Wigan Album

No traffic lights, got to be early 1980s.

The bridgeworks you can see are not the railway bridge, but the bridge over the line of the canal branch which ran from the Leeds and Liverpool opposite St Pat's rugby pitch, under Ince Green Lane, and then under the railway, past the Viaducts cottages, and then turned east to run back under the railway, and up towards Manchester Road. Not much sign of it now - but you can see where the tow ropes scored marks into the stones of the bridge arch below.

My grandmother lived in Raven Street, at that time situated at the other side of where you can see those new houses on the right. She lived there from 1900, until she died, at the age of eighty seven, in 1950. See St William's in the distance.

I love this photo. That view has hardly changed today. It was my childhood.

Irene is "The Bird Ith Hand" still there?. My grandmother would get a jug of ale from there, bring it back home to Raven Street, put the poker in the fire, until it showed red hot, then plunge into the jug of ale. You couldn't see her for steam. She must have drunk gallons of hot ale.

Hello Albert. The building that was the Bird I'th Hand is still there but is has been a shop now for many years. What lovely memories of your Grandma! I knew Raven Street well as my friend from Ince Central, Christine Shirley, lived at No.6. Christine and I must have walked between her house and ours, which was next to St. William's Presbytery, a dozen times a day! I love the view on this photo because you can imagine Raven Street and Farmer Street are still there, and the rest of the lane up to St. Williams has hardly changed, so I can still see myself as a little girl walking up there. Happy Days!

hi irene i remember the shirlely family well the lived nr the gaslampat the bottom of raven st where we played rounders in the nice weather plus that is where i tried to fly iwas convinced i could i couldnt ended up in wigan hospital eight stiches still got the scar