Wigan Album

It’s strange how the houses didn’t look at all bad when lived in …..until they were being demolished.

Nail on the head Veronica. In many cases they were not slums, but found within a demolition area. It's gone full cirlce with a greater need for housing it's a pity new houses weren't built upon the same footprints for continuation.

I remember Ricky Tomlinson in his book describing the housing officer coming to his place and condemning it - there was nothing wrong with it and had recently been renovated.

Yes that’s true Andy and in doing so communities were destroyed. All scattered about…streets of close neighbours separated in one fell swoop.

Andy I both strongly both disagree and agree with you on different points. I well remember these very houses in Scholes as many of my classmates in the 1950s and 60s from St Catharines and playmates from St Pats lived in them. The ones that were demolished really were in a poor state. Nothing to do with the occupiers but the quality of construction , brickwork was very poor and the houses literally crumbling. NB the houses that remain in the area , along Scholefield lane, Vauxhall Road, Hardybutts etc were better constructed from Accrington red bricks and were rightly renovated and stand to this day.
I like you however think very strongly that new, better built housing should have kept to the same urban footprint and retained street frontages and small shops. I have travelled extensively in the Netherlands and they have managed to do exactly this in many towns. as it is we ended up with large empty areas of boring grass (green concrete) dotted with high density flats which does not reflect well the traditional pattern of urban living in Wigan and many parts of the UK.

Where I live the terraced housing which would be the same age as these were are going for nearly £200,000 for 2 bedrooms when they have been done up.