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Wigan Album

Wallgate

44 Comments

Lower Wallgate 1970's
Lower Wallgate 1970's
Photo: RON HUNT
Views: 5,591
Item #: 29560
View of the lower part of Wallgate c.1970's before demolition.

Comment by: Maureen on 13th July 2017 at 20:45

Hi Ron,I originate from Wallgate,but that shot looks a lot earlier than the 1970s.

Comment by: RON HUNT on 13th July 2017 at 20:54

Maureen definitely the 70's check out the board showing the price i.e. £2.50

Comment by: irene roberts on 13th July 2017 at 21:10

The lighter-coloured building which had a tiled lower front, (shown in the middle of the photo), had been Sawbridge's Butchers until around 1968, when they moved to Commercial Yard. My husband Peter worked at the Wallgate shop and recognised it immediately on this photo. He continued to work for Sawbridge's when they were in Commercial Yard, and still worked there when I started going out with him. I was 15 and he was 17! He says the shop to the right of Sawbridge's derelict shop in the photo, (going UP Wallgate), was Dawson's second-hand/antique shop, one of the proprietors being named Albert.

Comment by: Maureen on 13th July 2017 at 21:58

Ron, my apologies..it certainly looked very run down then didn't it?.all my childhood memories are made of every one of those shops.
Irene,the second hand shop was Dawbers..one day on my way home from School Mr Dawber stopped and said do you want this bible Maureen..I just said Ta and shot off to my Grandma who lived at the top of our street,and showed it to her..she took it off me and said "you're not having anything that's second hand" and I had to take it back saying "no thank you ".

Comment by: Veronica on 13th July 2017 at 23:33

The sign puts me in mind of when I bought a pink nylon bedspread - it was horrible when I think about it now. I can't stand anything nylon - there was also a lot of nylon sheets as well at the time. That is one thing that's improved nowadays -bed linen and so much choice. Having said that I still have a pair of pure cotton sheets from 1969 that are still going strong wash after wash.

Comment by: JJP on 14th July 2017 at 06:44

Know what Ron, I'll bet not many comments are posted saying that Wigan Council have destroyed beautiful parts of our town - based on this photo. We all love our town but perhaps it was time for some of it to go.

Comment by: Maureen on 14th July 2017 at 07:08

Veronica,I hated those nylon sheets,we all thought,brilliant..they dry in no time but oh!!!when you woke in the morning your hair would be stood up with static,you looked like you'd been battling all night.lol

Comment by: irene roberts on 14th July 2017 at 07:49

Maureen, what were your Mam and Grandma's names? Pater worked at Sawbridge's shop in Wallgate as a school-leaver in 1966-1968, but when Sawbridge's moved to Commercial Yard in 1968, a lot of the Wallgate customers still bought from them and Peter used to deliver the orders to them on a bike. He just wonders if he might have known your relatives.

Comment by: Veronica on 14th July 2017 at 07:52

Very true Maureen....awful to sleep in when it was summer. Just think how cheap they were at £2 50p! That must have been after 1971.

Comment by: Howard P on 14th July 2017 at 08:07

I suspect jjp's right.

Comment by: Maureen on 14th July 2017 at 08:38

Irene,my Mams name was Ann McGovern and my Grandma was Ellen and of course her surname was McGovern too.
I used to go regularly because my Mam always worked full time and would be served by either Jim or Bill and hated seeing and hearing that axe coming down on those bones .but Jim and Bill were lovely people .

Comment by: Maureen on 14th July 2017 at 11:49

Irene,I'm just thinking..you could show Peter that photo of my Mam and Dad on 'Album'..he'd probably recognize her off that.

Comment by: Veronica on 14th July 2017 at 13:39

I loved the Emp I remember seeing Tom Jones there. The Northern Soul
was just a bit after my time. The first time I went was when the 'Twist' was all the rage...that's ageing me!

Comment by: albert on 14th July 2017 at 14:08

Irene,
Was there a greengrocer in this row approx. opposite the tripe shop.

