WT - this structure using Orwell’s book as the narrative engine of the trip is superb . Love seeing your presenting growth .

Beautiful tribute to your forefather and the men who worked and died in the mines.

I live in Wigan. Ive been here for 20 years, and over that time I have watched it decline year after year. The town centre was always busy, plenty of good shops and lively. Bit by bit its vanishing. The building work is the location where a large outside market was, and lots of shops. They all lost their jobs to make way for an entertainment centre and luxury apartments that nobody will be able to afford. You can go down almost any street in Wigan and see derelict abandoned buildings left to rot. Its heartbreaking. I love living here. The people are where its true heart is.

Mate. Big respect for You. I am Polish living in 🇬🇧 UK From my experience, British people are great, and should be proud of this country 👏. Wish You all best 👌 👍.

Emotional video - we owe a lot to the miners. There job was so important that they weren't conscripted in the wars

Talking about how your distant grandfather had to move coal, and you walk around carrying a camera to record things--having some coal mining in my family history (in another country), I would have to say that your ancestor would most likely be thrilled that you are not in the mines, and think that you are doing a valuable service with your camera and your words. Well done.

Your channel is excellent. Using Orwell to drive the narrative was a brilliant idea. I'd love to see more like this

Seriously turnip your content is getting better and better and it started off brilliant in the first place. This episode was outstanding. I too, even though I’m a soft southerner have mining in my family history and the story of your great……grandfather and others like him I found very moving. A fascinating history and family story to be proud of for sure.

Richard Ashcroft, the lead singer of The Verve, was born in Wigan. You are walking down the streets that inspired hits like "Bitter Sweet Symphony," "Lucky Man," and "The D***s Don't Work." Thank you, Wandering Turnip.

I'd love to see this appear on mainstream TV. Brilliant work to set the Wigan of today against Orwell's work.

When I saw the latest one was about Wigan I wasn't expecting much but I think this might be your best video yet. The heart of your own personal connection, the eloquent literary extracts and the grizzley truth of the past and present, they paint a picture with many colours. I think these sum up what I love about this channel.

Mate you are an inspiration. You should be there right on top of any history programme. Your presentation and your editing is bang on. You and your family be they present and past should be and I believe are immensely proud if you.

A powerful video. I come from a mining background from St Helens and what you say is very true. I remember my dad coming home from Sutton Manor colliery and using margarine on his eyes to wipe the coal dust away. Going to the miners welfare christmas party and coach trips. Miners looked after each other and sadly the strike of '84-'85 killed off the mining community and it was never the same after that. Thank you for a brilliant video.

My great Grandfather was one of the three survivors of the Maypole Abrham Pit disaster in 1908 shown on that plaque. I lived here til I was 12 til my old mum escaped with us to Manchester. Yeh, from frying pan into fire

I found this very moving and a tribute to your relatives and mine,my great grandfather died down the pit at 38 he collapsed down the mine due to pneumonia,if you didn't work you didn't get paid it was new years day 1937 RIP George Espley

im a 50yo Wiganer lived there all my life the change over the last 10 years is drastic it used to be bustling town but now with ebay and amazon and the huge industrial shopping centres just out of town the town centre is dying when i was in my 20s we had a fantastic night life where 1000s of people would enter king street where there was 27 bars and clubs within 200m people came in coach loads from all over for the party atmosphere now your lucky if there is 3 bars open on a weekend. i worked on the canals in wigan for 10 years mainly on the wigan flight of 27 locks going passed all the old coal mines i loved it helping all the boaters going up and down the flight and maintaining them but the management had a brain wave that they did not need 7 lockkeepers because they saw volunteers would come up and help boats so there was no need for 5 of us so they let us go because 2 lockkeepers can oversee the volunteers by the time they realised a year later that the volunteers did not want to work 6 days a week in the rain and snow for no money and the canal system started fail due to maintenance no longer being done because they fired us and would have to spend lots of money training new workers because we all had better paid jobs and would not come back. so at the moment they are spending millions closing them down and trying to repair them. needles to say the guy who had the brainwave to cut costs ended up costing them more in the long run. i still go up every few weeks to chat to the last few workers and see how its going

I used to go to Wigan every day in the 80’s and it’s so sad now to see it. The thatcher (don’t start me on her!) killed the mines and the town just started to die. Sad times so many of people I knew worked in pits.

Welcome to Wigan! As a proud Wiganer it was nice to hear something which talks both about the good and bad. The site where Orwell lived is marked by a plaque and you wandered close towards it at one point.

