Wigan Album

Looks like Atherton Rd in Hindlley

What a lovely photo, and how clean the road looks! People would have been out sweeping and mopping, "doing the front" as it was said. They probably hadn't much money but took aa pride in their homes.

I think it may be Liverpool Road, opposite the Stangeways Inn. No 249 Liverpool Road was an off-licence on the corner of Douglas (?) Street. The presence of the trolley bus lines definitely suggests Liverpool Road or Atherton Road.

Looks like the end of Trafford Rd on Wigan Rd Hindley

It looks like Wigan Rd Hindley,the corner shop later becoming Bisbrowns,and the side street Trafford Rd.

Arthur,I think you are spot on it is Liverpool rd .Mr and Mrs Ashton had it in the 50/60s

That is quite definately Wigan Rd ,Hindley it led to trafford rd,later, dead certain .

It says Lawrence's on the window if that helps

I wouldn't have a clue either way as to whether it's Wigan Road or Liverpool Road, but having looked at present day google maps and at the two places mentioned, Trafford Road and Douglas Street, I'm inclined to plump for the Liverpool Road one.

Don't be misled by the double set of overhead wires into thinking the location must be on a trolleybus route.

A lot of the trackage of the Wigan Corporation electric trams outside Wigan town centre was single track down the middle of the road, with regular passing loops. Despite the single track, they installed two separate, continuous overhead wires - one for each direction of travel. This was because the Wigan trams used trolleys with trolley wheels which were prone to de-wiring when passing over junctions in the overhead wires.

Another clue is the very decorative metal embellishments on the overhead supports. These are very characteristic of the Wigan tram system, including the section in Hindley U.D.C.

And finally the SLT trolleybuses were in use between 1930 and 1958. The original post dates the photo as 1900s, and the scene definitely looks quite a bit older than the 1930s. Wigan Corporation's electric trams first started running along Wigan Road to the Bird i'th' Hand in October 1905.

How do I know all this triva? From a copy of the book "The Tramways of Wigan" by E.K. Stretch.

Wigan Road never had trolley wires.When we were kids we spent many happy hour playing in front of this shop at night .The terraced houses to the right are still standing.I can tell many stories of the good times we had down Liverpool Rd or The Lump as we called it.

The shadows are very short indicating late morning or early afternoon. From the direction of the shadows at this time of day the view is looking North to North East, hope this helps.

Thank you Kenee, that does help me at least, to "conclude" that the Liverpool Road (Douglas Street) location has the correct orientation which is north, whereas the Wigan Road (Trafford street) one has a South East direction.

If you look on street view the houses on Wigan Rd have different lintels over the doors and windows, to the ones in the old photo. So it can't be the corner of Trafford Road.

They could have been refurbished, Winder. But yes it's NOT Wigan Rd.

Good idea Winder.If you put 240 Liverpool Rd Hindley in street view it shows the four terraced houses in the photo and where the shop was located on the corner of Douglas St. An mate of mine from years ago,Jimmy Martindale, lived next to the shop.In the four terraced houses lived a family called Snape who had some sort of joinery shop at the rear.There was a chippy opposite the shop owned by Mrs Wall.Thanks for the photo Roger it has brought back a lot of memories.If you have any more of this area could you please put them on.I have no photos of where I was brought up

That shop is definately 249 Liverpool Rd Hindley My Aunty Lizzie and Uncle Joe Snape lived in the first house on the left No 251, 253 was Joe's dad and brothers the end house on the right was Elizabeth and Walter Wilson That was from the 50s to the 80s i cant go back before then though

I remember Jackie Wilson from those houses.Peterg I vaguely remember you from down the Lump,you lived next door to Teddy Actons shop.The Milky Bar kid?
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