Wigan Album

A fantastic picture Ian, window displays were something in those days, it would be hard to walk by the shop without going in and buying something.

I used to stand in front of shop windows 'baggying' stuff with my mates.

So much more interesting these shops- catering for every taste and dotted about all over the place. You could guarantee if one shop didn't have what you needed another shop yards away would have. The shops would be called mainly by the Christian names of the shopkeepers. To name a few near where I lived ....Sally's, Rosaline's, Ginny Dykes, Lizzie Greens -excepting in somet cases they were addressed as Mr and Mrs by children.
Personal service or what!

A similar looking shop to my Auntie Annie Foster's, which was a corner general shop in Billinge Road, Pemberton. I loved going there.

They must have liked their cigarettes in those days looking at all the avertising on the shop front,did notice 10 park drive for fourpence,times have certainly changed,also noticed frys chocolate cream bars in side windows going into the shop,used to pick these up for my grandmother in a little toffee shop in schofield lane in 1949 if there where any available,the name of the shop as just slipped my memory,if any of the wigan album know can you put it on the album.

Great photo

Thank you so much for sharing this photo it has brought back such happy memories of my childhood I used to go into the shop a lot and remember Mr Carruthers. He was such a lovely man and always happy to see you and pass the time of day with you even though we were only children .... if I remember right didn't his daughter work with him ... the time I am talking about would be the late 50's early 60's so probably later than when this photo was taken ....

On the Park Drive ad is it 10 for 4d or 10 for 4 shillings

Just the joint of a tree , now long gone , but that was me, proud and standing smells up close , the mark you gave me I treasure the most...
Now it’s modern I don’t fit and constantly l look for you..

The Daily Dispatch news placard with the headline 'Mr Bevir and Sir Patrick Hastings' on it, most likely dates this photo to January 1934.
It refers to a slander case which was being heard in the Kings Bench Division at that time.

Fred Foster - the cigarette price would have been 4d for 10. Years later than this picture in the early 1970s, just before I left school, Number 6 cigs were only 1s 10d for 10.
I remember me and my mates clubbing together to buy a pack, on our road to school.
The experts were right about smoking stunting your growth as well. I never grew another inch, after I reached 6ft 2ins, when I was 17.

I used to call in hat shop every day on my way to work at Stones colliery to buy the Reveille newspaper. I was a driller on the yard mine at the time and my mates and I would read it while we waited for the colliers to shift some of the coal so that we could drill the shot holes

I'd forgotten Reveille newspaper, Fred, and Tit-Bits too...they'd completely vanished in the mists of time for me!

Edsssing, I think the shop on Schofield Lane you mention would still belong to my grandmother's brother in 1949. His same was Sam Lowe.

Another fantastic example of social history. The chap looks so proud of his shop, thanks for that Ian.

So very true Joseph. Its nice to see you commenting on the album once again and on communicate.

Is that you commenting, Our Joseph? Merry Christmas! xx

Really liked reading the Reveille and Tit-Bits too Irene, remember Weekend magazine that was also a good read, they hid a little man within the pages and you had to find him - Wee Ken was his name.

It certainly is, Our Irene. I put a Christmas message on the other photo of the pub for you, still, Merry Christmas! xxx

I was brought up in Goose Green, and used to deliver papers for Jack Williams (on Warrington Rd) I don't remember another newsagents owned by Frank Carruthers? Which side of the street was it on?

I used to live in Bentinck Street, just around the corner from the shop. As kids we used to use the shop quite a lot. I am going back now to the early 1950s. Goose Green was then a small village. Walter and Jimmy Bradshaw, Bobby Prior and a few others used to play together as kids. Not much traffic on Warrington road in those days.

Could the toffee shop in scholefield lane have been mrs lowes,you had to go up three high steps to go into the shop,it was further up than marsdens butchers shop.

Ed, I have made the same suggestion in reply to Edsssing, mentioning that Sam Lowe was my grandmother's brother, My earlier comment is further back.

Thanks for your comment derek b i regarding the toffee shop in scholefield lane i will settle for that.

re..scholefield lane toffee shop,in the early sixties,I remember going under a canvas sun blind to look in the window,always new it as Monicas???

Oh Wow what an old pic. My sister, Carole and I used to go there on Saturday morning with our one penny..then I think it was upped to threepence. What a lot of stuff we got for that. lol