Wigan Album
St.Matthews Highfield
12 Comments
Photo: fred foster
Item #: 5986
Another fantastic photo Fred, I remember calling in that toffee shop after Sunday School, it was our treat!
Mr Magraw was headmaster at St James Worsley Mesnes when I started school
I remeber those shops they sold the best toffee lollys. When I was at Highfield Junior School in 1956. Me and a lad called Stephen Bland used to take the Dinner money to the post office every Thursday.
Can you imagine it today??? Two 11year old boys carrying all the dinner money in a bag to the post office at the same time every Thursday morning!!!!!!! The woman in the Post office always gave me and Stephen 6d each. Which I always spent on the 2d lollys from the shop. 3 different flavours. Orange, Blackcurrant, and Strawberry.. I can taste them now and they lasted for ages<g>
A similar arrangement re the dinner money was in place at UpHolland Village School in the '60s Ron. We were sent out with cash bags full of half dollars, two bob bits, bobs and tanners to go round the village shops, and get them changed for bank notes. There WERE shops in UpHolland then.
Front two look Frank Topping (left) and Jeff Taylor (right)behind Jeff ,Barry Hitchen.?
Front two look Frank Topping (left) and Jeff Taylor (right)behind Jeff ,Barry Hitchen.?
The sweet shop was always called Uncle Billies,He was Jenifer Moss's Grandfather. cath
Joel Magraw must be the grandson of Joel Magraw (1850-1935) and Eliza Jane Ball (1852-1886). Eliza Jane was the sister of my gt grandfather Richard Ball (1853-1912, making grandson Joel my second cousin once removed (I think). Many of the Balls and Magraws are buried in the Lower Ince cemetery, the index for which is on Wiganworld.
My Uncle Joe died in June 1958 and the world was a much sadder place for his passing.He is buried in the family grave in Highfield churchyard on a double plot.
Uncle Billies was the best sweet shop EVER! I spent many a happy hour with my head under the shop window canvas thinking what to buy with my threepenny bit! Uncle Billy and the two ladies were so patient when we picked from the [old] penny and halfpenny tray, Jennifer Moss would help out and would have to stand on a box `cos she was so small, she talked really posh, when I spoke of sums and painting she called it arithmatic and art, I was in awe of her, its sad her life ended sadly.
I remember the two ladies who ran the shop when I was a kid.They were called Helen and Gladys and I think that Jennifer Moss was their niece
i used to work at helen and gladys shop as ther bread lad