About

What’s there to say about me? Not a lot really. I live in Wigan, down by the Dougie.

37 thoughts on “About”

diaryofahousehusband on April 5, 2012 at 1:50 pm said:

Thanks for your like – just took a look at your blog. Really interesting! I love the look of the Saltaire model village 🙂 I must go some time.

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- ms6282 on April 5, 2012 at 3:23 pm said:
  
  And thanks for stopping by. Saltaire is worth seeing if you’re interested in Victorian architecture and / or “model” villages. It’s quite different to Port Sunlight
  
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  - Michael Grandl on May 16, 2013 at 8:59 pm said:
    
    Hi,
    adore your blog, live in Switzerland and gives
    me a thoroughly new insight into Britain!
  - ms6282 on May 17, 2013 at 8:52 am said:
    
    Thanks for your kind words
clairelwebster on May 12, 2012 at 1:39 pm said:

Just stumbled across your blog and have really enjoyed reading it: it eases my homesickness!! Keep reporting on the Whitworth exhibitions – can’t get up to Manchester as often as I like and the Whitworth’s one of my favourite places.

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- ms6282 on May 12, 2012 at 7:44 pm said:
  
  Thanks for your kind comments Claire.
  
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Marcus on October 20, 2012 at 11:26 pm said:

Here’s some info about Curwen Press, mentioned in your very useful article on Paule Vezelay:
http://curwenpress.com/index.php/artists/artists-at-curwen
Thanks!

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Sarah Forrest on January 9, 2013 at 2:39 pm said:

Thank you for taking the time to write about The Hepworth Wakefield! We shared your New Years Day post on our Facebook today.

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- ms6282 on January 9, 2013 at 4:28 pm said:
  
  Thanks Sarah. I always enjoy visiting the Hepworth. It’s become one of my favourite art galleries since it opened. Keep up the good work
  
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Malcolm Taylor on January 4, 2014 at 5:44 pm said:

Hi

I’ve only recently read your blog – I was looking for images of William Scott’s paintings when I came across one of your old postings about the William Scott exhibition held at The Hepworth last year.

Anyhow, you’ve now gained another reader, and one who lives in the same town as you! Indeed I know the Dougie quite well.

Finally thanks for your recent posts about The Hepworth and Leeds City galleries – I won’t be able to get to the Leeds exhibition before it closes but I hope to get to Wakefield again in the next couple of weeks.

Best regards

Malcolm

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- ms6282 on January 5, 2014 at 10:58 am said:
  
  Hi Malcolm.
  
  Glad you found my blog and liked reading my ramblings about the exhibitions.
  
  So you also live in the cultural black hole that is Wigan?
  
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  - Malcolm Taylor on January 5, 2014 at 5:36 pm said:
    
    Yes, I was brought up in Lower Ince when all the pits and mills were working. Now I’ve moved out to the fringes of the borough in Lowton.
    
    I think the rot started in Wigan when they closed Drumcroon and finally the last spark of culture was snuffed out when the Turnpike was closed last year. Now I have to make my own art.
    
    Regards
    
    Malcolm
  - ms6282 on January 5, 2014 at 7:19 pm said:
    
    Hi Malcolm
    
    The Council and Leisure and “Culture” trust have a lot to answer for. They seem only to be interested in sport with little emphasis on leisure and no interest at all in culture.
    
    Compare with Wakefield. A similar town in size, mining tradition and love of rugby league. Two major arts venues within the area – the Hepworth and the YSP. What does Wigan have? Nowt!
    
    Regards
    
    Mick
Mia Jackson on May 11, 2014 at 6:30 pm said:

Hello there, I was wondering if I could possibly use your photo of the Crown, Lime Street, Liverpool in an academic book on Victorian museums (and the influence of Alderman Walker). With many thanks,

Mia

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- ms6282 on May 11, 2014 at 6:39 pm said:
  
  Hi Mia
  
  You’re welcome to use it. A credit would be nice! but not mandatory
  
  Good luck with the book
  
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tamasinblogTamasin on July 11, 2014 at 1:59 pm said:

Hi there Dougie – I would like to use your photo of Dove Cottage on the National Trust website – I am compiling the history pages for Flatford (where Constable painted) and have a section on his contemporaries of which Wordsworth was one. It would be nice to include a great photo of Dove Cottage if you are agreeable. Happy to credit you in full and put a little c against your name and send you the link to the pages on the site when finished. I don’t have your full name – only got Dougie at the moment.

Tamasin

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- ms6282 on July 11, 2014 at 2:25 pm said:
  
  Go ahead Tamasin. You’re welcome to use the photo. A credit mentioning my blog and a link to the website when you’re done would be great. My name’s Mick
  
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tamasinblogTamasin on July 11, 2014 at 2:33 pm said:

Thanks Mick – I haven’t got the facility to put a link in the credit box – the NT website is terribly prescriptive, I tell you, drives me bonkers. I can put c Mick+ your Surname or c Mick at Down by the Dougie Blog but I can’t put a link to it.

