Wigan Album

Does anyone remember the Christmas Eve queues to see Father Christmas, who used to sit on the steps leading into the building? All schoolkids in Hindley got a ticket to meet him and get a bag full of goodies. The queues stretched all the way up Cross Street as far as the library. Happy days!

Yes Alan I remember going to the town hall just before Christmas .The present was a brown paper bag and inside there were a few toffee,some paper games etc which were usually sponsored by firms like Horlicks,Saxa salt ,and some fruit.Does not seem much now but meant a lot when you were young.

Agreed, Pw. It was always something to look forward to! Looking back, I reckon it was a nice gesture from Hindley Council. Simple pleasures back then, eh?

In my final year at Hindley Grammar School, myself and another girl were sent to The Town Hall where we put apples and oranges into paper bags for Father Christmas to give out to the children.

Goodness Irene, You did move around in childhood . I'm short of breath chasing! lol!

You've lost me there, Dave!?? I lived in Ince, went to Grammar School in Hindley, had a look round Wigan on Saturdays and had the odd half-day at Southport with my Mam and Dad in the Summer....that was the extent of my travels!

Irene when you attended hags did you know a young girl by Catherine Edwards from lower once ,i think later her married name was gear it was about the same time i went to school with your cousin Doreen at Spring view about 1966-7 always wondered what happened to Catherine.

The name Catherine Edwards is vaguely familiar but I can't say I knew her. There was no-one of that name in my year, Albert.

Ok Irene thank you.

Wonder when this picture was taken as the bus is one entered from the back which I remember up to the sixties or thereabouts. The car however, looks like one from The Keystone Cops era. It all looks very clean and quiet on the road much nicer than today.

Sorry Irene, I must be mixing you up with another Irene on here , who seems to have far greater experience of shops and places than I do. Not
Christopher Columbus I know , but we ventured forth as far as our Council Estate, that was our world and experience. Southport Irene, are you kidding me? The only smell of the sea we got close to was the local chippie. You travelled further than me Irene.

Going off the photo, the concrete lampost near the bus, a Stanton 6B lighting column came out in 1948, meaning the photo is after that year, you can often get an idea of the age of photos by the street furniture.

Dave, I have an absolute fascination for old shops. I HAVE commented on a lot of photos of them on here, and I don't know any other Irenes on Wigan World, so it COULD be me! However, my comments on shops other than those in the area I grew up in are just general comments on how I would love to walk in them as they were then, not that I actually remember them. When I was about 10 years old, a lady took over the corner shop in Ince and she told us she was from Abram, (where I now live), and we'd never heard of it! None of our families has cars then so it was a case of our local shops in Ince or a bus-ride to Wigan. We all knew of Pemberton, Standish, Ashton etc. but we had no reason to go there; it was, literally, a smaller world!

And how well you wrote of that 'small world' of Ince in your stories Irene in Past Forward. I enjoyed them all and looked forward to seeing another in the next editions. Then suddenly they stopped!

I thik Catherine Edwards married Keith Gears.

Thankyou, Veronica.....what a lovely thing to say! I haven't written for Past Forward for a very long time; I don't think the current editors like my rather dreamy style of writing as the former editor Mr. Gillies did. They appear to want more facts about Wigan, (which you can read in books from the library!), than people's personal memories. I miss it, I admit.

I know what you mean .....it's mostly factual but Ted Dakin is very good though Irene. They could do with changing the format to suit us who like to walk up or down Memory Lane!

Sonia ,you don't know whatever happened to Catherine over the years do you .would be grateful for any information, retired not long ago and trying to find out about old friends and school colleagues,thank you.

How very observant Roger. Street furniture I like! Thank you.
Like to know more.

Sorry I don't know any more details regarding Catherine Edwards, I seem to remember her having very dark hair when she was at HAGS. Keith Gears was in either a year or 2 years above me.

Sonia ,thank you,thank you for your reply.