J Lawrence Isherwood suffered many blows during his lifetime, but undoubtedly the day fire raged through part of the downstairs rooms of the house was, other than the death of Mother Lily, the worst. The semi-detached house on Wigan Lane had been the Isherwood family home for many years. It was bereft of central heating - Click here to read more

 Colin de Rouffignac, Antique Dealer He can laugh about it now. But two decades ago, antiques dealer Colin de Rouffignac had the opportunity to buy the complete collection of paintings by J Lawrence Isherwood. And who was offering this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? The artist himself. It was the spring of 1989 and Isherwood was a shadow - Click here to read more

Isherwood was proud of his great painting signed in a limited edition by Gracie Fields. And he told the story to anyone who would listen that he once met her at the stage door of Wigan’s Hippodrome Theatre. It must have been in the late 40s or early 50s as the place burned down in - Click here to read more