Wigan Pier ~ The Birth of a Music Hall Joke?

Nobody knows for sure when the title Wigan Pier was first used, but the following is a possible explanation. In 1891, a train taking miners to a demonstration in Southport was delayed at Pagefield Signal Box which was sited close to a long, wooden coal gantry over land liable to flooding. One of the train's passengers asked the signalman 'Where the bloody 'ell are we?' and was given the reply 'Wigan Pier' to the great amusement of his workmates. However, if you have a different theory...
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