The Pavillion

A quick dash out to the Park at lunch time gave the opportunity for today's blip.

Mesnes Park, pronounced "Mains" (derived from desmesnes, the ancient term for the land of the lord of the manor), is an impressive Victorian landmark covering 30 acres of land to the north-west of the town centre of Wigan. Prior to 1847 this had been meadow and pasture before being mined for coal, supporting two collieries before the purchase of the land in 1877 by Wigan Corporation.

A competition was held to find the best design for the new Park, and in 1878 John McClean?s design was chosen. The opening ceremony was held in August 1878. Currently a major restoration project is underway, having successfully secured £6.1 million through two successful applications to the Heritage Lottery Fund.

This is the Pavilion, with the Dalton Steps in the foreground, both will be restored to their former glory with a new café inside the Pavilion building. This is how it looked in 1914, with Pagefield Mill behind.

Updates to follow over the next few months.