Wigan Album

The Cross keys has shrunk!

Wow! Henry what an awesome picture. Ive never seen any like that of Castle Hill. oh how i wish i could go back just for a day to see how Hindley looked then :) Thanks for posting it..

Needs adding to the Old gallert/Hindley.

Fantastic photo.

you would probably ned a time machine babsie
great picture Henry

Iv seen something like this before, but never of this quality,,wow. you can just feel the atmosphere on that sunny morning long long ago. i remember the houses and the tunnel entry on the left, Op the Keys' used to be a fortune teller lived up the steps in the tunnel. but the the old x keys was gone by 1950 my 1st memory recall

That's an absolutely brilliant peep into history.

quality ,just brilliant

I'm confused! Are we looking down Bridge St? Great pic.

Wanner, it is confusing me as well... you cannot see St John's Methodist Church in the photograph and that was built in 1868! Okay, it is possible the steeple was added at a later date? But if it was part of the original building you should see it in the photograph.... unless of course the photograph pre-dates the church! In which case this really IS a gem of a photograph.

The above photograph is in a book of old photographs of Hindley & Hindley Green by Mr J. Lowe. The accompanying text says that "Richard Pennington junior was seldom outshone in civic generosity and when he lit the lamp at the top of Market Street he promised to donate a similar one at the junction of Bridge St.,Castle Hill and Chapel Green. The picture shows Bridge Street about the year 1900" Hope that clarifies the date and place. Mr Lowe also shows a picture of the lamp in Market Street and it is on page 15 of his book. Mr Lowe wa my headmaster at Argyle St. later Hindley County Sec.Mod. and a noted local historian. A lovely, lovely man and very far sighted.

Dennis I had a look to-day and from the spot where the photo was taken you cannot see St Johns Church spire. That's presuming I was in the right spot of course.

I have fond memories of Jack Lowe as well, he was my headmaster at Mornington Rd 1973-78

Wanner Jack Lowe was the head teacher when i was at Mornington Road.. Was trying to remember who the deputy head was, i think it was Mr Harrison..

My grandparents and family lived at 50 Bridge Street, which was roughly opposite the Cross Keys I think.
Can anyone tell me where the tunnel was in relation to 50 Bridge Street?
Dot

Dot

My husband was born in Bridge Street.

Babsie. When I left Mornington Rd there were two deputy heads, Miss Whittaker (Nellie) and Mr Hariss (Chopper).

Wanner yeah youre right, lol it made me laugh when i read that, i had forgot that was their nick names lol. She was strict if i can remember right..

I worked with a girl in the 1980's who married Mr Lowes son, I believe they lived in the Bolton area.

Jack Lowe was a teacher at H.A.G.S when I left
in 1952

I would say its definitely a view down Bridge street, with Chapel Green road to the immediate left with Lancaster road behind the photographer. Odviously Castle Hill road to the right.

Kathwal. I presume You mean Jack Lowes son lived in the Bolton area because Jack Lowe himself lived on Atherton Rd in Hindley directly opposite Kenilworth Rd.

Jack Lowe's son is a solicitor called Roger Lowe, who taught me at Salford Tech in the late eighties.

Jack Lowe's wife was a lovely person, she taught cookery for a while at Argyle Street.

When was that Henry, i cant remember her teaching there..

She taught for a short while around 1956/57. It was inbetween the old cookery teacher leaving, and the new teacher Miss Harrison starting.

i was born earky 60s and i remember the bigshop at the bottom of danes ave,the one in the pic with a canopy.think it was co-op.there wss a presbyterian church behind the buildings on the right which i remember and i think its the roof of that which can be seen.there are graves there now which were found 10 or so years ago

brilliant picture my grandma would have been living round about the area at that time

Lovely clear photo. I worked behind the Cross Keys from 1962 until 1990. Never saw the sun in winter, in the shadow of the Horseshoe tavern. The shop Julie mentions was Tomlinsons when I moved to Hindley and the buildings between the bridge and the new Cross Keys and everything behind them had just been demolished except the chapel and two cottages by the brook.

Lancaster road didnt exist at the times of the photograph .
An accurate location should read junction of Ellesmere Street, Bridge street and Castlehill Road ,

chopper harris
jimmy jesus RE teacher

both crazy lol