Wigan:

Lying at the west extreme of the Greater Manchester County, Wigan and its surrounding areas are probably best known for its coal-mining, its Rugby League, and for the reference to its famous Pier by George Orwell in his book about working-class life in the north in the 1930s. Yet this one-time music hall joke has been refurbished and restored in recent years.

The collection of canalside warehouses and wharves, a major trading stop on the Leeds-Liverpool canal has become a major tourist attraction in the town.

Not to be missed by the visitor

 		 Highfield Humanities Foundation Learning Visit to Wigan Foundation Learning:

Mrs Horne and the team took to the road once again this term and visited the historic town of Wigan.

Pupils visited the towns museum and took in the sights in and around the town centre.

The market was in full flow and pupils were able to see first hand this bustling area of the town.

Wigan was the place that Celtic Warriors settled over 2000 years ago.

Wigan is a Lancashire Town

Lancashire Hotpot

Over 2,000 years ago, Celtic warriors settled in Wigan, and later the Romans built a fort there, known as Coccium; excavations in recent years have uncovered evidence of a major Roman presence.

By the time of the Middle Ages, Wigan had become a constituent manor of the Barony of Makerfield, and it had received its Royal Charter from King Henry III in 1246 when it was made into a Borough in its own right. Its new status as a Royal Borough is reflected in the insignia of the town Coat of Arms. Lancashire had only four Royal Boroughs - Lancaster, Liverpool, Preston and Wigan.

In 1996 Wigan officially celebrated the 750th anniversary of the Charter, and local artist Gerald