Wigan Album

Ron. Could this be a church May Queen procession, when one of the young ladies of the parish, crowned Our Lady?

High street

Was the May Queen a purely RC event. We weren't RC but living in Scholes many of our friends were. I remember processions at St Pats with all the girs in white dresses and boys in white satin suits. Was this a similar thing or first communion or was this one and the same. It certainly doesn't look like a walking day. My memory is that all the RC Churches walked together in one mammoth parade at Whit, whereas CoE, like St Catherines walked as individual parishes. Do all these processions etc still take place. I left Wigan in 1970 and haven't really been back other than to see Parents, who both died some time ago.

Are you sure this is Stnadish, Ron?
The houses are identical down to the fancy brickwork and window cornices with the houses on Ormskirk Road Pemberton, directly opposite Richmond Hill.

Defo Pemb between White Lion and Banks funerals.

Carolean, In more recent times May Queens were more often casual affairs organised by kids dressing up in whatever they could find, they would walk round round the streets begging coppers from whever happened to be about. I think Roman Catholic churches sometimes had a tradition called a Rose Queen.

I'm with Albert on this one. A May Queen going to be crowned with her ladies in waiting attending. Doesn't look at all a religious event. As Ron says it must have been late 1920's or the 1930's.

Definitely Pemberton between White Lion and Banks's. The brickwork, windows etc match up perfectly although Peeningtons isn't a shop any more. The edge of the building just seen on the far right was the house that my Gt grandparents lived in, followed by my grandparents. Mum also lived there but moved further down Ormskirk road in 1939 when she was 2. What a shame it wasn't shot slightly further to the right.

It will be church linked. I was part of the Crowning group at St. Cuthberts in ~ 1968. I was an honour to be chosen, names were drawn to decide on the who was in it. We had to pay to have identical dresses made. The Queen had a fancier white dress. We didn't parade through the streets, just around the church. The photo of the crowning group is in the Album - Schools- St. Cuthberts.

Carol. Just had a look at that photograph,(1968). It certainly is a lovely photograph.

Yes got to agree it does look like Pemberton. I wonder what the significance is of the house with the light and name plate? I knew a lad who lived there, Anthony Winstanley known to everyone as "SHERANA" Don't know where the name came from??? He was a bit older than me and went to the TLS when I did. He was a lad I admired and looked up to, he was always up to things like melting down Aluminium and pouring the molten metal into various moulds he had made, also we would go over to the 'LONG WALL' with tins of Carbide blowing rat holes up. Health and Safety would have a fit with the antics we got up to... Would love to know what happened to him The last I heard he was in America and that was 50 years ago... Happy Days