Wigan Album

brilliant -well done 'banksy'

Excellent idea a little further towards the camera and a bit of scaling on the "NEW" pic and it would be perfectley positioned well done any more like this in the pipe line?

very well done to you banksy hats off to you great!!!!!11

Thats very clever.. well done! .. great job.. I used to go nicking apples at plumptons wen i wus a kid.. great memories

This answers a lot of questions from my boyhood days, 50 odd years ago!
I lived in Mitchell Street, about 100 metres down on the right from Plumptons Garage.
I used to play in the "Backs" where we could climb up, to the top of the backs where the old rail track used to be.
I was told by the old timers that a "railway used to run through here"!
I couldn't see how this could be possible, at one end there was a timber factoy and at the other was Plumptons.
Just where the hell was this railway supposed to lead to?
Fred Mason sent me some detailed information regarding this rail line some time ago and apparently it was was part of a colliery run,delivering coal. (I think it was the Bickershaw Colliery)
I could be completely wrong about the name, but not about the fact that it was a colliery.
This is a great explanatory photo of how things were and are
now.
Thanks for the posting, it's appreciated

Sid, Plumpton built 2 petrol stations on the site of the old mineral railway line, one at Union Bridge, the other in Victoria st, just above Alexandra park.

Syd
I was born and bred in Manor Street and always told i was from Union Bridge, confusing when your a child and there's no bridge. ha!
I've just done a rough aerial view of the train line at the back of Mitchell Street but not sure the route from crossing Victoria Street, possible it went at the side of the delph through to Little Lane or maybe down the Pad at the top of the park and under the bridge on the photo?
[url="http://img814.imageshack.us/f/trainline2.jpg"]train route[/url]

(Fred's Comment in 2008)
Re: Union Bridge Comments by fred foster, 1st May 2008
The bridge carried coal from Norley Collieries to the marshalling yards at Blundells. The line ran behind Mitchell St. and crossed the road near Jewsons. The two houses by Jewsons were the crossing keepers cottages. We had an allotment bordering the track and my mother would hold me up to watch the loco as it pushed the loaded wagons.The line passed under 2 bridges and then came out in Little Lane, under another bridge.The line was closed down and the bridges filled in in the 1930s.

Image link: Copy and paste in browser

http://img814.imageshack.us/f/trainline2.jpg

Banksy, the railway went from Union Bridge, across Victoria St where the car sales is now, across the top of the park and under the bridge that is on the path that leads to Stephens Way. it can be seen on the 1938 map on old-maps.com.

Thanks Jimmy ;-)

Jimmy,
Thanks for the info,I left Wigan in 1966 and I was only ever aware of 1 Plumptons Garage in Ormskirk Road.
When did Plumpton build the 2nd one in Victoria Street?
As a matter of interest, whatever happened to Plumpton and his business enterprises?
It's great to read everyones input. :-)

Come on Banksy, who did this for you? You didn't know how to turn a computer on let alone do things like this masterpiece.

John: I'm a legend in my own lunchtime mate ;-)

Syd, Jack Plumpton retired to the Isle of Man and died there.Where his garage was situated, his daughter Jean had some flats built and she rented these out under the name Jean's Properties. The flats are still there but I don't know what happened to Jean. The house that Jack had built on the old railway track, complete with swimming pool, has since been demolished and a small new estate of houses and bugalows erected in its place. Jack planted a line of poplar trees by the side of his house and these have proved to be a nuisance now to the people in their vicinity, as the roots have spread under some of the properties

My wifes grandad had a butchers shop (farrimond) on the left hand side in the row of shops, it would probably be just through the bridge.

The only butcher that I remember in that row was Tom Cunningham. His brother Jack had a shop too, near the entrance to "little Billinge road"

Davey, was your wifes grandmothers name Mollie?

I remember Tom Cunninghams Butchers along with a Fishing tackle shop, Hampson's store (later the pie shop), Fergy's Barbers, Molly's cafe and a Sweet shop, Oh and Malcolm Fosters.

The fishing tackle shop was Humphrey Glover's. Closed about 25-30 years ago.
Got my first rod there for 28 bob (£1-40p) in 1966. Still got it!

My wifes grandad was business partner with Tom at the butchers, they used to deliver meat and serve from the back of a van around Pem.
Her grans name was lily.

davey, the fellow I remember coming round in the blue Morris Minor van was known around Ridyard St as Ernie Butcher. The shop on the corner near the "Pioneer" was owned by a bloke named Mason I think and they joined a "Mace" franchise if I'm not mistaken although it is about forty odd years ago.

That would be him, Ernie Farrimond.

Banksey, Molly's cafe was owned by my grandparents, the Masons.
They did a roaring trade providing lunches and meals to the Pioneer employees.
I used to come home from school and have lunch there every day in the early sixties.
My Grandmother died while still running this business and Grandad Mason died approximately 6 months later, his heart was broken when he lost Grandma, he just lost the desire to go on!
The Glovers did own the fishing tackle shop, I new the brothers Adrian and Humphrey Glover well.
Your right Fred the butchers was Cunninghams, I used to have to pick up our meat orders there every week.
I can't remember the name of the sweet shop there, but believe me I do remember it, I got a hell of a hiding from my father when I tried to buy a packet of 5 woodbine's from there when I was only 13, I actually told them that it was for my grandma next door and that's what brought me undone.
Thanks for your input Fred, always good to hear from you.
Take care all. :-)

My grandparents lived at a dentists'on Ormskirk Rd, I think its still there,a large bay windowed house on the right,just past Ridyard St. As a boy,my mum's brother, Uncle Jack,would climb onto the bridbe, and touch the electrified tram wires which can be seen suspended from the bridge! He called them the 'tickleing' wires! God knows what voltage would be passing thro' them at the time!!!

fred foster....sorry to disappoint you but I've just read your comment re John Plumpton....The Plumptons are my maternal grandparents..Jean is my mother. Yes they had a house in the Isle of Man but I know absolutely for a fact that he did not retire or die there. I remember the house in Union Bridge as both my younger brother and I spent a lot of time there and we have many happy memories of it. The house was demolished but the land at the rear of it is still there, including the poplar trees. Sorry to have to correct your misapprehensions.

hi, fred i am sure union bridge in the photo is in fact the bridge on warrigton road the railway sleepers on the left were fencing for the allotments. across road robin park. the road goes towards goose green,

just thought i would tell you that i live on the land where the house and swiming pool used to be and as for the poplar trees there is only 1 tree left, when i bought my house in 2004 i took 14 trees down which are on my side garden and the rest buy the other house owners.Does anybody have any pictures of the old house and swiming pool

Thanks Banksy n Syd for bringing back great memories. ( played at the Delph- the Rats the size of dogs!) Stat99 I new your mum Jean a real nice person. My mum Irene Law was the Mgr at both stations ,please say hello,Alan