Wigan Album

scowcroft st is now maple ave my sister bought a bungalow new in scowcroft st they later changed it to maple ave

When I was a lad of 11 - 15 years old I worked riding the order bike for a local grocer in Aspull, four evenings a week also Saturday morning about 11 hrs per week in total, delivering grocery orders all around the village -- what ever the weather. Saturday lunchtime I received my wage 14/6d (73p) and does this picture remind me of those days, lots of little grocery shops everywhere. (no supermarkets back then) Great photo just love it !

I love this picture, It reminds me of the shops still thriving in the 50' and 60's. I imagine they stayed open well after time! There is no sign above the shop but a cake stand is visible in the window and what looks to me like jam jars, it could be they made food stuff to sell as well as an assortment of goods. The aprons they are wearing are positively 'snow white'.

this is the sort of shop we all miss now, took them for granted when there was plenty of them.

Roy. Which grocers in Aspull? Was it "Joes" of Bolton Road. My Grandmother used to go in there regularly sit in the chair by the counter while he took her order and then it was delivered later by a boy on a bike. Was it you?

Yes, a photo taking ME back in time as well, to the 40s, horse and cart deliveries of groceries etc to some of the local shops plus milk by the same mode of transport, door to door deliveries, i have served milk as a lad out of milk churns from a horse drawn cart, pint and quart ladles etc. The ladies in the pic seem to be wearing clogs, most probable in those days

William Lane was the owner of the shop, he died in 1896, the photo shows his wife Anne and their daughter Bertha, this was before the shop became a post office.

Carolaen, no it wasn't Joe Parkers shop but Billy's on Scot Lane. What you say about your grandmother was typical of that time, old ladies would sit on upturned wooden sterilised milk crates chatting away for hours and hours. Those old shops doubled as community centres and it was there that all the local gossip got shared. Oh how I wish I could return just for a moment in time.

I remember many a time running errands for my mother and old neighbours. If there was a group of women chatting you couldn't get served. Children were of no consequence - you just had to wait till the gossiping subsided. Sometimes the 'oldies'would push in front of you and that meant even longer to wait!!!!! Happy days though!

Walt {sorry for calling you Roy last time)Thanks for info. I remember Billy's and I seem to recall a very nice shop at the corner of Holly Road and Haigh Road where I bought ice creams. I also remember from the 1950s and 60s that there used to be a butchers van that went round Aspull and of course the Corona Pop wagon.

One final thing as the shop in the picture has a cake stand. I have mentioned before that all the little shops and confectioners in the Wigan area used to sell what we called "Rice Tarts" these were like small custard tarts with a shortcrust shell filled with a rice pudding mixture and usually added raisin. Literally every bakers shop sold these, but whenever I visited Wigan in the last 40 years (I moved away in 1970) I have never seen them on sale anywhere in Wigan, or indeed elsewhere in the country, and yet in my childhood - 50's and 60's they were incredibly popular. What happened to them ??

Carolaen, like you I moved away from Wigan but still have fond memories of Aspull. Yes I remember that corner shop I think Whittles owned it. Do you remember Cowburns Pop as well also Jimmy Holcroft's fruit truck on a Saturday morning. How about Peter Taylors fresh fish from the back of his blue Bedford CA van, Ferretti and De'roma ice creams. Hanson's Dairies, Co-op dairy, Marsdens and Johnson's also delivering milk. Memories are made of this owd Marra ain't they. Finally though, who can ever forget the best chippy in Lancashire -- Mrs Eckersley's on Scot lane, now they did taste good !.

Carolaen, just remembered, was the butchers van Cuisanne fom new Springs ? and Barry Walsh from Ivy Brow with his little Ford Thames van delivering fruit and groceries. Mr Spence each evening shouting "Evening Post" as he sold his newspapers around Aspull, Being sent on my order bike to Harvey's bakery to collect 20 white loaves of bread and having to peddle up Ivy Brow mind you, the free wheeling down as far as Cale Lane was something I shall always remember, YIPEE ! good gracious, I'm back in my childhood !!.

Walt. yes the butchers van was Cusannis (or similar). By the way I only ever heard the term Marra (as in your pal or mate)in Aspull. My Mums family and my uncles (all Pitmen at some time) lived there and used the term but my dad from Ince and the people round where we lived in Scholes never did. The only other place in the UK I ever heard the term used ie for a mate was in Sunderland and Co. Durham. I often wondered if there was a specific mining connection.

What a great photo, I wonder if it had been taken by a travelling photographer ?
I well remember Mrs Rigbys little shop at Holland Moor, she was always dressed in long black clothes and I was bit scared of her.

Carolean , the shop on corner of Holly Rd and Haigh Rd was Marion Orrells,, her mum Nellie had a shop on Scot Lane on corer of Harold St .

Carolaen and Walt, i am well into my family tree and a branch of it are Marrows, i always investigate the meaning of the surname. Marra is Cumbrian, mainly West Cumbrian, ie Whitehaven, Maryport etc, it originates from the word Marrow and the way they are grown in a field, closely, side by side as if they are friends / mates.

Roy. i wonder if it was West Cumbrian Pitmen - perhaps moving away to other pits that spread it. its certainly very common in the Sunderland area, but as i said I only heard it used amongst Aspullers around the Wigan area