Wow, what an enjoyable watch this is. Definitely your best video yet in my opinion. Loved how you weaved your family history into the mining heritage of the places you visited (and the references from Orwell). Never been to Wigan but it looks like it is doing better than some of the neighbouring towns. Finding the grave of your 3x great grandfather too- he must have been a popular chap as that grave is in a lovely spot and quite ornate.

Born and raised in Wigan. We left there in 1983 when I was 16, and we emigrated to the US. Looking at this brought back so many memories. I remember the old Market Hall, it was demolished to make way for the newer one in the mid 80's, and by the looks of it, it is now in the process of being demolished! What a waste. 😢

As a Miners son from Kent !! Also as a retired HGV 1 driver UK & Europe, I'm also interested by canals, railways and was surprised by the Northern towns, Leeds, Blackburn, Manchester Stoke and many more places to mention, massif Mills bridges and walks along the Manchester Ship Canal. I see the industrial North in the early 80s when much was still in commission, watching our lovely country decline over the years is disturbing, I even met Fred Dibner who was tending to a large chimney. My Mother was from Shirebrooke in Notts and Father a Dover boy. Regards Alan in Dover Kent :o)

My Mum was born in England . My ancestors were all farm laborers. My father worked in a gold mine here, in Canada. I was raised in a mining town. I love history and finding your channel has been so informative and interesting for me. As a result, I just ordered the book 'The Road To Wigan Pier', and look forward to reading it.

What an amazing video, possibly your best yet. A fascinating fusion of retail, literature and mining. Brian, Dublin, Ireland.

So pleased you've been to my home town! One of my great grandparents survived the Maypole pit disaster. The family story is that he had a vision of a coffin in the corner of the mine where the disaster happened and he got out when he saw this telling people something terrible was about to happen. He left his name tag in the mine when getting out so they thought he had been killed in the disaster but he survived all thanks to this vision he had. My dad worked in a cotton mill when he was in his late teens 😁

Actually amazing to see 1 man and his camera creating a historical an informative video. Just as good as any major tv production.

Just happen to be reading The Road to Wigan Pier at the moment, so I found this video particularly interesting. I was motivated to read the book because I think we may be returning to the time when a small part of the population lived prosperous comfortable lives whilst the vast majority struggle with everyday living expenses. Difficult times ahead for many.

I know its not much and youtube will take a cut, but just wanted to say thank you for all these videos and the passion you have in what you do. This video was brilliant as always mate.

That was very well done. You never know, there's a chance that, that penny might have passed through your Great Great Great Grandfather's hands at some point.

As a Wiganer, we’ve been watching you for some time now and each video gets better and better, this is fantastic. Please keep up the great work!

This was excellent mate - got me all emotional at the grave.

Blackpool fan , always been fond of wigan , Great history , two Great northern soul bands , mid 70's , one was WIGANS OVATION ( big hit with " ski- ing in the snow" ) the other was WIGANS CHOSEN FEW ,, Factor in wigan pier, and then this , today . . . So sad to see a once Great town Go this way , Blackpool backstreets similar , Glasgow city is a mess , just so sad.

Aww mate the ending of visiting your great Grandfather moved me to tears. There is so much love, positivity in this video. He would be proud of the man you’ve become today, mate! ❤

You deserve so much more recognition, your vids are so good entertainment wise photo shooting is just excellent

It's thanks to independently produced channels like this that we no longer need mainstream TV.. This type of content is simply *THE BEST OF THE BEST!* Your enthusiasm is notably GENUINE, and highly contagious, David and your hard work is *MUCH* appreciated! You will soon get that YT silver plaque, but you deserve so, oh soooooo much more! You're going places, me lad!👍👏 Edit: Maybe I get a bit carried away with my comments 😂 but I mean every word and, hey.. positive comments can only help a channel and I've been following for a good while now and enjoyed watching Wandering Turnip grow.. into a huge Turnip 😂👍

Your channel is a nice alternative to all these "screaming and whining" British KZfaqrs, that sound like they are trying to sell You stuff. Don't change, and keep up the great work, waiting for more vids to come.

I was born and raised in Wigan. My grandfather uncles and cousins all worked in the mines. We left in 1966 for Canada. This video brings tear.

Really enjoyed this! I’m a Wiganer born and bred and it’s awful to see how it’s all changed. The demolition of the Galleries is a very sad time for me as I spent my childhood in Wigan town centre. So much is changing!

