George Orwell and Wigan will forever be synonymous thanks to the publication of his 1937 book The Road to Wigan Pier. Whilst the book is now a classic, Orwell or rather Eric Blair, the author’s real name, has been criticised over time for his depictions of poverty and social injustice in Lancashire and Yorkshire in the 1930s.

There were mixed reviews amongst Wiganers themselves, on one hand it was an accurate representation of how some lived and worked. On the other hand, it completely overlooked many aspects of the town and its population. So vivid was the picture painted by Orwell, that those not familiar with Wigan, for example, may very well have expected to see the ‘frightful landscape of slag-heaps and belching chimneys’ many decades later.

Above: Life as Orwell saw it. An unemployed miner and his family outside their home in Hardybutts, not too far from where Orwell stayed. These slum properties, including the shared outside loos, were later pulled down. (Source: ‘Picture Post’ 11 November 1939)

Orwell did submerse himself in his research and he stayed in Wigan for a few months in early 1936. There he could record aspects of everyday life as he saw it around him. Perhaps most famous is Brooker’s lodging house above their tripe shop, where he stayed:

‘On the day there was a full chamber-pot under the breakfast table I decided to leave. It was not only the dirt, the smells and the vile food, but the feeling of stagnant meaningless decay, of having got down into some subterranean place where people go round and round, just like black beetles, in and endless muddle of slovened jobs and mean grievances.’ (TRTWP, p.14)

But where did Orwell actually stay? Over the past 86 years confusion has reigned time and time again. Orwell stayed at a few different addresses and muddled up house numbers and names himself. Many decades later in the 1980s, when all such properties were demolished, time and memories merged fact and fiction; was there a family called Brooker? Did anyone really remember the well-spoken chap in a shabby overcoat? Even today, when all we have are old photographs, debates still rage online about which photo accurately depicts the lodging house and shop. Let’s try and get to the bottom of the mystery!

Which Lodging House? The Contenders

We know that Orwell stayed in the area around Darlington Street, Sovereign Road, and Warrington Lane in 1936. When he arrived in Wigan in January that year he visited Gerry Keenan, the chairman of Wigan Trades Council and Labour Party, at his home 51 Rose Avenue, Beech Hill. Keenan helped Orwell identify lodging houses on the lower end of the social scale.

There are four contenders for properties he may/may not have stayed in:

  • 72 Warrington Lane
  • 22 Darlington Street
  • 35 Sovereign Road
  • 72 Darlington Street

All these properties existed within a stone’s throw from each other, hence the confusion. We know that Orwell stayed in at least two properties, but a lot of confusion arises as only the Brooker’s house is widely remembered because of its prominent role at the start of The Road to Wigan Pier. We also know from his diary that Orwell took some artistic license in the book, embellishing some things he saw, or placing them in a slightly different context. It is also important to note that lodgings were extremely common at this time, anyone with a spare room could let it out and they could formally be recognised as a lodging house provided they were registered and followed rules and guidelines. How strictly these were enforced is somewhat dubious. For example males and females over the age of ten were to be separated, windows were supposed to be opened for an hour every morning and afternoon, and each adult was entitled to 400 cubic feet of airspace. As we see in The Road to Wigan Pier, it was often a useful way for a working-class family to supplement their household income, and quite often the lodging rooms were a secondary business alongside a regular ‘day job’ for the main householder. Let’s take a look at each contender and using old maps, archival sources and reminiscences, and let’s rule it in or out.

72 Warrington Lane

Orwell definitely stayed here. His diary recorded that he arrived on 11th February 1936. He stayed with the Hornby family for a few days and paid 25 shillings a week for his bed and food. There were two rooms and a scullery downstairs, and three rooms upstairs. There was a back yard and outside loo. Orwell stated ‘no hot water laid on. [the house] is in bad repair – front wall is bulging.’

