Looking at Wigan Road on Google Earth in 2017,how things have changed since my childhood in the 1940s.My parents were separated and I lived with my grandparents and my dad. My dad used to drive for a chap called Dickie Thomas who had an haulage business at Bryn Cross. I played with the Croft boys who lived over Ben Turners butchers shop at Bryn Cross (I think it is still a butchers). Our next door neighbours where the Adamson sisters, one of them had an habadashery shop in Bryn Road Ashton Cross,which now looks like Fatboys. Another grocers long gone was Tanny Wrights now a beauty salon and across the road The Hair Lounge which in my days was a shoemakers.The Star Hotel run by a Mr Joe Pearson now replaced by a petrol station, but I see Dr Fultons old house next door is still there. Approx behind the shoemakers was the stable & yard where Jimmy Edwards the coalman kept his horse & cart.I see the junction with Whitledge Green and Whitledge Road was redeveloped to make way for expansion of houses.so demolishing the large end house where the Baratinski family resided. Another snippet Mrs Smiths sweet shop and Mr Fairhurst the milkman who owned most of the land between Wigan Road & Bryn Road. Oh the joys of being somewhat computer literate at my age. Happy memories...

WELCOME BRYN 156:You have just posted a lovely piece about where you grew up you seem to be a bit akin to myself i am fascinated with the place were i was born and lived for several years i came from The- Half-House at top of tunstall lane and ormskirk road i just can't stop reminiscing ,so look forward to hearing /or reading your post's cheers all the best G.B.

Were you born in the pub, G.B.?

bryn 156 I was born on rosehill 70 years ago and enjoyed reading about your memories

I was born and bred in Bryn road bryn 156 but all this was before my time

I lived in Bryn from 1960 to 1966,I remember Halliwells shop,Wally Bishops pub,and Hacketts coal.

Loved the butchers at side of traffic lights i remember sawdust on floor,also liked morgans pop and hursts off licence and greens travel agents,liked the pubs as well oddfellows,bath spring,britannia,star hotel,there was also a shop on wigan rd called halliwells i used to do grandmothers shopping in there as it was cheaper than hodgkinsons london house.

tonker:: MY answer is a no and i apologise for misleading people ,i only use the ( h/w/pub as best to explain as to the where-abouts were i was born =460 Ormskirk Road .

Bambam. you mentioning Morgans pop brings back more memories, in my class at St Peters infants school in Downall Green Rd we had a Kathleen Morgan whose family owned the pop factory. Also Gordon Naylor & Bob Kelly who both lived in Bryn Road. As for Halliwells grocers, weren't they on the left hand side of Wigan road just after Bryn station going towards Ashton.

OK bryn156, what shop was across from Halliwells in the 40s

Got me on that one Dougie. But I vaguely remember one around there that sold cigarettes. My dad said he had to buy a packet of ten "Pasha" if he wanted to get five "Woodbines". It could be the Bargain Booze shop now, but not too sure. Its that long ago I left Bryn in 1948 when I was 14yrs old.

There was a shop which sold wallpaper which was opposite Halliwells,or not far off when I lived there,she would trim one of the edges if you asked,the wall were not straight.

Jack Wareing.had the shop opposite Haliwells .when i was a kid because he had a daughter Katie.who was around about my age.

bryn156, That would have been Potters just before the railway bridge coming from Bryn Cross, so get that thinking cap on at 14 you should remember that shop across from Halliwells and it's not Jack Wareings and it wasn't a Wallpaper shop in the 40/50s (so what was it)

Also another shop on the same side as Bryn club but across the road on the corner

Hi Bryn156, My fathers parents lived on Wigan Road in the row of houses along from the Star in the early 1940s, and had one of the allotments at the back. The son of the landlord of the Star was in my class at Ashton S/M School in the early 50s, his name was John Causey. They were great times.

Hi Robin G.I think it was your grandad who lived at No 150 or 152 Wigan Rd,he had an allotment and us kids used to call him Old Greenpeas, he pushed my head in a bucket of water once when he caught me calling him. The house at 160 wigan rd used to be Old Mrs Smiths shop

Sorry Dougie, but on certain things my memory just goes blank,but it is nice to know that that you can delve so far back in the past.It was a pity that I left Bryn that many years ago.

bryn156, The one across from Helliwells was a Barbers shop (I forget his name off hand)before it changed in the late 50s to a wallpaper shop then it became a cannabis farm the other shop across from the club was Kaylls just like any corner shop it sold a bit of everything

By the way I lived at 14 edleston Street on Rose Hill in the 60s for a few years when we first got married

Hi Dougie jack wareing shop was where bargain booze is now.but that was early sixties when we used to go.he used to sell jeans for 30 shillings and they were dear in wigan .Ab el ogden moved from ashton in to the shop opposite but he used to cut our hair in the shed at the back.

