The Museum of Wigan Life

#manchestertrip The Museum of Wigan Life is a public museum and local history resource centre in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The nineteenth-century listed building is by the noted architect Alfred Waterhouse. It originally housed Wigan Library, where George Orwell researched his book "The Road to Wigan Pier" in 1936. The museum focuses on aspects of Wigan life and culture and was formally opened by Mayor of Wigan, Michael Winstanley on 1 July 2010. One of the latest additions to the museums collection is Hacker T. Dog, the CBBC character, who is famously from Wigan. His puppeteer, Phil Fletcher, who also lives in Wigan, donated him to the Museum of Wigan Life in March 2025.