Wigan Album

Ron, I was recently reading a interesting article about the brewery. The building dated from 1873 and was demolished in the early 1950s. As children from Crawford Avenue we would walk up Haigh and I can remember just prior to demolition seeing this building and then wondering where it had gone !. I think that John Sumner actually started brewing circa 1820 in cellars below the Balcarres Arms. Water for the brewery was provided by the windmill just down the road in Copperas Lane, still there today and there was a tank holding thousands of gallons for the brewery's use. John's young son was killed at the age of 11 years whilst working for his father. Greenalls took over from Sumners and that was the end of this little piece of history, of course, Culraven Garage acquired the site.

Interesting story JJP. It was in the early 1930's when Greenalls took over.

Another legacy of the brewery is the reservoir in the fields off Riley Lane, Haigh. Known as the Brewery Lodge, the farmer rents it out to Blackrod Victoria Angling Club. I've fished it many times in the past.

My dad told me that the water for brewing came from the Brewery lodge, not the D&C. The water from the D&C was used to wash everything down each day, including swilling the cobbles and street. My dad (born 1930) grew up on Church St, right by Our Ladys church. He talked about sheltering in the brewery cellars underneath the terraced houses opposite the brewery on Haigh Rd when the Luftwaffe went over mokianfg a low drone carrying their payload bound for lLiverpool, and the engine tone being lighter on their return. Heady stuff.