I grew up working on indoor the market as a young lad. All day Saturdays, before and after school and in the school holidays too. Absolutely loved it. The stalls were so busy then. You couldn't move on a Saturday. Such a buzz and such a shame to see all the empty stalls and think of all the characters that used to work there and customers alike. Only thing certain in life is change they say. 😢

Two sets of eyes from different times looking at the same things. My great, great great Grandad died in the Swaithe Colliery disaster, he was 35 and was married with children.😥 Another outstanding film, your passion and enthusiasm is brilliantly communicated.👍Being a library worker so happy to see you celebrating books, unfortunately many of our local libraries were also closed down during austerity.

David, your video tours get better and better. Loved the lines from Orwell's book which you brought to life. Thanks.

Thank you for a great video. My forebears, like yours, were miners - mine from Yorkshire. My great grandad was badly injured in a pit accident in the early 20th century and couldn't work again. His resourceful wife then worked as a private nurse to support the family. They were remarkable people.

I'm from Wigan, lived in Skelmersdale most of my life and I will say they are both depressing. Skelmersdale once it has you won't let you leave. You should do skem will take only 5 mins mostly roundabouts. One good thing tho is the greenery in skem over Wigan that I do like

Here's a mining story from Wigan. In the early part of the 1900's my great grandfather was a miner (huer) at a pit in Abram. One day he was crushed between two loaded coal trucks. His seriously injured body was then loaded onto a door which they used as a makeshift stretcher. He was then carried home and placed on the living room floor where he died in front of my Great Grandmother and Grandfather who at that time was only a young boy. They came back for the door a short time later. Ah the good old days.

Tremendous work on your part realizing national and familial history. In my state of Arizona, we had massive mining of copper, gold and silver. Irish and Welsh miners were the main workers in Bisbee, the main copper producing mine in the world at that time. However, the bosses were vicious, the police corrupt and it was a bloody and inhumane mess. Lots of deaths. At one point they loaded the miners on trains and stranded them in New Mexico. All because they wanted better working conditions. I took an old rail car 1800 feet down the Queen Mine in Bisbee and upon entering a room they had everyone turn off their lights. Absolutely terrifying. The similarities between your story and this, 5,000 miles away, are extreme. Except the mines here have a year round temperature of 54F degrees. Put this in your search engine if interested in more. bisbee miners strike Thank you for your videos.

Probably your best video so far. I enjoyed every second of it. Thank you for your great work. Beautiful tribute btw

Caught your last video soaking up Manchester You mentioned Saint Eric The Road To \Wigan A most devastating account of Class Horrendousness And now here you are in Wigan I love your Passion young Man Stay Awesome PS Wigan Pier in the late 70's and early 80's had the best Northern Soul Shuffle Dance Scene ever

Really good video on the history of coal in England. My grandfather was a miner in Nottingham in the seventies Remember going down the mine when I was on 12 years old lad to see how coal was extracted. Made me realise what a tough hard job mining was and still is. Respect to those around the world who still go deep underground to extract coal.

As a Wiganer, I can in all honesty say I haven't been into town for many years. I was both shocked, and saddened by what it's become. My granddad was a miner back in the late 18th early 19th century, but I was too young to understand all of that as a child. So many empty premises, just festering away, when there are so many people living on the streets in freezing weather in this, the 21st century. It's a terrible indictment on our community, but I'd like to thank Mr Turnip for making such a wonderful piece of footage for posterity. :)

Fantastic video. Im from Wigan and my Grandad was a coal miner. Had a lucky escape from a collapse in one of the local mines, sadly no longer with us to tell his tales. But looking at the town and how far it has fallen over the last 20 years really hurts, and that new 'development' like most things, will just turn out to be a huge waste of space and money.

The suicide rate in Wigan is constantly above the national average. It's true what they say, it's grim up north. The roads are full of potholes, the traffic is horrendous and the takeaways all have terrible scores on the food hygiene ratings. It needs sorting out, but what do you do?

UK has the most GORGEOUS old buildings!!

Britain Needs the Soul of its' High Streets back, instead of all these Americanized Soulless Malls. Therin Lies the Rub.

Hey man, love your videos, your passion for your country and its history. I am a Florida resident in the states and I wander around my old childhood towns and count the dead malls as well, can be depressing but you bring life to it all. Regards

A wonderful, documentary like production, learned so very much today. You, Sir are brilliant!

Amazing video mate. Love Orwell, lived in Barcelona and worked in Wigan for a while too and his influence was still significant in both places.

i love that you brought the book into it. its so important to see how our british writers wrote and felt from their times.

