Wigan Album

Probably called Ince Bar because at one time there was a TOLL BAR there.

Presumably taken from the Squirrel pub and (sadly) the property of Smithy Green just been demolished, in my opinion, it was a much better and cleaner Ince Bar than today.
Cheers Frank.

Where that tree in the centre circle is, Ince council use to put a christmas tree there at this time of year. Looked really nice.

In 1980 or 81, I was driving a low loader for Trevor Sutcliffe. His premises were in Stopford St., but the business had outgrown the site and with a DAF 2800 coupled to a step frame low loader trailer, I spent the first couple of weeks of my time there emptying the place. All the engine renovating equipment went to Douglas Garage near The Saddle junction, whilst all the fork lifts, presses and other associated gear went up to a newly built unit on the Wheatlea industrial estate at Goose Green. The old site in Stopford St. was pretty much where the ground appears to have been recently cleared. I don't think the residents in Stopford St. were sorry to see the back of us to be honest.

Hi Eddie, I'm I right saying Sutcliffe were the engine people aswell ie, engine rebores crankshaft griding and cylinder head resurfacing etc etc.

Whenever I see a picture like this and the recent ones of Higher Ince / Manchester Road and Scholes showing the impact of clearance and rebuilding I am always reminded of the mistake I think Wigan and adjoining authorities made during those times. I grew up living off Darlington Street East in the 1950s and 60s. Went to St Catherines School and Church, and my Grandmother lived in Albert Street Ince so I know the area well.
I'm sure some houses could have been spared but many (eg my Gramnmothers)were in terrible condition and needed to be cleared. Also people forget that many local residents - including some of my relatives were desperate to buy a house with garden on one of the many new estates springing up around Wigan in places like Aspull.

However I think the big mistake they made when rebuilding along Manchester Road and Scholes was to build at much lower densities (apart from the odd tower block) with huge strips of grass open land set back from the road compared with the old street pattern of houses shops. pubs etc right along the road side. The new layouts meant a lot of the urban character and sense of community disappeared from Wigan. I left the town in 1970 nand am now retired but spent most of my working like in manty parts of the UK involved in redevelopment and have always supported rebuilding in existing areas and trying the match the old patterns of development which Iam sure work much better.

Does anyone know what that beautiful building is at the top centre.

Carolean - have you seen the terrace they're just completing on the site of Coles' used cars on Whelley? I'm amazed that such houses can be built these days - their front doors open straight onto the pavement.

Correct Colin. I personally know very little about engines unlike your good self so I had very little idea what function the machinery that I was moving actually performed. All I know is that it was very heavy, there was a lot of it and it was allegedly very expensive. One machine was used for skimming the tops of cylinder blocks and cylinder heads and I was given to believe that this one machine alone was worth several thousands of pounds. This back in 1980. As I stated previously, I relocated all this stuff to Douglas garage, right next to the railway bridge at the bottom of Pottery rd. You may remember them being there. The whole shooting match hit the buffers sometime in the mid 80's I believe, but I'd moved on by that time. Regards. Eddie.

Apologies for spelling Grinding wrong Eddie. Yes I seem to remember them moving to Lower Wallgate, around Douglas St/Frith St area. Douglas St sounds more appropriate.

Anne21 it's a Bank.

There used to be a temperance bar in Ince run by my grandparents, the bank used to be William Deacons. My great uncle Jim Murray owned the printers in Humphrey St and My late uncle's father owned the cinema next door to it.