Sign of the Times

Another local hostelry bites the dust as the Earl of Balcarres on the outskirts of town is boarded up. Even the sign for the name has given up the ghost!

Like many areas in Lancashire, Scholes underwent rapid development during the 1800s to accommodate the growing population required to work in the mills and collieries. This in turn led to a huge increase in street-corner beerhouses. The Earl of Balcarres was one of more than 70 pubs in this local area of Wigan in1872 and 64 of these were still open in 1900. This is the last one in the area to close.


It's named after James Lindsay, 24th Earl of Crawford and 7th Earl of Balcarres (24 April 1783 - 15 December 1869). Born
at Balcarres, Fife he inherited the title in 1825. In 1826 he was created Baron of Wigan and claimed the abeyant title of Earl of Crawford in1843.

He entered the army and attained the rank of major in the 20th Light Dragoons until he left in 1804, marrying the Hon. Maria Margaret Frances Pennington, daughter of John Pennington, 1st Baron of Muncaster, Cumbria in 1811.

The Earl was returned as Tory MP for Wigan from 1820 to 1825.
He designed Haigh Hall just up the road to replace the existing hall which dated back to Norman times and lived in a cottage in the grounds whilst it was constructed. The family owned many of the local enterprises Haigh Colliery, cannel and coal mines, and formed the Wigan Coal and Iron Company in 1865.

There he is overseeing events in his dress uniform, he'll be turning in his grave to see the place shut up shop!

This week's challenge is 'plastic' and after scratching around for something that fits the bill and that I'd want to blip, I decided that the plastic signage would do for this one :)