@ 6mins.......That 'Huge huge space' was only completed on 1990, I'm a Bricky and worked all around there but not actually on the Galleries as it's known. Just imagine all that regeneration of the old Market Hall and Square, demolished in less than 35yrs!!!!! Absolutely staggering waste and criminally poor planning.

What a touching moment you shared with us all. Thank you .

Great tribute to your own history. A fourth generation miner myself I share what you say. Wigan itself has fared better than some places with millions spent on pier area alone. A very underrated place for a day out. Check out the splendour of the Swan and Railway pub - absolute gem.

The most emotional episode. My family is originally from Lancashire but the Clitheroe area. I was looking at my family tree the other day. It’s strange to think that if those people had not existed we would not be alive today

Wow thats fantasic that you found that grave . Mining was such a demanding job . I dont know how these guys did the job . One of your best streams mate . Many thanks 👍👍👍Respect to all of the guys that lost there lives working so hard .

Rest in peace Stephen. Excellent video once again. I’m sure he was watching you proud as punch and no doubt grateful for your brilliant tribute to him

That is a Lovely Statue Outside the Town Hall.

I think what is being demolished there is a 35 year old shopping centre that once was occupied by all the big name stores and became a dead mall. They are still pulling down the mills as they are pulling down the malls! Great video, keep it up and I love your passion for chimneys. I'm from Burnley and we had hundreds of them! Interesting comment about the lung disease caused by working down the mines when you are from Hebden Bridge which is notorious for the Cape Asbestos factory at Acre Mill!

You look at the infrastructure and modernization going on in places like China and then you look at this. Britain is in decline but it's hard for people to accept that.

You are passionate, enthusiastic and research well. Great thought and understanding on the subject. Thank you for sharing a bit of your family's history too. It's a poignant moment putting a penny on your great great great Grandfather's grave and nice that the miners would help out the widow of a lost miner. Keep the content up. You're good at it.

How We Function as a World is so Relevant.

Used to go to the casino in the 70s Wigan was a lovely town .. we used to go for a swim after a good all-nighter then go for breakfast in a little cafe (forgot the name) and have a walk round town before we’d catch train back home ....

I found this video incredibly moving. Purely excellent throughout. Thank you 😊

Really enjoyed your Wigan Tour you made it interesting used to be a lot better but progress doesn’t always make things better does it.Wigan Lad 👍

Beautiful how objects from another era can pass through time and come to us. Very touching tribute to your great-great-great grandfather.

I found the end of this episode very emotional He was so so young Bless him

Great video, loved the parallels of yours and Orwell's narrative. I used to wander around Wigan now and then, it was interesting to see another part of it. Quite sad to see so many of these thriving industrial towns being left to the elements. So much of the North West has that Victorian shadow, I used to enjoy walking through a dense overgrown woodland and coming across an old chimney or workhouse, and sensing that history. And thanks for sharing your tribute to your family ancestor.

Used to love hitching up to Wigan in the 80s and 90s from Liverpool to go and buy HC punk records from Alan's Records and go to gig's in The Den and The Cricketer. I did a load of work on the water mains there in the later 90s and it was kicking along, with local businesses, decent shops and local colleges. Decent chippies, pie shops. cobblers and a clog makers! It's no surprise these days that it looks like a fucking tip, but it's refreshing to see that the market side of Wigan looks to be alive. Your videos are really informative, but depressingly predictable. Once great towns and cities that have had the arse ripped out of them by exorbitant rents and rates. I've lived abroad since 2004 and I can't think of a single vacant shop on any of the local high streets. However, in the big malls there's always one of two shops that fold after a couple of months due to shitty positioning. Keep up the great work mate and you've inspired me to get on Google Earth and check the old stomping grounds out.

I am a Wigginer - the Wigan miners were usually small wiry fit men who, when not working, sat on their haunches and invariably wore a flat cloth cap. The women were direct and strong characters. Wigan itself has changed substantially since I left in 1970 but its attitude is much the same - literary, musical, not easily impressed and suspicious of theory. It is the home of Uncle Joe's Mint Balls. Like most towns, retail has taken a hammering. In the past it had fine stores, a superb market, interesting pubs and shops that sold pies to die for. Not enough work - hence the druggie/crime problem.

