LEIGH'S new Albion Street outdoor market opened last month, bringing an end to seven months of heartache for traders.

Stallholders were forced out of their enclosed site near the Spinning Gate Centre to make way a multi-million pound extension, and spent the winter struggling on the Gas Street car park.

It was only one of many moves for the town's market traders over the years.

But as teething troubles are ironed out at the new site, the Journal looks back to the golden age of Leigh's town centre market.

Those were the days in the '50s and '60s when more than 100 stalls were erected each Wednesday, Friday and Saturday - and it always seemed to rain.

The picture brings back memories of Fish Lil, Nancy's second hand stall, Leyland's cheese, Reuben's Jewellers, West's fruit stall, still going strong in the market hall, and Manfredi's ice cream van on the corner.

In earlier days, I'm told people queued round Leigh Parish Church for half a pound of Crompton's tomatoes.

There was also the duck and cake shop and Allsop's fruit stall - as well as the Market Street emporium.

The market is believed to have been in existence since before 1500, but the first modern one was situated outside the Town Hall, which was built between 1904-7 at a cost of £45,000.

It was centred around the obelisk, which was erected in 1762 by Robert Vernon Atherton Gwillym, of Atherton Hall, and the Lords of the Manors of Atherton and Pennington.

It has been moved and rebuilt twice, in 1859 and 1986, since it was originally sited at the junction of St Mary's Way with the Market Place.

This was the centre of the small Market Place complete with butchers' shambles along the churchyard wall facing the market.

It was also the location of Leigh's two annual cattle and trading fairs, one of which in 1581 caused a dispute with the Lord of the Chief Manor of Warrington, because of the threat of competition.

The 1893 map of Leigh shows how small the Market Place was. Between it and the site of the town hall was a block of buildings, and, across what is now the front of the town hall ran the narrow Sugar Street.

When the new town hall was developed to the south of Sugar Street, the properties to the north were demolished and the market was extended.

In front of what is now the Turnpike Centre, were properties fronting Newton Street and Back Salford.

In 1968, the market, as shown in the picture, moved to the north side of St Mary's Church to make way for the development of the library and civic square.

The new market hall and outdoor stalls opened in that year - almost 90 years after the Journal had pressed for a covered market.

Seven thousand bodies had to be exhumed from the Parish Church Graveyard to make way for the building - which closed in 1989 when the market transferred again, this time to the new Albion Street hall.

The lovely old picture taken from the top of Leigh Parish Church shows the butcher's shambles, where there was also a Chinese restaurant and carpet shop.

Notice the old William Deacon's Bank, which is still standing, and later became Williams and Glyns Bank, then the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Across the road on the corner of Lord Street the former Danby's, the only place to buy LGGS uniforms, is boarded up.

Sadly, it still is today.

Have you any market memories? Write to Lesley Richards, Leigh Journal, 44-46, Railway Road, Leigh, WN7 4AT or e-mail lesley.richards@lancashire.newsquest.co.uk