Wigan Album

Forgot to mention LOWES doorway. This and Woolowrth's corner were the regular meeting places for courting couples, before moving onto to one of the cinemas in town. I wonder how many ppeople first met their now wives at one of these locations?

Love this shot Ron,as I do with any photo's of old Wigan Corporation transport.More please

And now grandparents Ron.

Do any of you still eat tripe. I can't stand the stuff.

Why can you smell the stuff, Albert?

When I went to TLS we used to catch a bus to go to Christopher Park for football. It used to pass the front of the Woodhouse Inn and run directly next to the canal. What bus would that be?? Evan House Farm comes to mind for some reason.

This bus was new in August 1958 and was withdrawn in March 1972. It was sold to Widnes Corporation who kept it for another 4 years. I would suggest early 1960s looking at the condition of the bus. This particular bus was fitted with folding doors on it's rear entrance to keep the heat in and was usually used on the 320 to Liverpool. No doubt the heaters came in handy on such a long journey.

The bus to Christopher Park was the 333 or 343 to Wrightington Hospital(you would get off at Evan House Farm) until the no.4 was extended from Martland Mill Bridge (which was over the canal and very narrow) to Evan House Farm in the early 1970s when Woodhouse Drive was built and the buses diverted on to the new road.

i started on buses jan 1962 and buses went to evan house farm then did my probationer time on hindley/evan house farm

Garry It was the U.C.P. that reminded me of it.

On further reflection I think it was when we merged with WGS that we used Christopher Park. I think TLS used Robin Park.

THE TLS FOOTBALL FIELDS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AT CHRISTOPHER PARK, AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER, THAT WAS UP UNTIL 1963.

I can remember queueing with my Mam in the UCP, (did we call it Voses' Pie-Shop, or am I confusing it with somewhere else?.....I WAS only a little girl!). It was dusk on a Saturday afternoon, and the warmth and light in the shop contrasted with the darkening sky outside. We made our way to Library Street to catch the lovely red-and-cream Corporation bus home to Ince, those oval-shaped pies smelling delicious in my Mam's basket. We ate them by the fire watching Dixon of Dock Green, ("Evening, All"), and it felt so safe and happy. I'm sure we queued up for those pies in Summer too, but it is the time when the nights drew in that brings the strongest memories, ones that linger still.

Thanks. Seems I was right first time then.

Voses's pie shop was on Standishgate just around the corner from Mesnes St . Every Saturday morning I was sent for 2 meat and potatoe and 2 steak pies -they were delicious made with a thick pastry. There was always a queue-but worth waiting for!

Thanks for this photo Ron, two good memories for me in one photo, the UCP and the Martland Mill bus, both of which figured in my childhood.

Thanks,vb. I remember where Voses was now...the memory plays tricks! I think their pies were oval, too, if I remember rightly.

I started at TLS in September 1953 in its very first intake, TLS have never used Robin Park to my knowledge,up to 1958 anyway. I played for TLS at both football and rugby and believe it or not, i remember playing some of our home games on the football field at the bottom of Parbold hill on the left of the canal bridge.

The pies were oval Irene and before I went there I had to go to Latimers for some bacon. I daren't go anywhere else because my dad would have been able to tell straight away. I still have a square basket similar to the one my mother sent me with. (I keep shoe brushes and polish in it and other odds and ends) I loved to go shopping in those days 'up town' and felt quite grown up.

Vb, how refreshing to read "would have" instead of "would of".......it drives me potty! I have no less than four baskets! As well as at forties events, I use them daily. As you will know, they carry pies, cakes and bread beautifully without damaging them. Did you go to Latimer's in Market Street? There was an entrance to it in Commercial Yard and Peter worked at a butcher's shop there in the 1960s.

I did go down Commercial Yard Irene, as you know there were two entrances to Latimers. It was probably a few years before your husband worked down there in the Butcher's shop. What a wonderful shopping centre we had - there wasn't another to beat it for miles. It was always my job to run errands - my brother got out of everything!! I knew every nook and cranny of Scholes and 'up town'! My childhood friend used to come with me to do my errands and I went with her when she had to do hers. All the happy memories of Scholes and Wigan that you never forget.

Lovely autumnal memories, Irene. It was a pleasure reading that.

Thankyou, Jarvo. Autumnal nights still give me a tingle of pleasure as they did in childhood; I don't think it will ever leave me.

Stuart, I would doubt that this bus was used on the 320 to Liverpool as far as I recollect the 320 was a shared service between Ribble and the LUT.

Wigan Corporation buses were part of the running
Partnership with Ribble and L.U.T. buses. This bus,
fleet No. 10 would have operated the 320 service
from when it was new in 1958. Buses with doors on
were quite rare in the late 50s, so this bus with
doors and a heater were considered modern.

Hello Irene, you should have been a story teller instead of being a barmaid and working in boots .Missed your way my old mate .Your deception would have brought many happy memories to the Wiggin folk .God Bless7

Colin forgive me ......but do you mean 'perception'?

My uncle drove the Maryland mill bus and his wife my aunty was the conductress it ran to the terminus at Maryland mill .
The U C P was was known as United Cow products