Wigan Album

Was Kays secondhand shop on the left somewhere?

lovely.

Brilliant photo this is what Wigan World is all about

Dave there was an Army and Navy Stores in that area but Kays was in Darlington St

Just after the chip shop on the right where the half brick wall is was that the Salvation Army Church, and could someone remind me what the pub was called next to it

The Ship

THE PUB WAS THE SHIP

DaveT I think it was called The Ship.

The pub was The Ship, Dave.

Dave, the pub was "The Ship Hotel"

Dave the pub was called the ship hotel,the front with the name on is still there.

Dave T... it was The Ship Inn.

ship hotel

What does this look like today ?

I think the photo is earlier than the 60's Gerry,-going to meetings in the Salavtion Army Hall, (just above the Ship,) I think the cobbles had gone by then.
Dot

Good lord, it seems that quite a lot of you remember the yachting club as it was more commonly called.

On the left of the photo there was a ginnel that led to a large yard where there was some workshops, when I worked at the co-op in the sixties we would take furniture up there to Dick Cheetham's French Polishers to be repaired, touched up or re-polished.

There was some right men and women characters who frequented The Ship too, especially when they'd had a few and Lena Martell came on the juke box singing the Old wooden cross and they all started singing along, it's a pity all that banter in there wasn't taped.

What a lovely memory, Cyril.

So was that pub called the Ship then? LoL

The Ship was still there till the Grand Arcade was built though it was a Yate's Wine Lodge for some years.

You can just make out the "SHIP YARD" sign on the wall. This was also an alley way which brought you out at the side of the Casino opposite the Ritz

Dot..cobbles still there in the 60s.

The Photo was taken facing Ashcrofts fishing tackle shop use
to go there as a lad every saturday for my maggots.happy days.

Dot seems to think this was before the 60s? lets try and sort it out.. when were modern international road signs brought in? (no right turn sign in pic)isn't that an Austin 1800 parked up? didnt the come out abut 1968?

Gerry, the car is an Austin 1100 that was in production from 1962-1971....Our family and friends attended the Salvation each sunday in the 60s, the road was cobbled then as far as the Horse Shoe pub.

Behind were the photographer is stood there used to be a brewery on the right hand side,if memory serves me correctly it was called Moorfield Brewery.

Does anybody remember a place called the Green Curtain, I believe it was somewhere near where yhe woman is standing on the right.

The Green Curtain has been mentioned many times on this website. Both in comments on photographs, and topics on the Forums. Any people youger than 55 won't know what it was<g>

That's why minstrals asking the question?

Meant to add this from a comment on another photo of Millgate.
The Green Curtain was a type of 'club' If you can call someones front living room a club. Because that was how big it was. It was frequented regularly by the McFarland Brothers, Billy and Joe. Wigan's own Kray twins. I only went in a few times. It wasn't a young lads scene.<g>

Hi Cyril, I'm intrigued, what is a ginnel? It's a new one for me, is it a Wigan expression? or is it a typo?

I'e just had a look at photos of Millgate in "Street Scenes" on 1st June 2010, and see that Gerry queries an Austin 1800 coming up the street, making the date of the photo 1968/69, - but there are no cobbles!!
I'm no expert on cars, or cobbles!, what do you think Gerry?
Dot.

A 'ginnel'is a lancashire name for and 'alley way' or an entry which leads to the backs of terrace houses.

The car is an austin or a morris 1100 its certainly not an 1800 the 1800 was much bigger. I had an 1100 and it is certainly one of those

Dot. Colin Harlow is spot on with the car and the dates.

The car in street scenes Millgate 1st June 2010, is a Triumph 1300, that vehicle was in production from 1965-1970.
I hope this helps.

Memories... Yes the cars an Austin or Morris 1100. I was an apprentice mechanic in 1966 and hated fitting new distributor points on that model. Had to be treble jointed to get at the distributor! Either that or take the grill off which was a job in itself.
I remember going to Tom Whalley's pet shop a few times at the back of the chippy (or therabouts) Tom used to buy puppies off us that our Lassie turned out like they were going out of fashion!

Dot as you can see from my two comments I am infatuated with Austin 1800s ;-) and I got it wrong on both occasions but this photo must be after 1964 because that is when they brought out the international road signs. maybe the car experts on here can tell us when the Austin 1100 went into production

Thank you Gerry and everyone who commented about the cars, - it could be that the photo is either early 60's or late 50's??
Dot.

Looking at the clothes of the people, I would say early 60s. I remember the shop called The Shoe Bar from when I was around 10 years old, (although I know the memory plays tricks with the passing years), and I turned 10 in October 1962. This is just a feeling from my memories of Millgate as a child and I am happy to stand corrected.

Thanks Ron, for clearing up what the word ginnel means, it isn't in the dictionary so I guess it falls into the same category as "slutch", perhaps not uniquely a Lancashire word but something that needs to be "kept alive".

Ron
I am old enough to remember the Green Curtain although I never went in there.
Am I right in thinking that there was a place called Munros
at the end of Millgate or is my memory playing tricks with me.
I remember my dad taking me for a pint before I went for my army medical to Manchester in 1956.

The name "Munros" rings a bell, I think they were wine and beer merchants.

If you look on Album. Street Scenes. Market Place. the Maxines shop was Munros, I think?? There was also a Wines and Spirits merchant on the corner of Standishgate and Crompton street next to what was Pendleburys

The wine shop on the corner of Standishgate and Crompton Street was Maltby's.

in 1960one remeber the millgate cafe which was just a bit futher up the hill.i was always in there when i was15in 1960.

John, Kay's secondhand shop was in Darlington Street on the right after you come off King Street, who remembers getting a sixpenny gas mask from Kay's?

What a dump Wigan was in the 1960s!

im over 55 ron i dont remember green curtain when did it close down,picture looks bout late 60s poss,still a good un though,

Shame on you Brenda. Wigan was magical then.

My mum used to say every time we went past "the ship" ,"don't look in there,dirty women frequent it"!!!! Thought she meant they hadn't had a wash!!!!!

I now understand why my dad went mad when I said I'd been in the Ship as he called it in the 1980's. It was Raffles Wine Bar then, he thought it was still frequented by 'dirty women' ha ha