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Wigan Album

Battersby

17 Comments

no 8 Victoria rd, Platt Bridge,
no 8 Victoria rd, Platt Bridge,
Photo: Bet.
Views: 3,440
Item #: 29514
Master Battersby in front of his home. c1930.

Comment by: irene roberts on 3rd July 2017 at 18:45

How I would love to walk into that little shop! I bet that's a Brooke Bond Tea advert on the wall to the right of the window. I have one on my backyard wall.

Comment by: cliff on 3rd July 2017 at 20:13

i think uncle fred lived there in the 50 s

Comment by: Bet on 6th July 2017 at 14:02

Irene..Interesting, wondered what that sign was,thank you. The shop and most of the houses have long gone, although part of the vicarage wall in the background of the photo is still standing, the vicarage has also gone and they say it was a different world back then.I believe the lads used to play a game called trust weight heavy against the wall. Girls top and whip on the pavements and hoop and stick in the road. The photos belonged to Eddie Battersby, believe the boy is his younger brother. Ted enjoyed reminiscing and could remember the items in the Bats shop. They sold all sorts apparently, from sweets and dandelion and burdock to powders for ailments, etc. He took pride telling folk about his memories in the community. When Ted was a lad, apart from playing football, he would get a couple of pennies from his mother for helping her, he would then enjoy spending it at the pictures and the billiard hall. Loved his life on Victoria road and often recalled playing cards with his pals on the street corner, on one particular day when they had just discovered they had been called up to serve in ww2. Most of them were soon involved at Dunkirk. He missed the call up, his mates and the area terribly (home sick) when the family eventually emigrated to...... Ince. He lived till age 84, but still knew every street and shop in Platt Bridge as it was in those days and the residents on Victoria rd. Ted could still tell you the price of everything in the shop, from a packet of woodies (woodbines) often sold loose when requested, to the lengths of elastic readily available for necessary bloomer repairs and the like in that era. They lived in the back of the shop at no 8, when he and his siblings were young and would help serve the customers in the shop at times, occasionally grumbling with each other, over who’s turn it was. Colliers would send family members out late in the evening to the shop on emergency errands, out of opening hours, usually for vital supply of chewing baccy, to take down pit the morning after. The Bats would answer the late knock at the door from valued customers. Teds brother Peter would often say,“always thank them”.
Thank you, Irene.

Comment by: Bet on 6th July 2017 at 14:19

Cliff.. Your uncle Fred could have lived there, the Battersby family left before the fifties and a Mr Collinge occupied no 8 Victoria road previously. Believe Mr Collinge was involved in property and there is a street off Victoria road named Collinge st. The Battersbys lived on Collinge st previously and on Foggs lane when first married.

Comment by: cliff on 6th July 2017 at 20:20

thanks bet i lived across the rd in wilson st and went to school rosebridge cliff

Comment by: Ste on 6th July 2017 at 21:17

Hi I used live near here was there a shop on corner Colin st Called Sid durnleys I remember cobble st

Comment by: TD, on 7th July 2017 at 09:30

Hi Ste.. Around about the time of Bets photo and at the other end of the row from the Battersby shop no 8 Victoria rd, was number 14 on the corner of Vic rd and Collinge st. Number 14 was an off licence, ale and porter in 1925 run by Edward Smith. Presume no 14 was still a shop run by people of different names in later years?

Comment by: irene roberts on 8th July 2017 at 08:39

Bet, thankyou so much for that wonderfully interesting information. I have a fascination for old shops and packaging, when things were sold loose instead of pre-packaged, using paper bags, brown paper and string, greaseproof paper and cardboard boxes, (no plastic bags). I even have a string of paper bags hung in my kitchen, and a couple of original three-cornered toffee-bags, once white but now brown with age. I believe Co-op assistants could knock up a paper bag from a piece of paper in no time, and am sad that those skills are now gone. Thanks again for sharing the photo and the memories.

Comment by: cliff on 8th July 2017 at 08:44

i dont remember a cobble st ste were was it cliff

Comment by: Ste on 11th July 2017 at 20:56

Hi cliff it was Colin st when old houses was up about 1960

Comment by: TD,. on 18th July 2017 at 09:21

1881 Directory: Alfred James, shopkeeper and beer retailer, 10 Victoria Road, Platt Bridge.

Comment by: Debbie on 25th February 2020 at 14:49

My grandma and grandad Mary and Chris Walls lived at number 10, I remember those cobbles but not the shop. Polly Alans shop was on the other end of the terrace. Lovely picture.

Comment by: TD. on 2nd July 2020 at 12:09

Debbie: Mr Battersby the general dealer of no 8 Victoria Rd, proposed to his second wife in the Commercial pub, Victoria Rd. She worked in the pub. Albert Woods was the landlord at that time, but Mr Bat's son Eddie, the little chap on the photo, in his later life always called the Commercial pub Kes's. Kes Walls I believe was a more recent landlord, but kept the pub for many, many years. Eddie had fond memories of Victoria Rd, some of his ancestors originated from Petticoat Lane, Ince. Believe some of the Walls family ancestors also originated from Petticoat Lane. Sure the Battersby's and the Walls family would have been good friends and neighbours all those years ago. Mr Battersby's neice Pamela married a Walls, I do not know if her husband was related to the family of Kes Walls, but who knows Debbie? Only today seen your comment from some months ago (pre covid 19 lock down) Sure you will catch up on this item sometime. Thank you for your comments and kind compliment about the photo.
..............................................
PS, I have a photo of Owd Kes's pub with Mr Battersby, some of the locals and the previous landlord mentioned. There is a lengthy story to go with it, but reluctant to post on Wigan World these days, due to the recent addition of excessive amount of distracting, advertisement nuisances, now being stuck randomly, in the middle of efforts to provide information as requested.

TD.

Comment by: DebbieG on 16th November 2021 at 12:29

I have only just got back on the site. I will mention to my Dad (Kenneth Walls) about this lovely picture. Thank you for posting it :) Hopefully will look forward to your future posts .

Comment by: DEBBIEG on 16th November 2021 at 12:32

Forgot to mention I have a picture of Kes my Grandads dad at the back of the pub with the dray horse that they used and a young child sat astride the horse (who my Father tells me died in a tragic accident) ? I will try to fimd out how to upload the pictures that I have :)

Comment by: DEBBIEG on 16th November 2021 at 12:46

Just spoke to my Dad Kenneth Walls who lived in number 10 and he remembers this little shop.

Comment by: DEBBIE G on 3rd December 2021 at 10:42

Spoke to my Father Kenneth Walls again re this picture and he told me this little story. He says that the people who lived in the shop where from Liverpool and they all used to ask the lady to speak and they had never heard the dialect before. :) It just shown that people then didnt move around much from the area where they were born.

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