Wigan Album

I remember Ashurt's well.....their pies and cakes were delicious and had people queueing down the street. Before Ashursts took over, it was Cain's and a lot of older people in Ince continued to call it that.

The shop had at least 3 phases. Elizabeth Davies ran it then my grandad Jimmy Cain and family, helped by Edna Ashurst, then Edna took it over and ran it with her family.Many a tale could be told about things that happened like when my uncle blew the oven door off with explosive from Robrite clearing the flue.

i knew a vivian ashurst at rose bridge school

Vivienne was one of the Ashurts' daughters. My friend Neil Cain, (above, grandson of Jimmy Cain, who owned the shop before Ashurts), visits Wigan quite often and goes to see Valerie, (Vivienne's sister), in Careless Lane. Their brother Rodney, quite a few years their junior, was in the year behind me at school. Vivienne and Rodney don't live in Wigan now; I can't just think where they live. Neil will know. It was a lovely shop, wasn't it?

Vivienne lives in north Lancashire and Rodney in Kent

vivienne was my first girlfreind at school great kid she was irene

I have seen this courtesy of my old friend from Ince Central and beyond, Billy Green. Our Viv lives in Heysham and I am in Tunbridge Wells, having moved to Sheffield as a student where I stayed for over 20 years, then France for 5 years. Another story about the shop is that my mam had to save me after my dad chased me up Belle Green Lane for locking the oven with my toy hdcuffs and burning the pies (sorry if you were in the queue that day).

Hello Rod, your Valerie has me in stitches with tales. Do you remember my dad wheeling us about in a wheelbarrow at Holt Street and tipping us out. We clashed heads. All the best Neil

Hello Neil - I don't remember that one but maybe I banged my head too hard. Our Val does remember a lot more than me though especially different people. She relates your conversations to me from your visits as I am sure you can imagine. All the best.