Head of the household was Edward Hornby (1896-1944) who had married Elizabeth Ann Crook (1893-1948) on 5th June 1918 at St Catherine’s Church in Wigan. They had a son, Joseph in 1921. There were also two lodgers, Tom, who was Mrs Hornby’s cousin (possibly Thomas Clarke) and Joe, an unemployed miner. The house was quite cramped, and Joseph Hornby, who worked night shifts, would sleep in a bed vacated by one of the lodgers during the day. Orwell described the Hornby family as follows:

‘Mr Hornby, aged 39, has worked in the pit since he was 13. Now out of work for nine months. A largish, fair, slow-moving, very mild and nice-mannered man who considers carefully before he answers […] Ten years ago he got a spot of coal dust in his left eye and practically lost sight of it.’ […] Mrs Hornby, […], less than 5 feet tall. Toby-jug figure. Merry disposition. Very ignorant – adds up 27 and 10 and makes it 31. Very broad accent. […] The son, ‘our Joe’, has just turned 15 […] a tallish, frail, deadly pale youth, obviously much exhausted by his work, but seems fairly happy.’

Elizabeth Hornby appears to have been quite the character. For example, when she was telling Orwell about the death of her brother-in-law who fell 1200 feet down a mine shaft: “They wouldn’t never have collected t’pieces only he were wearing a new suit of oilskins.” If Wiganers thought they could escape pie references they would be wrong too, as Orwell described the Hornby’s scullery as containing; ‘The wreck of a monstrous meat pie (Mrs H. when making a pie always made it in an enamelled basin such as is used for washing up in. Ditto with puddings.)’

Whilst staying at this address, Orwell visited the Wigan Free Library and consulted books in the reference library upstairs. This building is now the Museum of Wigan Life, and the room upstairs is more or less as it was when Orwell visited. Carton Melling was an assistant at the library in 1936 and many years later he recalled:

‘I suppose you could say I played a very small part in the creation of The Road to Wigan Pier book. I noticed a tall man in the scruffy mac the moment he came into the library. He spoke in a very cultured voice and only asked for help in finding book and report material when he drew a blank in the catalogue. He was an odd man – distant. He would come to the counter and say in that quiet voice: “Excuse me, but I can’t seem to find such and such a report.”’

Above: Wigan Free Library as it looked in 1939. This is the reference library upstairs where Orwell consulted material. You can still visit this room today. (Source: ‘Picture Post’ 11 November 1939)

Orwell left the Hornbys at 72 Warrington Lane on 15th February 1936, as Elizabeth became ill and was sent to the Infirmary. Following the guidance of the time, lodgers were notified to stop the spread of any infectious diseases. The Hornby family left that property later in 1936 and moved to 16 Bold Street. Their son, Joseph Hornby, died in 1991.

22 Darlington Street

In his diary Orwell recorded that his next lodgings were at 22 Darlington Road, which adds to the confusion. He meant 22 Darlington Street, as evidenced by a letter he wrote whilst staying at the property with the correct address. Additionally there is no number 22 Darlington Street East, a nearby road, which again confirms the right building.

This property was the home of the Forrest family, who Orwell renamed as the infamous Brooker family, apparently to avoid a libel case. This is evident comparing his diary with the book. For example, in his description of the family in his diary: 15th February 1936 also a daughter in Canada (Mrs F says “at Canada”)’ and in the book: ‘The Brookers had a large number of sons and daughters, most of whom had long since fled home. Some were in Canada – ‘at Canada’, as Mrs Brooker used to put it.’ (TRTWP, p.9)

The evidence for 22 Darlington Street being the home of the Forrest/Brooker family is further strengthened by the fact that the Forrests lived at 22 Darlington Street for a number of years, and were still recorded there in 1939. There were also no Brooker or Bookers living in Wigan at this time, again proving this was a fictional name.

Above: 22 Darlington Street pictured shortly before demolition. The shop on the extreme right, which at the time of photo was known as ‘Norcliffe’s Corsets’ was the infamous Brooker’s trip shop in The Road to Wigan Pier. In reality Mr and Mrs Forrest ran the tripe shop and lodging rooms. (Source: Post & Chronicle, 10 June 1977)

James Forrest (1877-) was a retired coal hewer and he married Margaret Hagan (1879-1940) in 1900. James was originally from Bury and Margaret was from Ince. They had lived in Lower Ince and Ashton-in-Makerfield before settling in Wigan. Mrs Forrest appears to have some sort of illness as she was ‘ill with a weak heart’ which left her confined to the sofa most of the time, leaving Mr Forrest to run the shop, feed the lodgers and clear up the house, as Orwell stated ‘You could see the hatred of this “bloody woman’s work”, as he called it, fermenting inside of him, a kind of bitter juice.’ (TRTWP, p.10). Mr Forrest had also been the one-time landlord of the Foundry Inn, on Warrington Lane but he had had his license removed because of illegal gambling on the premises.  

