Wigan Album

How fascinating! Is this near to where Starr's Stationers used to be? I had....and still have....a fascination for stationery, and I spent hours as a child browsing around Starr's , as well as Wilding's across the road. I used to buy packs of gummed paper stars, like the teachers stuck into our books for good work, and daft things like Telephone Memo Pads, when nobody I knew posessed a telephone! But oh! the joy of those shops!

This office was located opposite Wigan GPO and Rowbottom Square on Wallgate. I have trawled through some of my printing files and have found Starrs printers and bookbinders in Dorning Street and also in Wallgate.

This photo looks a lot older than 1950's.

I lived at the Minorca from 1957 until 1961. The stationers had by then become the Minorca Grill later to become the Lathom Lounge. I would be interested to know when the photo dates from.

I completely agree it's a fascinating photo and what would intrigue me more is the date it was taken. Just look at the ornateness of the shop front with its gas?/ paraffin? lamps. Photography was only just getting a foothold in towns by the 1850's although it had been "invented" in the 1830's. It's a pity we can't read the posters a little more clearly to see who might be trying to be elected.

I think I can see an advert for "Tit-Bits" and this will mean the photo was taken after 1881, since I've just read "1881 - Oct 22 : Tit-Bits launched by George Newnes"

The long newsboard between the entrance to The Minorca and Wall's premises has an advertisement for 'Sala's Journal' in the bottom left hand corner.
This was a short lived publication, edited by journalist George Augustus Henry Sala, and only appeared between 1892 and 1895.
This should assist in dating the photo.

Well spotted Mick, i saw that myself, but didn't know when the paper was going. The photo can't be before 1892 then and most likely not much after 1895.

Thanks for all that information Colin.
By the way I lived at Holland Moor till 1953 & the street lights were all gas lamps. The Lighter came round every evening & morning on his pushbike with his long pole to switch them on & off....& I'm not that old !

The date of the photo is unknown, and clearly it's not 1950's as it states on the caption. On the back of the photo, written by pen is (1951) and some ref numbers. I inherited very many photos and files of the Thomas Wall company that was formed in 1853 and of my late familys working life for almost 100 years at the printing works. At a guess, and looking through some other photos with this one, I would think around the early 1900s.

you can just make out a bricked up window next to the bay window

From this very site:
1908 April 7. Death of Mr. T. B. Rowe, Solicitor, aged 50 years.
Starr-Bowkett Building Societies were banned in this country in 1910. They were a sort of subscription affair worked on a pyramid system where as usual the people at the bottom didn't make much money. They did well in Australia

Irene, Wildings was higher up Wallgate on the same side as the Minorca, Starrs was on the other side between Ashtons tobacconists and where the policeman stood on traffic control at the junction of Wallgate and Library street

Thankyou Colin, great history and I would agree 1900s.
Helen, the Council worker use to go round on his bike and and switch on the gas street lights in Ince where I grow up, great memories.

Not sure if my comment made the pic, so here it is again: Alan H, I beg to differ, but Starr's Stationers was on the Minorca side of Wallgate, and Wilding's Stationers was on the Joan Barrie's/ Ashton's Tobacconists side.

You are right, Irene, Starr's Stationers was on the same side as the Minorca because I knew two of the girls who worked there. One of them was a neighbour, Susan Fairhurst (now Susan Lewis.)

Thanks Elizabeth, and Sue, I too remember the lamplighter in Ince, cycling up Ince Green Lane carrying a long pole with which to light the lamps. I was still only very young when they changed to the much taller lamps which came on automatically, but I loved the soft illumination from those old green lamp-posts, and I feel privileged to have seen the lamplighter.

Johnson the cleaners shop stood were the stationers used to be
I found some bottles of ink and a few shaeffer fountain pens in an old box in the cellar I still have the pens

yes , Irene is right. I, too, haunted these shops and Neubbles (spelling???) in Pemberton, for the very same reason. Still, today, I have not lost my fascination with these bits and pieces. I now get them from our equivalent of the Pound shops but used to like Stationery Box and Staples!
Lidl is also a good source lol
Susan (Dobson) will remember going to either of these shops to buy our Osmiroid Italic pens for school. Its a long time, Susan , since we sat on the flight of stone steps at break time, eating crisps and Kit Kats and talking about horses with Gillian.Hope all is well with you. I envied you your bedroom with the view of the Parish Church clock in those days!
x

Thankyou tricia; I used to haunt Woolworth's stationery counter as well. I loved the hard-backed writing-books with the swirly rainbow-coloured edges to the pages when the book was closed, add all the little compartments on the counter holding pencils, sharpeners, rubbers, rulers, paperclips etc. It's nice to know other people shared, (and still share), my love of stationery.

