People flocked from all over the country to the canalside premises – soon to be reborn as a food and drink hall – to see how life was in Victorian and Edwardian times, helped along by a cast of actors.
Here are some of the many photographs taken over the years of the exhibits and people bringing the borough’s past to life and attracting more than 10 million visitors from when it opened in 1986 to its closure in 2007.
25. 1996
Wigan school pupils in The Way We Were centre at Wigan Pier on Wednesday 13th of March 1996 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the opening of the complex. Photo: Frank Orrell
26. 1996
Wigan school pupils in The Way We Were centre at Wigan Pier on Wednesday 13th of March 1996 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the opening of the complex. Photo: Frank Orrell
27. RETRO
Wigan school pupils in The Way We Were centre at Wigan Pier on Wednesday 13th of March 1996 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the opening of the complex. Photo: Frank Orrell