Wigan Album

Fantastic picture Ray, I probably went on this bus quite a few times.

Is that the old bus station with the Congregational Church behind the bus.

And the bus is going to Ormskirk, how many times I travelled to school in Ormskirk on a Good Old Ribble bus !

I remember the single decker Ribble buses, but not the type shown here. Good picture.

Thank you to A.W.,Helen, & John Brown for your comments.
1486 was in the Ribble fleet from about 1956 until 1972/3.
It is seen here at the bus station in Hope Street, Wigan.

To the rear of the bus and on the opposite side of the road is the Park Hotel, next to it the Don Café, and next to that a small section of the frontage of Warburton's furniture store.

Remember these buses very well.Quite possibly they were used on the 333/343 due to the low bridge just after the bus stop after the owd barn petrol station.1464 was also one of the 4 this was always kicking be black smoke out Ray Smythe I remember yo very well from my days in the Police at Wigan in the early 70s.

Hi Peter Schofield, I am a bit confused, having read your comment. I cannot recall a low bridge just after Owd Barn Petrol Station, The only low bridge that I remember on the
333/343 route to Dangerous Corner & Wrightington Hospital
is the one on Mill Lane, Appley Bridge, after turning left
at Randalls Corner. Ribble 1486 and other double deckers did the journey via Skull House Lane. Early in 1970 I left
Ribble, and started at Robert Baillie Transport whose depot
was in the railway goods yard, between King Street and North Western Railway Station. At that time, your Police Station was at the bottom of King Street (Not the one that
is now Premier Inn), and many of your colleagues were known
to spend many hours in Baillies depot, particularly when the
weather was dreadful. Better than walking the streets and getting soaked to the skin. Ray.

Hi Ray many thanks for your reply. Thinking back the bridge that I was referring to was demolished in the mid 60s probably before you were on the buses. It was just after the bus stop around the left hand bend after the owd barn service station and carried a mineral line from the mines in the Standish area to Crooke where the coal was loaded into barges which then took it to the old Westwood power station.
I joined the former Wigan Borough Police in July 1967 as a cadet and appointed a Constable 12 months later. I worked out of the old borough force police station until February 1974 when it closed and the one in Harrogate Street became operational. As you rightly say it is now a Premier Inn. Peter

Peter..Thank you for your interesting comments. At the point
where your low bridge would have been, there is quite a noticeable dip in the road as you head toward Shevington.
Perhaps some of the local history experts here on Wigan World may even have a picture of the low bridge. Regarding
the Bobbies that used to frequent Baillies depot behind King street, the names of Mick Goulding (RIP) and Geoff Houghton come to mind. You mentioned your time as a cadet in
the Police..I recall during my time at Ribble, I very often
had a Police Cadet as a passenger, who would board the Bus in Wigan, and get off near The Stork pub in Billinge. Very often, he would stand at the front of the bus, throughout his journey, and have a chat with me. Ray.

I found a little bit of info regarding the low railway bridge that Peter referred to..it was known as "Red Bridge".
Some Wigan World historians will know of it.

Ray, your last comment regarding the Red Bridge if you look in Places- Standish Lower Ground item #1847(2009) there is a photo of the bridge before it was demolished. My parents used to live further down from there 1939/40 and my elder sister remembers it well. I think it took the mineral railway line from John Pit to Crooke.

This is the exact location where the 362 St Helens via Billinge bus would terminate. Dead handy as it was opposite the old Room at the Top club.

I am grateful to Barrie for the information regarding
"Red Bridge" on Wigan Lower Road. I am still a newcomer
to Wigan, I have only been here since 1966.