Irene,
Sometimes , when I read what you have written, I think we must have been seperated at birth!!!!! You sound so much like me sometimes!

Hi Tricia. All well here but oh how the Berkely has changed from the Minorca I knew. Happy days (mostly) at the High School. Lived in Hertfordshire for nearly 20 years but are now back in the North West and living in Halsall. Is there any way I can contact you so that we can have a catch-up?.
Re the photo of the Minorca and stationers shop. The Minorca had a flat on the top floor of the stationers side that was supposed to be haunted (never did see the ghost)! Has anyone noticed the ghostly outline of a person directly in front of the door and just behind the man who is walking past the sign boards outside the shop?

Hi Susan
Would love to hear from you.
T x

Susan - the ghostly figure you can see is a result of the long exposure time taken for the photograph.
People passing whilst the shot was being taken would be captured as a blur, or as a semi transparent figure, whilst those who remained stationary would be captured in more substantial form. A regular occurrence in photos of this period.

Thanks for that Mick but you must admit that the ghost idea is much nicer!

Irene Roberts and friends,If you look at the Adverts for 1933 you willsee that Starrs was at 14 Wallgate, if you then look at the Adverts for 1914, you will see that Jackson and Smith are at 42 and 44 Wallgate thus I am correct in saying that Starrs was on the same side as the post office. You girls can't get it right all the tme. Cheers

Without looking things like this up, we can only state what we actually remember from our own lifetime, Alan, not before it, and we all correctly remember Starr's being on the Minorca side of Wallgate, so we were ALL right, us AND you. Many thanks.

Alan 14 Wallgate were the address of Johnsons cleaners in 1968 when I worked there, It used to be Starrs,, when they vacated they left loads of stock behind I still have some of it

Hello Gerry! I'm not sure what number it was, but in the early 1960s, the stationers on your side of Wallgate, where Johnson's was, was called Wilding's, and Starr's was across the road. I went in both regularly. Wilding's may have housed Starr's at one time, but when I was a girl it was Wilding's on the Ashton Tobacconist side of Wallgate, and Starr's on the Minorca side.

PS....I envy you finding the leftover stationery....that would have been a dream -come - true to me, Gerry!

I spent many hours on point duty in Wallgate, at it's juction with King Street, and more, or less opposite the Minorca Hotel. Big Bill was a familiar character here, as cheerful as the day is long, selling his newspapers. The Clarence Hotel was on the opposide side to King Street, and then down an adjacent entry, to the Princess Cinema. One of several Wigan cinemas.

Irene...I thought there was only me that loved stationery..I really did..I wonder if there is a name for it...if not we'll have to invent one.

Maureen, my grand-daughter Edie, who will be five in April, got a "pretend" chinese bank-note off her teacher the other day for Chinese New Year. It was in a pretty envelope, and when I admired it she said, "I LOVE envelopes, Grandma", and I thought "Here we go again.....the next generation of stationery-lovers"! I loved it at that young age too, and my favourite present every Christmas was a Post-Office set, with pretend postal-orders and stamps.

Aw Irene..seems you have passed it down to the generation of course,years ago my Mam bought me a lovely old-fashioned bureau..I was made up,I could see my writing pads..envelopes.. pens..stapler etc all together in the one place..it had to go when we moved to a smaller house,but if ever we win the lottery,and move..guess what will be first on my list.

I don't remember a Starr's printers in Dorning Street Colin. I used to work at Platt's printers and bookbinders in Dorning Street, inbetween Coops and Santus toffee.

Does anyone recall pocket diaries by Letts, Wlaker or TJ & J Smith that had a little pencil in the spine (loop back pencil), sold in the late fifites and sixties at Wildings and Starrs? My dad used to buy them and I have 10 of the pencils. I am doing a bit of family history so would be glad of any help with the diaries.

To add to the controversy, I'm sure Wildings stationers was on the left hand side as one travelled down Wallgate from the policeman to the railway stations. Ashton's tabaccanists was across the road. There was a Lewis's milk bar on the same side as Wildings and a Fifty Shliing tailors lower down

I worked at Wildings in 1958. It was definitely on the left side going down from policeman. Lewis milk bar a little lower down as David Woods states.

Wildings was on the left at the corner of Bretherton's Row, I recall a side entrance at the back of the shop leading out onto Bretherton's row .
I used to love going in there in the 1960's to buy stamps from around the world and artist materials such as oil and acrylic paints and canvas, always good for a good interesting mooch. They were always friendly and helpful.