Sell your Rolex Wigan

Wigan is a large town that sits within the western edge of the borough of Greater Manchester. Previously a part of the county of Lancashire, Wigan is a relatively recent settlement, only becoming a significant conurbation during the industrial revolution of the 19th century.
A focal point for the coal production (there were once 1,000 coal mines within a five-mile radius of the town centre) and textile production, the centre of Wigan has now been redeveloped into a retail, cultural and residential centre.

There is virtually no evidence of human activity in the area until at least the Iron Age, even though surrounding areas had been occupied since prehistoric times. The first residents of Wigan would seem to be the Celts, until they were subjugated by the Romans in the 1st century.

It is believed the Roman site of Coccium was situated where Wigan now stands. Excavations here have unearthed remains of a building measuring 118ft x 59ft with stone walls and a tiled roof, heated by a hypercaust, showing how important the area was to the Romans. Following the departure of the Romans the area was subsequently inhabited by the Anglo-Saxons, the Northumbrians and then the Mercians. During the 10th century, many Scandinavians came over from Ireland and settled in the area. Evidence of their time here can be seen in place names such as ‘Scholes’, now a district of Wigan, which is named after ‘Skali’, the Scandinavian for ‘hut’.

By the time of the English Civil War, Wigan was a staunchly Royalist town, but eventually fell to parliamentarian forces in 1651. Today, there is a monument on Wigan Lane marking the spot where Sir Thomas Tyldesley, the commander of the Royalist troops, fell.

Due to the large amount of coal deposits discovered in the area, Wigan became a centre for coal mining during the industrial revolution. A spur from the Leeds-Liverpool canal was constructed to transport coal from Wigan to the major cities of the North-West. A number of textiles mills had also arrived at this time, becoming part of Lancashires enormous cotton/textile trade. These mills also used the canal to bring in raw materials and take away the finished product. This dominance of the town by collieries and mills continued until the mid-20th century. From then, both the textile and coal industries declined, and mills and pits began to close regularly. During the latter half of the century, old pits were landscaped, and abandoned mills demolished or redeveloped. Today, the pit-heads are parks, the old mills retail or residential building. The somewhat ugly faces of the towns ancient industrial past have been given a modern makeover.