Page "Wigan Pier" Paragraph 4

In 1937, Wigan was featured in the title of George Orwell's The Road to Wigan Pier, which dealt, in large part, with the living conditions of England's working poor.

In response to a critic, Orwell insisted " He liked Wigan very much — the people, not the scenery.

Indeed, he has only one fault to find with it, and that is in respect of the celebrated Wigan Pier, which he had set his heart on seeing.

Alas!

Wigan Pier had been demolished, and even the spot where it used to stand is no longer certain.

" Some have embraced the Orwellian link, as it has provided the area with a modest tourist base over the years.

" It seems funny to celebrate Orwell for highlighting all our bad points, but Wigan wouldn't be anywhere near as famous without him ," said the Wigan Pier Experience's manager, Carole Tyldesley.

" In the end George Orwell has proved to be a strong marketing tool.

" Others regard this connection as disappointing, considering it an insinuation that Wigan is no better now than it was at the time of Orwell's writing.