Orwell’s description of Mrs Forrest was scathing, especially when compared to the description of Mrs Hornby; ‘Mrs Brooker used to lament by the hour, lying on the sofa, a soft mound of fat and self-pity, saying the same things over and over again.’ (TRTWP, p.10)

The 1939 register shows us a typical make-up of the household, as Orwell would’ve known it. There was James and Margaret Forrest, and seven lodgers, comprising of six men and one woman: William Duffy, Patrick Mulvey, John Higgins, Thomas Devine, Horace Gales, Patrick Henry and Irene Sumner. All the lodgers were unmarried, although John Higgins was a slight exception as he was a widower. Often lodging houses attracted single, older men who may not have had any family to look after them, and who likely could not afford to live on their own, or have the capacity to care for themselves. There would’ve been no qualms about these man sharing a room, or even a bed in some cases. This did not make for a comfortable life, as Orwell found: ‘One of the canvassers’ bed is jammed across the foot of mine. Impossible to stretch my legs out straight as if I do so my feet are in the small of his back.’ We can only imagine the smell of these houses, with greasy food, sooty chimneys, sweaty bodies, unwashed clothes and bedlinen, and full chamber pots all mixing together in such close proximity.

The Forrests and their living conditions are well-described in the opening chapter of The Road to Wigan Pier. However, I shall quote from his diary here as this is the more authentic account which he recorded as he saw it in the moment:

‘21st February 1936: The squalor of this house is beginning to really get on my nerves. Nothing is ever cleaned or dusted, the rooms are not done out till 5 in the afternoon, and the cloth never even removed from the kitchen table. At supper you still see crumbs from breakfast. The most revolting feature is Mrs F. always being in bed on the kitchen sofa. She has the most terrible habit of tearing off strips of newspaper, wiping her mouth with them and then throwing them onto the floor. […] I hear horrible stories, too, about the cellars where the tripe is kept and which are said to swarm with black beetles. Apparently they only get in fresh supplies of tripe at long intervals. Mrs F. dates events by this. “Let me see, now, I’ve had three lots of froze (frozen tripe) since then,” etc.’

In 1977, 22 Darlington Street was still standing, or just about. The area was going through a huge clearance scheme, transforming parts of it from its Victorian slum-like origins. Whilst the intentions may have been for the best, communities were dispersed and once the buildings were demolished, the waste ground and piles and rubble remained stagnating for months or years afterwards.

Above: Anne Bennett outside her mother’s shop, 22 Darlington Street in 1977. (Source: Post & Chronicle, 10 June 1977)

Still this movement brought about a renewal and interest in Orwell and Wigan. The Post & Chronicle ran an article on the building, with Anne Bennett posing for a photograph in front of 22 Darlington Street. Anne’s mother, Margaret, ran a business ‘Norcliffe’s Corsets’ from there. The article, however, made some errors. Most notably stating that Orwell lived there ‘for a number of years in the late 1920s.’ The general consensus among those who have studied Orwell and his life, such as Professor Bernard Crick, and Gill Swift, is that Orwell definitely stayed at 22 Darlington Street. The building was demolished between 1977-1982.

35 Sovereign Road

By 1984 there was a resurgence of all things Orwell and Wigan. The year, for obvious reasons, drawing attention to his work, but also during this time Wigan Metro had started to redevelop the famous Wigan Pier buildings. This also brought a new contender into the mix regarding where Orwell stayed.

Sydney ‘Syd’ Smith (1909-1994) a newsagent, remembered meeting Orwell, whom he thought was a ‘dole investigator because he asked so many questions.’ Syd was adamant that people had the wrong address for Orwell:

‘There are, of course, many misconceptions about where Orwell stayed. But surely I’m right when I say he stayed at the shop at the bottom of Sovereign Road, – No. 35 – because at that time I lived at No. 21 […] I suspect that Orwell lived at several local addresses, but the shop described in the book was the one which formed the flatiron building fronting on to both Sovereign Road and Warrington Lane. In those days, I used to stand on the street concerned with my mates and we saw a lot of the tall man of unkempt appearance, in a grubby mac and dirty trilby, who spoke in what I can only describe as a very posh accent.’

