Wigan Album

That's a spectacular view of the Church Rev David. Look how the gardens are well kept. Once again superb picture quality.
Thank you.

A great angle of the Church, it captured everything, the beautiful Church, people and lovely gardens. The Observer's photographers must have been really delighted seeing their pictures in the paper with outstanding quality.

Beautiful, peaceful and clean.
What more can one say.
We should really appreciate our history.

No litter, no graffiti, just perfect.

"A western aspect of the ancient Wigan Parish Church"

I'd call it a 'southern' aspect.

"The Celtic cross headstone in the centre, also visible in older images, was removed during later reorganisation of the gardens."

It's still there.

"tower 700 years old"

Built in 1861?

A beautiful building and one of the few Jewels left in the Crown of the town centre. Just a pity the Parish Church Gardens are now a haven for the local undesirables and their activities.

CJ

Almighty Bruce - the plain Celtic cross marking the Thicknesse family grave is still there - but it isn't this one - it's just about opposite the door of the church, behind railings. I checked on Sunday. I'm there again tomorrow and will post a pic to P-a-D.
The angle, if we're being pedantic (and I think we are) is South-westerly - but the aspect is still of the West end of the church.
Paley added the upper section of the tower in the 19th century - the rest is earlier, and not from the 19th C. The caption is accurate, even if it doesn't tell the full story.

Lovely photo of a great church and very well mentained, immaculate.

Sue the photographers were very pleased with the reproductions of their pictures in the paper and everyone in the camera room. It was a team effort and excitement
in all departments at the Observer, the awards the paper won will testify that.

Thank you Colin.
Marvellous.

Nice peaceful area to sit in the warm sun and pass the time of day with friends, and a far better place than standing on Woolies corner.

You tell him Doc, on yer bike Brucie.

Colin, I was very glad when the Observer got its new Printing Press, the old, table cloth sized editions were a nightmare to deliver for a little lad like me!

Yes they were quite a weight the old Observers DTease. Only 16 pages maximum, but very wide. It was a carpet reading paper a real arm stretch.
The last old Observer printed was the 21 January 1966.

I can remember the first coloured photos in the Observer as there was photos of a beauty competition and the girl who won it lived in Anderton St Scholes. She lived around the corner from Belvoir St,
( still there-her name was Sandra Goulding) . She worked at Heinz and had attended St Patrick’s school. They were really lovely photographs. It may have been around 1968, but not too sure about the year.

Just remembered Sandra was Queen of Industry ..

Yes it is a lovely picture, I think the stonework is much cleaner now.
I was intrigued by the caption on the picture which stating that part of an alter 2000 years old was built into the tower. In my my minds eye I can recall seeing this in the 1950's someone had told me that it was a Roman Alter. I have taken a look since but cannot locate it, if anyone has any record of this I would love to see it again as it is a credible part of Wigans Roman past.