Comment by: Veronica on 14th July 2017 at 14:44

Ooops wrong picture! It's the morning after the night before on that picnic in the Park!,

Comment by: Albert. on 14th July 2017 at 15:30

Somewhere in this row of shops there was an excellent cake shop. Very clean, and they had very cheerful staff. I bought my wife's twenty first birthday cake from there in the very early sixties.

Comment by: jj on 14th July 2017 at 16:08

Agree with JJP, it's none too pretty a scene....but what replaced it is no improvement....

Comment by: Maureen on 14th July 2017 at 16:10

Albert,that was Prices ,where I used to go for my Mam..half a dozen cream cakes of your choice for one and sixpence,plus they were put in a box tied up with ribbon like tape..the lady that served you was a Mrs Jones. and we finished up living next door but one to her many years later.

Comment by: irene roberts on 14th July 2017 at 16:30

Albert, you are right about the greengrocer's shop but Peter can't recall the old lady's name who ran it. He vaguely remembers a pork butcher's which might be what you refer to as the tripe shop but he doesn't recall a cake-shop. He says The Grapes pub was on the corner of Great George Street with Dr. Ratchford's surgery at the other end of the row.

Comment by: irene roberts on 14th July 2017 at 16:36

Maureen, I have shown Peter the photo of your Mam but he doesn't recognise her. It's all a long time ago! I bet you went in the butcher's when Peter was there but he says he would have been in the back, boning meat and making sausages; he didn't do much serving in the shop itself. What an attractive lady your Mam was!

Comment by: Maureen on 14th July 2017 at 16:57

Albert,the green grocers shop was run by Theresa..and the tripe shop was facing the second hand shop at the top of Wallgate.

Comment by: Maureen on 14th July 2017 at 17:02

I should have said Albert that the green grocers ( Theresa's ) was right facing the bottom of Caroline Street...the street where St Joseph's church is.

Comment by: Maureen on 14th July 2017 at 17:04

Albert,the green grocers shop was run by Theresa..and the tripe shop was facing the second hand shop at the top of Wallgate.

Comment by: irene roberts on 14th July 2017 at 17:11

Maureen, Peter says was there an Electrical Shop at the bottom of Caroline Street? And he asks if you also recall a shop that sold religious-type jewellery, mainly Catholic? Peter put my engagement ring on my finger in the Caroline Café when I was 17....AWWWW! Guess what?....Typical man....I've just reminded him of that and he doesn't remember!

Comment by: Maureen on 14th July 2017 at 17:56

Thank you Irene..my Mam always looked attractive..you never saw her with a roller in her hair..it had to be done at the hairdressers every week..she wore tall heel shoes ( boy did she love shoes ) until she was in her eighties..after my Dad died she had three proposals of marriage..but there was nobody that would take my Dads place..mind you,she had a soft spot for Bill in Sawbridges..good job she can't see this,I wouldn't half have been told off.

Comment by: Julie on 14th July 2017 at 18:36

It's so sad I know, but now , all that matters are which buildings, can or will
generate income. Sentimental value means nothing, but memories. If there is a hint of profit to be made then big developers with huge wealth , holding a catalogue of highly paid solicitors , move in. Its happening everywhere . They simply have too much financial power for any council to
oppose. Pictures like these show a time, holding many memories, but decided now , simply by how much money you have. New buildings , thrown up , born to last , 20 years , like burger and chips . How depressing
this is to watch , the replacement of community and values , to modern greed. Nothing will be left , but profit will make Wigan grow.

Comment by: Albert on 14th July 2017 at 18:41

albert. I see there are now two of us Alberts. To stop confusion. I will use a capital "A". I see you have used a small "a"

Comment by: Nev on 14th July 2017 at 19:16

I remember a carpet shop on a street corner. It was owned by Tony Allard. Anyone remember him?

Comment by: . Ozymandias . on 14th July 2017 at 19:17

Come on Veronica, promise me you'll buck up.

