Leica Boutique Wigan is proud to announce the new Leica Monochrom M246 Pier Edition, designed to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the founding of the famous Wigan Pier, immortalised in George Orwell’s classic novel of the 1930s. The iconic camera and classic 28mm f/2.8 Summaron-M lens, both in a coal black slate finish in honour of Wigan’s proud industrial past, will be sold in an edition limited to ten examples. It is exclusive to Leica Boutique Wigan, a new and exciting boutique in the prestigious Makinson Arcade, just off Market Street.
The Pier Edition is presented on a bed of finely woven traditional coal sacking inside a highly polished case painstakingly constructed from genuine wood recovered from early 20th century canal barges at the Pier.
All ten sets include a commemorative pack of locally made black pudding and a voucher entitling the owner to a five-year supply of the Wigan delicacy, meat and potato pie. In addition, in a unique touch, every box contains a certificate signed personally by George Orwell (dec’d).
Said 23-year-old Fred Tyldesley, manager of Leica Boutique Wigan, “the Leica Monochrom is fast becoming an essential part of any local photographer’s arsenal. Eighty years ago at the time of Orwell’s fact-finding visit, deliberate monochrome photography wasn’t necessary because the town was at that time finished entirely in shades of grey because of the ever-present pall of smoke from coal burning fires.
“Colour came late to Wigan; but in recent years we’ve seen many bright developments as the town’s grim industrial past has receded in favour of modern industries such as the manufacture of baked beans.
“As a result, the 2017 Monochrom echoes Wigan’s proud heritage. Through the classic lens of this monochrome masterpiece the town’s many historic buildings look just as they did 50 or 100 years ago . Many locals have commented on the black and white images of the old Wigan Mining and Technical College building, displayed in the Leica Boutique’s “Pit Gallery”, and said how much they are reminded of the 1950s.“
The Leica Monochrom has already been selected as the official snapper for the World Pie Eating Championship, one of the premier events in Wigan’s busy social calendar. This year the theme will be “Pies in Monochrome”.
Demand for the Leica Monochrom Pier Edition is sure to be high. If you wish to reserve one write to Fred Tyldesley at this address. The price has been fixed at £18,550, including VAT, but this is without doubt a good investment for the future. It comes highly recommended by Macfilos.
Other Leica special editions just announced: The Oslo Edition and the Brooks Brothers Bowtie Edition. Don’t miss them.
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Wonderful mine is ordered with a promised AM delivery date of April 1st. Don
August Fool’s Day?
Mr. Fagan I am surprised you didn’t think of a "Blarney Stone"edition,Ha! I do hope this is a successful venture for the Store, only sorry out of my pocket book range.
The ‘gift of the gab’, obtainable only from the Blarney Stone, is a precious commodity not to be shared with German camera manufacturers. We don’t like giving away ‘trade secrets’. The Guinness edition with a nice creamy white top plate on a black body might go a treat, though. Not many people know this, but the Guinness family kept the Corfield Camera Company in business for some years after they had moved camera production to Ballymoney in Northern Ireland in the early 1960s.
William
Behave!
Excellent ! But Mike, don’t give them too many ideas!
They don’t need any ideas from me, Henry…..
An appropriate Leica model for the dystopian times in which we live. A special Orwell edition of the M6 could have been issued at its launch in 1984, but that would have been too soon in the product cycle. While I have no interest in the special editions, I wish the Wigan Pier and Oslo models well. I’ve been trying to think of some Irish special editions and the best I could come up with were the turf powered ‘Old Bog Road’ edition and the St Patrick’s edition with shamrocks and a free download of his blessings which would mean that you do not have to charge the camera again for another seven years. You could top up these blessings by going on a pilgrimage to Ireland, of course.
William
To celebrate the 120th anniversary of the serialised publication of "The Invisible Man" I purchased from a chap from Wigan an H G Wells special edition M246 / lens.
Here is a shot:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/shaneprenton/36497282390/in/dateposted/