Des Tarpy was our neighbour,Des got me into Garswood Hall fishing club.

bert, you must have gone to Tommy Gum if you don't remember it, both Ogden and Chapman moved to Bryn in the 60s from Ashton

spud1,I was a member of the fishing club from about 1952-65 so knew Des very well in them days,not seen him about for along time is he still with us or as he moved out of the area

Dougie,Des sadly died a long time ago.

dougie tommy gum was at brcstedge.iknow chapman was at bryn he kicked me and my mate out of his shop because our hair was to long.we also used to go to mr parkinsn.who lived to live next to the village club for a crew cut.as it was called the he used to charge us a tanner.

I know most will have seen most of the youtube videos around Bryn and Ashton but --Click on this one-- it will take you to others you may like to watch,

Go full screen it's much better

I remember being told that the" Star" was shipped to America when it was demolished, and rebuilt there.
Remember Dr. Fulton with his Monacle, don't see many people wearing those these days.

Good one Dougie.brings back sme good memories.

"The Croft boys": Would one of them have been Leslie Croft?

I went to school with Don Croft, He sadly died a year after leaving school aged 16, His brother Derek was June Crofts Dad,

.

Speaking of the terraced houses on Wigan Rd, but does anyone know why those houses (not sure if its all of them) have stars built onto the sides of them?. Was this just an ornamental feature added to the brickwork?.

Wish Wigan Rd was full of the characters like that today. The Bryn side has become a doss house for drunks and bargain booze addicts. Where Bargain Booze is now was once a DIY shop. Very convenient shop it was.

And why do they need that car park at the back of the houses for Arnold Clark with so many cars? do all those cars belong to the people that work there?. Used to spend many hours in those long gone hot summer days playing in the long grass (as we called it) and climbing the "wall" whatever it used to be.

Re dougies video. How sad to see the state of the Congregational church - it must have been a grand site at one time. My great grandmother Jane Hampson, who was the local midwife had a grand funeral there in the 1930's when the whole of Ashton centre came to a standstill, also during the 60's my school would have an occasional service there. I don't recall the church looking that grim. how sad

ashtonman01 I assumed the stars where tie bars.....could be wrong though.

My GGg'father was "Killed by being run over by a passing Omnibus" in Wigan Road Rose Hill on 18 Sept 1886 age 43.

Ashtonman01 most of the cars on the car park are stock for Arnold Clark most staff park on Old RoadIf you look at older maps of Whitledge Green/Wigan Road you can see the shape of the green. Over the years part of this land became allotments and was I think rented from the Lord Gerard's Estate. Then bought and resoldNow a small section is still allotments,The middle section has planning permission for houses and the rest is the car parkWhen I 1st lived on Whitledge Green there was a gennel inbetween the allotments but when the middle section was sold this was blocked offI had used this for many a year on enquiring via the council I was told there was no right of way on this land and no gennel

How on earth can they have planning permission to build houses on that section of the green?, there s not enough room. All we need is more houses in an already overcrowded area, adding more vehicles.

Bryn156. It's nice to look back on those early days and see the changes. The difference now is that ther is money to pay for all the changes.
You say computer literate at your age, whatever your age is.
Where does that leave me at 98?

my grandma & grandad used to live in the house next door to the wallpaper (barbers) shop. I knew the chewy machine on the wall well

John59 was your grandmothers name Ethel .

John59m That's one thing I don't remember about the barbers shop the chewy machine on the wall, remember the one at Bryn cross by the bus stop one in four you got a free packet,

no use asking the Kiwi about it as I don't think he would remember the barbers , O.K. Bri still never meet you but still I,O.Y. £10 I'll not forget, hope your keeping well out there

The only name i remember the barber shop wasJoe barbers. Dont use them these days, nothing to cut Keeping well thanks

Norman Prior,seen your post,yes I am a youngster compared to you, I am 83. good luck.

Am still alive, but hanging on. Just been on google earth looking at Bryn Station. Although looking overgrown with foliage, is the path from Wigan Rd to St Peters Church Old Rd still open or has it been fenced off?

Hi bryn156, Do you mean the rabbit run if so yes it's still open as a path but you can't walk down it's that over grown with weeds ,

nice to see yourself and Norman are still keeping up with the old place