Wigan Road Bryn 1940s
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...
Started: 9th Jan 2017 at 08:23


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.
Replied: 9th Jan 2017 at 16:46


Were you born in the pub, G.B.?
Replied: 9th Jan 2017 at 17:58


bryn 156 I was born on rosehill 70 years ago and enjoyed reading about your memories
Replied: 9th Jan 2017 at 19:53

I was born and bred in Bryn road bryn 156 but all this was before my time
Replied: 9th Jan 2017 at 21:39

I lived in Bryn from 1960 to 1966,I remember Halliwells shop,Wally Bishops pub,and Hacketts coal.
Replied: 10th Jan 2017 at 13:01

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.
Replied: 10th Jan 2017 at 15:38


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 .
Replied: 10th Jan 2017 at 18:25
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.
Replied: 11th Jan 2017 at 08:59


OK bryn156, what shop was across from Halliwells in the 40s
Replied: 11th Jan 2017 at 18:04
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.
Replied: 12th Jan 2017 at 07:53
Last edited by bryn156: 12th Jan 2017 at 08:07:07

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.
Replied: 12th Jan 2017 at 09:38
Jack Wareing.had the shop opposite Haliwells .when i was a kid because he had a daughter Katie.who was around about my age.
Replied: 12th Jan 2017 at 11:00


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
Replied: 12th Jan 2017 at 11:48
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.
Replied: 12th Jan 2017 at 21:36
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
Replied: 13th Jan 2017 at 00:40
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.
Replied: 13th Jan 2017 at 00:44


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
Replied: 13th Jan 2017 at 10:39
Last edited by dougie: 13th Jan 2017 at 10:42:17
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.
Replied: 13th Jan 2017 at 10:59
Last edited by bert : 13th Jan 2017 at 12:51:29

Des Tarpy was our neighbour,Des got me into Garswood Hall fishing club.
Replied: 13th Jan 2017 at 12:05


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
Replied: 13th Jan 2017 at 18:28
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.
Replied: 13th Jan 2017 at 20:05


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
Replied: 15th Jan 2017 at 15:59

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.
Replied: 15th Jan 2017 at 23:41
Good one Dougie.brings back sme good memories.
Replied: 16th Jan 2017 at 09:53
"The Croft boys": Would one of them have been Leslie Croft?
Replied: 6th Apr 2017 at 15:25

I went to school with Don Croft, He sadly died a year after leaving school aged 16, His brother Derek was June Crofts Dad,
Replied: 9th Apr 2017 at 16:45


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Replied: 11th Apr 2017 at 00:58
Last edited by GOLDEN BEAR: 11th Sep 2017 at 02:24:50
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.
Replied: 16th Apr 2017 at 11:36
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
Replied: 16th Apr 2017 at 20:42

ashtonman01 I assumed the stars where tie bars.....could be wrong though.
Replied: 17th Apr 2017 at 21:37
My GGg'father was "Killed by being run over by a passing Omnibus" in Wigan Road Rose Hill on 18 Sept 1886 age 43.
Replied: 3rd Jun 2017 at 08:37
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 resold
Now a small section is still allotments,The middle section has planning permission for houses and the rest is the car park
When I 1st lived on Whitledge Green there was a gennel inbetween the allotments but when the middle section was sold this was blocked off
I 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
Replied: 3rd Jun 2017 at 11:43
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.
Replied: 3rd Jul 2017 at 21:12

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?
Replied: 4th Jul 2017 at 13:53


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
Replied: 10th Jul 2017 at 17:39

John59 was your grandmothers name Ethel .
Replied: 11th Jul 2017 at 08:06


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
Replied: 11th Jul 2017 at 08:43

The only name i remember the barber shop wasJoe barbers. Dont use them these days, nothing to cut Keeping well thanks
Replied: 11th Jul 2017 at 10:32
Norman Prior,seen your post,yes I am a youngster compared to you, I am 83. good luck.
Replied: 4th Sep 2017 at 16:05
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?
Replied: 30th Jun 2018 at 17:46


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
Replied: 1st Jul 2018 at 23:26
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