On the Leeds to Liverpool Canal (The first Canal built in England), where once echoed the hustle & bustle of Collieries loading Cargo, stands Wigan Pier some fifteen miles from the sea.
No one would have heard of the Pier had it not been for the comedian George Formby Sr., who was hissed off the stage at the Wigan Hippodrome. A local man, he took his revenge by making fun of the Pier in his 'Act' .
Victorian middle class holidayed at the seaside and converged on the fashionable piers. Southport built the first pier in1860, followed by other towns. By 1900, no resort could be without one.
As the story goes, a train full of miners stopped at a signal box. The ground in the area was liable to flooding and across it ran a raised gantry carrying the coal wagons. The miners, who were on their way to a demonstration at Southport, became impatient at the delay. One of the miners stuck his head out of the carriage window, saw the water and shouted to the signalman: "Are we there?" "No mate", was the answer. "YER AT WIGAN PIER!".
Many people have looked for Wigan Pier, including the famous Writer George Orwell who wrote The Road to Wigan Pier in 1937. The Queen re-opened the Wigan Pier and placed it back on the map in her wedding Jubilation year 1977.
THE RESTAURANT
Wigan was Greg Venables hometown. He decided to name his restaurant The Wigan Pier because of his strong affinity for Squamish as a working class town and as a tribute to the working man's ability to laugh at himself.
Greg Venables, the founder, owner and operator of the Wigan Pier Restaurant ,comes from a small village near Wigan, England. Having great interest in foods and their heritage he finished culinary school in St Helens in 1985. With a good source of local culinary under his belt he decided to widen his knowledge of foods worldwide.
Experience in the European countries gained him the Gold medal in West Germany and later, Greg gained experience working for major hotel chains in Munich (Germany), London (England), Bermuda, Toronto (Canada), Boston (USA) and Sydney (Australia). In 1991, Greg opened the Marriott Eaton center Hotel in Toronto as executive sous chef where in 1992 he was awarded Manager of the Quarter for outstanding contribution to quality.
By using total quality management to build a sound business structure, the Wigan Pier Restaurant was recognized by the Province Newspaper as one of the top Fish & Chip restaurants in BC in1995 and then later by BC Best Listing.
Consistency in product and use of top quality foods in all of the Wigan Pier's home-made recipes, the restaurant has earned itself a strong name within the industry throughout BC and Canada.
The Wigan Pier Restaurant is tucked away behind the Sea to Sky Best Western Hotel, but out of town visitors make special trips to find it. The restaurant produces over 150 meals per day - over three times it's seating capacity.