the slag-heaps in the distance, stretched the 'flashes'—pools of stagnant water that had seeped into the hollows caused by the subsidence of ancient pits. It was horribly cold. The 'flashes' were covered with ice the colour of raw umber, the bargemen were muffled to the eyes in sacks, the lock gates wore beards of ice. It seemed a world from which vegetation had been banished; nothing existed except smoke, shale, ice, mud, ashes, and foul water."

Orwell said that he actually liked the people of Wigan. Some locals have embraced the Orwellian link, as it has provided a modest tourist base over the years. "It seems funny to celebrate Orwell for highlighting all our bad points, but Wigan wouldn't be anywhere near as famous without him," said the Wigan Pier Experience's manager, Carole Tyldesley. "In the end George Orwell has proved to be a strong marketing tool."

As Steve drove us away from town to the restaurant, Wigan revealed itself to be a lovely place with nice homes, expanses of meadows and gardens, once you were out of the city center. Orwell would be amazed. We enjoyed a really nice lunch. Bad blogger that I am, I forgot to take photos of most of what we had, but it was lovely: Salt and Pepper Pork Belly Rib with hoisin sauce, Red Wine Braised Beef Shin, Whole Grilled Baby Plaice, and a Buddha Bowl with harissa hummous, apricot couscous on a salad base.Tthe capper of the meal was Audrey's strawberry pavlova, which was a marvel of meringue-based architecture, and which I did manage to photograph.

Speaking of restaurants, one of the days I was in Liverpool I had lunch at Gordon Ramsey's Bread Street Kitchen. I usually avoid chain restaurants (except Mowgli) but I was hungry and more than a little curious, so I went in.

I wasn't knocked out by the decor

but it was hot outside, cool in the restaurant, and there were vegan menu options. I ordered an Aperol Spritz which was perfectly made. That may not sound like a big deal, but I've had a number of them that don't have the correct balance of Aperol, prosecco and soda so when I get a good one, I consider it a win. I ordered the Poke Bowl which featured marinated tofu. Now, I guess this is a bit picky, but poke is a tuna dish. There must be a better way of describing what I had. "Poke-style Tofu" perhaps or "Hawaiian Tofu Bowl" maybe? At any rate, it turned out to be absolutely delicious and exactly what I wanted on a hot sunny day. I ordered optional extra avocado, but that wasn't necessary as there were lovely blobs of avocado mousse already in the dish. Well done, Mr. Ramsey, but I still think you're a bit of a jerk.

One last bit about Liverpool. It is, of course, famous as the birthplace of The Beatles. And honestly, Liverpool knows how to capitalize on that. There's The Magical Mystery Tour Bus" (which is actually really fun) two Beatles Museums, images of them on walls and restaurants and Beatles merchandise virtually everywhere.

The Cavern Quarter has statues of them near the Cavern Club and there's even A Hard Day's Night Hotel

with giant statues of the Beatles on the roof.

Yep, they really know how to wring every last drop out of that legacy..

It was such a lovely visit up north with unexpectedly fabulous weather and equally fabulous friends and family. To Liverpool, Wigan, Chorley, Preston, and Rainhill, I say thank you. Lancashire is a wonderful place filled with wonderful people and I look forward to my next visit.