The end of the Pier show in Wigan

COMING from Wigan, I have long been aware of the old music hall joke regarding Wigan Pier. And, I have to admit, I think George Orwell did little for my town's credibility with his novel The Road To Wigan Pier -- although I suppose it did put us on the map of notoriety.

Ha, but us Wiganers have had the last laugh -- and what a loud and hearty one it's been too -- since the old site was transformed in the mid 80s and made into one of the country's top, award-winning tourist attractions.

I had been to the Wigan Pier Experience before but my husband, Burnley born and bred, had not.

And neither had our son. Well, he's only 21 months old so he couldn't have cared less, although he did perk up at the sight of Teletubbies Tinky Winky and Po in the Opie's Museum of Memories. But more of that later.

Wigan Pier is very much a working museum.

True, these type of attractions inhabit towns the length and breadth of the country, but this particular one is second to none.

The Pier is open all year round -- which is a boon during the wet and windy winter months -- apart from Fridays (except Good Friday), Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

And the place really does bring the old Wigan to life.

From the outside you look in at a posse of lifesize pit brow lasses who worked a gruelling shift at the pit head sorting the coal.

The sight makes you realise just how hard these women toiled. Apparently my great aunt was a pit brow lass and, according to my nan, they would go home from their shift on the bus -- their faces black as coal with a slash of bright red lipstick "to keep up appearances".

Once inside there is more evidence of the hardship Wiganers had to endure in their day to day existence.

We walked through the recreated coal mine where the horrors men, ponies and boys as young as 12 faced working down the pit at the turn of the century.

Then, when local coal was considered the best in England, around 25,000 Wiganers endured long hours of hard labour underground.

As we wandered around, the sights and sounds of the pit became all too real and this was a slightly sombre part of our journey.

Not as sombre, however, as the collier's cottage. Here we encountered the scene when, in the local Maypole Colliery disaster, a massive fireball explosion killed 75 men down the pit.

The day we visited we witnessed a 'widow' grieving for her husband who was killed in the disaster.

Of course all are actors but, so real are the surroundings and acting, that you feel you are right in the middle of a heartbreaking and hopeless situation.

Further along we dropped in to the Victorian pub, which is sadly unlicensed.

Apparently it is the exact replica of one of Wigan's most popular pubs, The Park (no longer there). Some of the structure actually came from the place itself.

And the Victorians obviously enjoyed a tipple, with pubs being the focal point of working class entertainment.

There were no less than 86 pubs in Wigan during the Victorian era!

While we enjoyed looking round the pub and the cottage, our young son was becoming restless, so we took him to the seaside. Well, we actually shared the joys of Wakes Week with our fellow Victorians.

This was when the mines, mills and factories closed for a fortnight and everyone decamped to Blackpool.

Our lad looked proper grand atop one of the (pretend) donkeys.

Actually the photographs that adorn the walls in this particular part of the exhibition are fascinating -- real Wigan people from years ago enjoying a well-earned rest.

Where they more easily pleased back then, or was it all relative? Who knows, but the smiles on their faces belied the hardships they endured back then.

For me, though, and apparently countless others who have visited the Pier over the years (including The Queen and Prince Philip), the best attraction is the Victorian schoolroom.

And it's definitely a place to be seen and not heard.

We were just in time for a lesson and I thought the whole thing a hoot . . . that was until the terrifying schoolma'am caught sight of my nail polish and hauled me out in front of the class!

My husband could barely contain his laughter as she called me a Jezebel.

My punishment was to sit in at the back of the class with my hands on my head.

Apparently Prince Philip suffered a similar embarrassment for having "dirty hands" during his visit!

Once school was out -- thank goodness! -- we headed across the canal to Opie's Museum of Memories housed in Trencherfield Mill.

Here is an interactive tour through 100 years of domestic life in Britain. There is a 60s boutique, 70s mini mart, 50s malt shop and loads of TV programmes past and present.

All are brought to life by the Wigan Pier Theatre Company -- a resident professional company who bring the past to life throughout the attractions.

Simply check performance times on the back of your site plan.

By now we were hungry and thirsty and headed for the on-site cafe for a snack and a hot drink.

There is also a gift shop where they sell some rather nice souvenirs.

Now our little boy was getting tired and we decided to call it a day and head for home.

Had we stayed longer we could have seen the massive flywheel powered by the world's largest working mill steam engine at Trencherfield Mill or enjoyed a sail on one of the waterbuses (Emma or Netta and included in the ticket price).

There are also pretty gardens to stroll through and a children's outdoor play area.

All in all, Wigan Pier is the perfect all-round family attraction. And it's open all through the miserable British winter.

Perfect!