Above: Number 33/35 Sovereign Road. This building was on the corner of Sovereign Road and Warrington Lane. There is no evidence that Orwell stayed here and it is often mis-identified as being the Brooker’s tripe shop. (Source: Archives: Wigan & Leigh – COPYRIGHT)

In 1982 Syd appeared in a BBC documentary about Orwell named ‘The Road to Wigan Pier’. In it Syd appears amongst the rubble on Sovereign Road and recollects his memories of the 1930s and the Brookers’ shop, including memories of Mr Brooker under that name, which he was convinced was at 35 Sovereign Road. However, a little later in the documentary a barber, Mr Bright, was interviewed. He had been cutting hair in the area since 1934, and his memories throw a different light on the situation:

Interviewer: You must’ve been here when George Orwell came to Wigan?

Mr Bright: Yes. Yes, I remember down below the tripe shop, Mrs Forrest.

Interviewer: Mrs Forrest?

Mr Bright: Mrs Forrest had it yes.

Interviewer: She kept the tripe shop?

Mr Bright: She kept the tripe in those days and she used to take boarders in. She took mostly Irish men. Two or three Irish men she had in but this George Orwell I don’t remember him, no.

Clearly the interviewer was perplexed by the mention of Mrs Forrest, and this again confirms that Mr Bright was on about 22 Darlington Street, not 35 Sovereign Road. Number 35 was almost opposite 72 Warrington Lane, where Orwell stayed with the Hornbys, so perhaps Syd saw him standing in that vicinity and confused where he was actually staying. Likewise, it could be possible that Orwell did stay in the flatiron shaped building as well as Warrington Lane and Darlington Street, but it was not the home of the Forrest/Brooker tripe shop. Number 35 Sovereign Road does not appear in the electoral register or the 1939 register. It appears to have been amalgamated with Number 33, which in 1936 was occupied by a John Livesey. It appears as though Mr Livesey kept a shop which sold tripe among many other odds and ends too.

72 Darlington Street – The site of the plaque

The final consideration is the site of Number 72 Darlington Street, a few doors down from 22 Darlington Street, and on a plot diagonally opposite 33/35 Sovereign Road. This is the spot where a plaque commemorating George Orwell staying in the area is located.

I am not sure why this spot was chosen. In 1936 it was a workshop and premises of John Whittle and Orwell did not stay there. I would hazard a guess that this spot was chosen because in the 1980s no one could really agree on where he stayed. This place was in the general vicinity, facing the town centre, and therefore was the best situation for the plaque.

Above: The plaque on the corner plot of Sovereign Road and Darlington Street. (Source: Thomas McGrath, 2022)

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Hopefully this article clears up some of the confusion regarding George Orwell and where he stayed when he was in Wigan. We can now definitely confirm that he stayed at 72 Warrington Lane and 22 Darlington Street. He may possibly have spent a night or few days at 33/35 Sovereign Road, but we do not have any definite evidence of this. However, we now know that this building was not the home and tripe shop of the Brooker/Forrest family.

Researched & Written by Dr Thomas McGrath

Enjoy what you’ve read? Each article is the result of hours of research and writing. If you like, please consider supporting this blog by ‘buying me a coffee’ over on Ko-Fi! https://ko-fi.com/thomasmcgrath

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Sources:

  • Picture Post, 11 November 1939
  • Post & Chronicle, 10 June 1977
  • Post & Chronicle, 8 September 1982, p.3
  • Post & Chronicle, 13 September 1982
  • Post & Chronicle, 14 September 1982
  • Post & Chronicle, 28 December 1983
  • Wigan Observer, 5 January 1984, p.5
  • Wigan Observer, 6 January 1984
  • George Orwell, The Road to Wigan Pier (Penguin Book reprint, 2001)
  • George Orwell & Peter Davison, George Orwell Diaries, (Penguin, 2010)
  • The Road to Wigan Pier, (BBC 2 documentary, 1983) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7EhMnytZoQ&t=1300s
  • Newspaper clippings: Wigan Local Studies, Museum of Wigan Life
  • Rate payers books: Archives: Wigan & Leigh
  • Biographical information: http://www.ancestry.co.uk