Wigan Album

Had many a pleasant walk up there more than 50 years ago.

Gosh. That brings back some memories. I also did many walks past there over 50 years ago, on my way to Crank Road to visit Billinge Hill. We used to call the walk ' round the mountains'. There was a very deep pit full of water at the back of the brickworks, locally known as the 'Blue Lagoon'. It was very popular for swimming in my younger day, but not for me as I couldn't swim.

Helen, look at the Billinge section of Wigan Album (places) there are some pictures of the Blue Lag with the brickworks in the background.

Thanks, Duncan. I must have seen them some time ago. I admitted to walking across the ice in blissful ingorance in my youth!

My nan, Hilda Laithwaite, worked there for over 50 years. She was in the gulley room first and then cleaned the offices. She was 80 when she gave up working there and only then because she broke her hip. She used to tell me stories about 'Mr Sharples'. Further up the road was 'The White House' where Willy & Robin lived (Mountains Farm). They were part of the Littler family - The Tableys. Now they were a strange bunch!

My Dad (Arthur Stevens) and my Uncle Alan Melling worked here when I was about 8 (back in the 60’s.
I remember going into the kilns when the bricks had baked as my dad’s job was to remove them from the kiln by hand. I remember he used to make thick rubber hand and finger pads to stop the rough bricks cutting his hands up. I also remember going up into the Hoffman and watching Thie Hilton stocking the kilns through those little bob holes.
If anyone has any photos of the Hoffman or the Brick works in general, I really would appreciate a copy.
Regards
Dave Stevens

Hello , My name is Geoff Burrows , lived in Sandbrook Road and worked at the brickworks in the sixties. Worked in all the pipe rooms and with Dick Tabener the bricky , and Cliff Ashcroft. Remember the Hoffman and I am sur I have pictures of this in a box in the loft as well as lots of other Brickworks pictures. Remember Peter Uniak the mechanic and many other characters especially the kiln wheelers who worked there.

Geoff Burrows - It would be great if you could dig some of them old Hoffman pictures out, I would love to see that again.. I remember the mechanic you mention, he was a mate of my Uncle, Harrold Green..

I went here today 07/12/2019 I was told there are houses there now I could not even place where the brick works was I use to go there in the late 70s as a child messing around there and the next bit makes me shiver we sailed up turned lorry cabs on blue lag just no sense of danger