Wigan Album

Forgot to add, Westminster St. was where George Formby was born.

Great pic' Ron. Just looked on my trusty 1907 map and This street is not named! There was a water mill at the end of it named Water Heyes Mill.

Cracking picture Ron, thanks for posting it.

Was Number 13 called Orchard Street?

Ron the one you marked as Westminster St. was Portland St.. Westminster St ran parallel to the river douglas

Was it called Hornby st it seems to be ringing a bell,where you have Westminster st, was Portland st.Westminter st was across the bottom of Portland st.

Kathb....Hornby St ran parallel to Swinley Road..

My cousin, Tony Bennett who lived at Number 2, gave me the photograph to put on the site. It was him who told me the names of the shops and streets. I'll tell him he got Westminster street wrong <g>

No 9 was called Rawlins sweet shop and number 10 was Birchalls chippy.Leave yer plates behid the counter so that they wouldbe warm when it was your turn to be served, did a roaring trade every friday tea.
Thanks very much for posting this

Forgot to add, the street that ran parallel to Portland street was called Burlington Street.

Great picture! What memories!!! Carl will remember; what you have named has Westminster, is Portland Street. Westminster Street ran between Portland and Burlington Street. I feel this may before 1972. The houses on Greenough Street, plus the post office looked well lived in, on this picture. I left Greenough St in 1971, it was soon boarded up. Though remained until 1973. Carl may throw more ideas on this,

I seem to recall that Calderbanks address was Orchard Street. This short street is not named on the 1880 or the 1928 maps. Orchard Street is also on the other side of Greenough Street.

Sorry another mistake. My cousin lived at No.3 between the doctors and the Regent pub. I can remember my grandma putting out chairs all along that stretch of pavement the night before Walking day. Wouldn't be many left today.

Hello, Was your grandmas name Joan Bennett?

No 13 was an extention of Orchard St, The corner shop was 'Wally Mills' bookies. The street led to Calderbanks scrap yard. Remember it it well, I lived two doors up at 77 Greenough St!!!!!

After all these comments; I think this picture was taken from my Auntie Joans!!!!

and the error you have all missed?
The photo was taken from Boyswell House NOT Crompton House!
I remember the flats in the foreground being built and demolished. Lewsis cafe!!! - ice cream in a tub in the back room with Vimto smeared over it - Hilda and Phyliss

Remember pot pig in't window of butchers is that were the sayin could eayt a pot pig comes from

Jemmy - i remember when you looked in that butchers window once and went inside and asked 'is that a pigs head in the windwow'
Butcher said 'No young Jemmy,... thats a mirror!'

Hi Tony, No Joan Bennett was my aunty. Her son Tony is my cousin.They lived with my grandma in Greenough Street.
Are you related?????

Hello Ron
Joan Bennett was my mother's best friend. I knew her as Auntie Joan. Mum and joan spent may hours in Lewis's snack bar 'suping' tea!!!!!!

There is a Every st,off Greenough st

I remember Lewis's very well. When I went to my grandmas I would sometimes go with my cousin Tony to Lewis's. Sitting in the back room, My favourite was a couple of scoops of ice cream ( For anyone who has never tasted Lewis's ice cream it was delicious<g>) In a glass of ice cream soda....
Why has it never tasted the same since?????????

The house next door to Joe Molloys butchers was Louise Hienz she was a hairdresser.

Was Margaret Razak's formerly Lenegans bike and electric shop?

Lennegans, off the photo. The shop was on the corner of Mount street, and Greenough Street, was a little to the right.

Another comment LOL! The 'pot pig' was Joe Malloy's butchers. I had a photo of Carl Culshaw, and myself outside the shop. We were alter boys for St Georges!

Nice one!

Okay... you may have made a few errors, but it is a damned good idea to label the photographs, kudos for the attempt!

Just try harder in future. ;-)

I remember Lenegans electrical shop they would, for a small charge re-tune your transistor radio to pick up Radio Caroline. They also had a revolving turntable in the window full of items for sale. The best part of this, was a blue disc stuck on the window enabling customers to stop the turntable by placing their hand on the disc. To us in the 60s this was really High Tech.

I think this photo is earlier than 1972. The reason being is that the new Douglas stand at Central Park was constructed in 1972. It looks like the old Douglas stand in the photo, as the new one was a lot taller.

My aunt and uncle lived in Greenough st,for years Annie and Billy McDonald a lovely petite lady they lived at the top on the left hand side before they demolished them,they had a son Cliff does any older greenough st.resident remember them.

The picture was taken in 1972 by Harold Farrimond of the Lancashire Evening Post for a supplement for the LEP about modern Wigan. I have a copy of this supplement also, in its full Lancashire Evening Post newspaper size.
Memories play tricks with us all but right or wrong they give old folk like us plenty of warmth. Together we in the end get it right.
I have read the contributors to this picture as well as the Greenough Street site and I remember lots of you and the names you have recalled. Thanks for bring a bit of the past to the front of my mind.

I also forgot to add that the picture was taken from my .
mothers lounge window on the twelth floor of Boyswell House
As the view was east towards Parbold and Southport I have obseved some marvelous sunsets through the same window.

I wrote age plays tricks with the memory. The sun sets in the west,not east,so the view is towards the northwest. Maybe I was trying to turn the clock back by winding the sun's path around the earth backwards

Come to think of it I can't see any evidence of the Douglas stand. Maybe this photo was taken when the old stand was demolished. I do know that by September 1972 the old Douglas stand was reduced to hardcore as I attended a Friday night match against Featherstone. The following day I went to Hinning House for a week with the school, thats how I remember.

I lived in 9 Oxford St from 1955/1967. Does anyone remember the Mask (Cinema/Club) in Scholes? I have a memory of a very dark club like place that played music.

What a great photo, we were living at 55 Windmill Close at the time that photo was taken and can clearly see our house, I,m now living in Australia and now feeling a little home sick.

I would actually say this was taken from Boyswell House flats. Crompton house was further down the scholes hill.

M. Razak's used to be Lea's Grocery shop and they lived next door. i used to walk to school with Joan their daughter.

Joe "Molloy" the butchers on the corner of Vaughan St. - his name was actually McCleod but everyone said Molloy - nice man - mum and grandma got their meat there. There was also another butcher's on the other side - his name was Stan - he was a very loud man - he shouted at people at lot.

My Grandma (Ann Birchall known as Mr's B) owned the Chippy at Number 10 by Turner Street.

This is a fantastic photo Ron, thank you so much for sharing!
I've been researching my family history and my grandfather, Horace Jones was born at 10 Portland St then the family moved to 73 Greenough St. I found some information on a street map from 1942 https://1drv.ms/u/s!AkrsGhRoaspdgqlZQkxMEznWimQt3A?e=JBYFTT but this is the first time I can see the house!
My Dad who's 83 now, remembers Greenough St like this but during my 50 years, I don't remember any terraced houses here.

Dr Johnson’s Surgery was further back out of the photo if I remember.
I remember Lennegan’s electrical shop so well. The bespectacled lady used to have a habit of whistling all the time she was serving or repairing something or another. :>) .