Comment by: Veronica on 14th July 2017 at 19:42

My goodness Maureen that was cheap for 6 cakes...I reckon that was a threepenny bit for each cake! There was a Prices in Scholes -I remember going for vanilla slices and as you say they were packed in a box and tied with tape. ( could never undo the knot though!)

Comment by: Veronica on 14th July 2017 at 22:52

Ozy I'm laughing at myself witterin' on on the wrong photo. I was hoping nobody noticed! Trust you!

Comment by: Maureen on 15th July 2017 at 08:38

Veronica,it's my turn to laugh at myself..it was 3/6p for a box of cakes not 1/6p..wherever did that come from.lol

Comment by: Veronica on 15th July 2017 at 09:21

Hey but weren't they good Maureen!

Comment by: Maureen on 15th July 2017 at 11:00

Yes they were Veronica..my Mam always stipulated to get two vanillas for my Dad,the rest I could pick.

Comment by: John D on 15th July 2017 at 12:58

I may be entirely wrong but was there a fishing tackle shop called Tommy Blackledge's on the right-hand side going down Wallgate? I know he had a shop in the Wiend that I used to use.

Comment by: irene roberts on 15th July 2017 at 16:51

Maureen, did you see my earlier query re the shop that sold religious artefacts and jewellery? Peter is just curious to see if he remembers it correctly. He thinks they also sold religious statues as well, and I know you one had a ghostly experience with those.

Comment by: Maureen on 15th July 2017 at 18:16

Irene,there is a shop at the bottom Caroline Street that has sold everything and is still changing hands every six months or so..It was probably an electrical shop after I'd left Wallgate to get married..I really can't recall that one..Lathams was the shop that was at the bottom nearly facing our Church,there was always five of us girls that were always together,and we got our prayer books there..our rosary beads crucifixes etc..I still love rosary beads.I have my Grandmas which must be God knows how old..she brought them from Ireland as a girl..I used to love looking in the window of the shop nearly facing the Ritz Cinema,but sadly like everything else this council could demolish is now no longer....and yes I still have the statue that wound itself up many years ago..but that's another story Irene..don't I go on..I bet you wish you'd never asked me anything.lol

Comment by: Loz on 18th July 2017 at 20:32

There was an electrical shop on Wallgate near the bottom of Caroline Street called Corletts. The shop that sold religious artefacts was owned by a chap called Joe (can't remember his surname) he was also a newsagent.

Comment by: Patw on 14th August 2017 at 19:39

Nev Tony Allard was my uncle. He was married to my Dad's sister,Mary Jordan.

My Nan had a second hand shop at 8 Caroline Street, was called Westhead and Jordan, was a couple of doors up from the shop that sold the Catholic rosaries etc. My dad Alec worked with his uncle Eric Westhead as property repairers. He was friendly with Wilf Brogan, they grew up together and were lifelong friends, both of them have passed away now.

Comment by: Viv morris on 15th August 2017 at 17:48

I lived in George St 60's . From the top of Wallgate I remember Dawbers Sawbridges Mortons with a green sign. Davies the chemist,agonies , Theresa's Sherrington Doctors Grapes Annie's Chippie 10pence Bar..So I don't think that's the Butchers it was next to Mortons Deffo. Brooke's was my name....

Comment by: Davos on 25th December 2020 at 10:14

The greengrocers with Theresa was Melia's

Comment by: D on 25th December 2020 at 10:15

Theresa..?Melia's shop

Comment by: Susan Davies on 13th December 2021 at 18:54

Maureen, do you know the family history of the McGovern’s? My Grandads stepfather was John McGovern, lived in Leeds Street and Brown Street off Wallgate. Think he originally came from Killisalla? Ireland x

Comment by: Maureen on 8th May 2022 at 21:01

Susan,sorry for late reply,only just looking through these again..I believe that my Grandad came from Staffordshire and my Grandma was Ellen Kinane from Kilrush Ireland...I would love to know more..have tried every which way.

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