Have a butchers at these old pictures of Wigan meat stalls, shops and their staff

There was a time when there were as many butchers’ shops on our street corners as there are barbers today. The remorseless advance of supermarkets put paid to many independent meat retailers over the years, but while vegetarianism is also on the rise, there is still a place for the family butcher as some customers insist on shopping and sourcing produce locally.