Wigan Album

Last building on right hand side Florence House, my dentist.

My husband used to work in a motor-factors up the entry near where the person is passing, just before the building with the steps leading up to the door. This was in the 1970s. The shops on the other side of the entry were antique shops, and we bought an old dresser and aspidistra-pot from there....we have always liked old things. We now attend 1940s events in clothing of the forties, and how I would love to walk down the 1940s Wigan Lane!

Was the motor place owned by somebody called Grimes? I recall a car sales place somwhere round here till the 80s.

The Garage was indeed Fred Grimes, used car sales. He had a better sales patter than anyone I've ever come across, complete with Sheepskin coat.It was a good job I took my Uncle with me to look at a car he was selling back in the early seventies. I'd have bought it otherwise, and apart from it being able to free wheel it down to the bottom of Standishgate, the only other place it would have got to, would have been the old scrapyard round the corner, off Greenhough Street,(only if we'd pushed it though!!!!)

It was Fred Grimes, second hand car dealers.

This photo could be older than the forties, I seem to remember the sign over the entry as SHEARGOLDS. Fred Grimes had a car sales there much later. in fact in the early fifties he operated out of the pub yard across the road by the side of the entry going down to the rugby ground.

No, the Motor Factors that Peter worked for was called John Barnes and Co Ltd. It was a warehouse up the entry in between the antique shop and the lagre building with the steps shown.They sold car-paint, thinners, all that kind of stuff.

I remember Sheargolds, other Antique dealers up there were Rothwell's and Hargraves. A lot of them closed in the mid 80s, there was also Collins at Mabs Cross and Roby up one of the side streets.

CORRECTION. This NOT Wigan Lane. It's STANDISHGATE! Wigan lane begins at the top of the hill just past the old Girls High School, approx 200yds behind the spot where this photo was taken from. In 1949,The 1st on the right,closest to the camera,was Westheads general store,next, the big house with steps, was Sharrocks', who also owned the entry and the garage to the rear, which was Mr Sharrock's business, and he was an electrical engineer. Fred Grimes NEVER had a business or sold cars from here. He was originally behind the Royal Oak, and much later moved to a site To the right and out of view of the camera, which had been Bert Tinsley's removals when I 1st lived in Standishgate, behind the 1st shop on the right, adjoining the entry. I lived there until 1970, and my mum still lived there, until her death in 1991