THE RUSHTON BROTHERS AND THEIR BUILDING

To many Wiganer’s this building was always referred to as the Gas Showrooms, Civic Buildings and more recently Wigan University Technical College, although prominently displayed on the building there is reference to an "O&G Rushton".



Oates Rushton was born at Great Marsden, Nelson in 1849, the son of a lock keeper on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.

Along with Mancunian William Tomlinson Janance, Oates set up a grocery business in 1870 at 42, Market Place, Wigan,  under the name of “Rushton and Janance”.  Oates and William were 21 and 22 years old respectively, the partnership was short lived and was dissolved in April 1871. Janance moved back to Manchester and by 1881 had established a successful grocery business in Prestwich employing a staff of six, all living above the shop.

LINK

In recent years since the council moved out and it became other things, the 'old gas showrooms' seems not to be used as much, and instead I have heard folk refer to it as the old Rushton building.

I may have dreamt it but wasn't there a supermarket there years ago? Or was that in Hope St

Yes, there was a supermarket there

They had a store on School Lane, UpHolland.
When the company was wound up in the 1950s, the shop was taken over by the Mortons grocery chain, and then in the late '60s, by the Vernons chain, before closing in the early '70s.
Many villagers were still calling it Rushtons when it finally closed for good.