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- ms6282 on July 11, 2014 at 2:57 pm said:
  
  Thats OK
  
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simon682 on August 17, 2014 at 7:01 pm said:

I don’t live in Wigan though I was born in Lancashire and don’t currently wish to borrow any photographs. I wish you well with the blog and look forward to following it. Simon

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David Higdon on September 20, 2014 at 10:33 pm said:

Hi Mick,
I’ve just fallen into your blog and have been totally captivated by it for over an hour. I so admire your ability to weave comments and pics into beautifully pithy postcards of places visited.

I have two personal memories of Wigan:
the first probably 50 years ago when I helped dig the strip foundations for a planner friend who was building himself a house designed by Anthony Grimshaw in the complex brick and concrete manner of Corb’s Maison Jaoul.

the second is sad one: I went to the funeral of one of my great lifelong friends John Edgar Turner last year. He was one of Wigan’s great originals, with a refreshingly individual take on whatever subject broached. He studied architecture at Liverpool and my sadness is that he never got around to actually building anything even though a huge influence on a great many first rate designers as a top civil servant.
His sister still runs Turners toyshop by the market in Wigan where he introduced us to black peas.

davehig
Gateshead (Tyneside’s cultural quarter)

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- ms6282 on September 21, 2014 at 2:19 pm said:
  
  Thanks for your kind comments
  
  My personal connections in the North east are with family who live in and around the area, mainly Sunderland
  
  Black peas (also known as pigeon peas) are of course a traditional staple of Wigan cuisine, the only other notable item being the meat and tater pie!
  
  Mick
  
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  - David Higdon on September 22, 2014 at 11:16 am said:
    
    Good of you to reply Mick, thank you.
    I’ve just finished a Fine Art degree at Sunderland, my tutor Tim Brennan was responsible for restoring the Passmore sculpture in the centre of Peterlee.
    
    I append here a link to a piece in the Hackney Gazette about Jet, my old friend.
    http://www.hackneygazette.co.uk/news/hackney_architect_and_vintage_vehicle_enthusiast_john_turner_dies_aged_74_1_1529022
    
    davehig
ms6282 on September 24, 2014 at 6:33 pm said:

Thanks for the link Dave. Your old friend sounds like a real character – and a real Wiaganer too, even if exiled down south!

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gegallas on October 4, 2015 at 6:08 pm said:

Hey there: Thank you so much for following my blog! I thought you might like to know that my graphic novel “The Poet and the Flea” (Volume 1) about the poet-painter William Blake is now on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/868711984/the-poet-and-the-flea-ode-to-william-blake-volume Please check it out and help spread the word! Thank you so much! —G. E.

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kindadukish on January 9, 2016 at 6:00 pm said:

Thanks for visiting my blog, it is good to know that us Lancashire exiles here in West Yorkshire still have communication with “pie munchers” of Wigan (I am from Leigh, so no love lost there). I managed to cross the border on the M62 and dodge the border guards to get back to see the Flying Scotsman twice!

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- ms6282 on January 9, 2016 at 8:12 pm said:
  
  So you’re A “lobby gobbler” then!
  
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kindadukish on January 10, 2016 at 8:14 am said:

My goodness, someone outside of Leigh who knows what lobby is, I take my hat off to you sir.

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Susanne on March 26, 2016 at 11:08 pm said:

Wigan on the Dougie looks like a good blog to follow and your town, according to Wikipedia, looks mighty fine, too.

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- kindadukish on March 27, 2016 at 1:43 pm said:
  
  Thank you for linking me to this blog, as you will see above I have had some conversation already with this Wiganer (or Wigin as they say in Leigh). My home twon of Leigh now looks really down at heel and I did an extensive blog about this a little while ago.
  
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paulstorey on February 28, 2019 at 9:42 am said:

Really enjoyed your blog, have allways loved tudor paintings and great to see the lake district etc. from this personal view.

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- ms6282 on February 28, 2019 at 5:00 pm said:
  
  Thanks 👍 😀
  
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Paul Shorrock on August 17, 2020 at 11:11 am said:

Thanks for dropping in and reading my blog 🙂

I’ll be back to check out more of your posts – some great hill days described!

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Andrew Walmsley on January 6, 2022 at 2:20 pm said:

I used an image of the Wigan miners’ memorial from your blog on one of my own
http://stonesermons.blogspot.com/2022/01/working-class-heroes.html Hoping this is OK. I have included links back but can add further credits.

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- ms6282 on January 6, 2022 at 3:07 pm said:
  
  That’s ok 👍
  
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A. Sharrock on January 10, 2022 at 12:42 am said:

Hi, I’m studying interior design and just stumbled across your blog whilst looking for a few pics of local architecture from my home town to use for a course assignment: I wanted to say that its just wonderful!

As a Wiganer born-and-raised who’s now residing in Australia it’s lovely to see so many scenes, landscapes and buildings that I remember from my childhood and has made me more than a little homesick! It’s also distracted me from getting any work done for the past hour because I’ve enjoyed browsing through so much, so good work, haha! 🙂

I hope it’s ok if I use a couple of your pictures of St George’s Church and the Parish Church for my assignment please? Your blog will of course be appropriately referenced!

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- ms6282 on January 10, 2022 at 8:51 am said:
  
  Thanks for your comments. They’re appreciated!
  Yes, of courss you can use the photos for yor assignment. Good luck!
  Sharrock is a good Wigan surname. Someone of that name played full back for Wigan rugby in the early 1900’s https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Sharrock
  
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