This was *so much more* than Wigan! This was a fantastic insight into the coal mining industry.. the strife and the hardships, depicted admirably with old footage.. and to top it all, you went to your great, great, great grandfather's grave.. Stephen Burnip was a victim of those hard times and this was a fine tribute to him and others like him who suffered an untimely demise.. Well done, David for these thought-provoking and brilliantly produced videos. The drone footage made it especially memorable.. thank you! 🙏👏

Did orwell mention in his book that one of the best hard house nights used to be based in wigan pier? Aye lad them were the days, thats when pills used to be pills, not like the rubbish they have nowadays.....

Excellent video paying tribute to these bygone and brave miners, that worked for the industry that shaped our modern world. Sadly, thanks to the government interference, led by then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher; favoured the destruction of this noble breed and the coal industry. The objective was to weaken the trade unions - that Thatcher described as the ‘enemy within’, and which she regarded as a barrier to ‘national recovery’. Her view was that the economic crises of the 1970s could only be overcome and profits revived by reducing the ability of unions to prevent pay cuts and defend the public sector. The real legacy of the pit closure programme in the UK is not so much the greener valleys (an accidental by product) but the decades long combination of unemployment, under-employment, ill health, increased crime and drug use and lack of hope.

History being taught by someone who is as passionate as you, is so so interesting.

that drone footage/editing around that chimney was fucking brilliant lad well done 👏

I was born n bred in a mining town in Derbyshire and spent 15 years as a class one driver. I now live in Vancouver BC and work in psychiatric ER it’s so easy to forget our roots! It’s also very interesting to see how the British class system is still as prevalent today as it ever was. Keep up the good work and keep the vids coming…..a beer donation is incoming!

Great video again, such a shame what's happened to my home town, the building work you saw, is for mostly entertainment not many shops

Another great video well done. Spent a lot of my youth at the casino lol x

A fairly reasonable video, Visiting Wigan and no mention of Pies, Photos of former Wigan Rugby-league players on the wall of the entrance to the shopping centre, I believe, Not my Rugby-league team But good to see. Just bought a copy of The Road to Wigan Pier. Straight after watching your video. Originally read it at 16 years old, Will understand more of it with more ",Life experience ".

Great video as always ❤

This video was very moving, how you linked your family history into the decline or should I say the total death of mining and it's impact on not just Wigan but much of the North. It was also interesting using passages from the book which much of it seemed to ring true to today's Wigan and many other towns. I come a steelworking family which obviusly relied on coal mining for fuel. One side of my family is from around North Lincolnshire, the other side are from Cumbria and left the steel works in Workington to go and work in Scunthorpe. I know live in Shefffield so I can't escape steel. Similarly to coal mining many of my family ended up with health issues caused by the job, had work related injuries and I know one of my Great, Great Grandfathers died in an accident at work.

I love Orwell also. He too would have stood in front of that Town Hall (built 1903 and a former technical college until the 1990s). Another great watch, thanks!

This is without doubt, terrestrial TV quality and the irony is, David would'nt even need a camera crew or producer. Thank God KZfaq has given rise to these professionally presented channels and content. I wish you every success to 100k subscribers and beyond, mark my words the old TV order of the BBC etc will be history in maybe another 10/15yrs?

An episode that would interest me in this series would be my hometown of Wolverhampton. I’ve not lived there for 14 years and not been back there for around 5 years so have no idea what the city centre is like now.

Enjoy your vids very much that was not Wigan pier that was the canal warehouse that was a pub called Wigan pier but the actual pier is on the other side of the Leeds Liverpool canal it's just two rails called a staithe where they loaded barges.

Loved this! I’m the great granddaughter of a miner from Derbyshire.

"Down and Out In Paris and London" is Great. Few have illustrated that life so well. Great Vid David. RIP Stephen Burnip.

you're a great enthusiastic presenter. I really enjoy your videos and channel!

Love videos shame they all gone whst shame so many lost of towns and men jobs very interesting

As others have said.. this is *QUALITY STORY TELLING!* I had taken my time to watch this one, (not knowing Wigan well) yet it was packed full of so much more interesting history than I could ever have imagined.. and incorporating George Orwell was a class act! I am lost for words.. so poignant.. maybe your best video to date! 👍🙏👏👏

Just want to say you've got the makings of a great investigative video journalist. There aren't many left that haven't sold their souls.

Most beautiful one to date Also loved the discussions with some of the locals - always gives a taste of the area and humanises people who are typically living in more deprived areas

I left school the year Thatcher got in and I've seen the country destroyed by the Tory governments. I'm glad my life is nearly over because this country is finished.

Great piece of journalism and story telling, thank you

Interesting video mate. I'm also a big Orwell fan so this was probably one of my favourite videos on your channel so far. Well done!