Wigan Album

Thankyou so much for posting this photo...I only started at Ince Central in the late 50s, although it WAS at the old school, so it's before my time, but how wonderful to see a photo INSIDE the school! Many thanks.

lovely photo ken must have been winter look at the overcoats & jackets, Iwent to ince central about 1953 to 1959,Idont recall the room shown but its been a while eh! I remember the school being in two sections,the infants at keble st end .and older kids at ince green lane end.infants was great ,miss sandiford was like your mum,also next teacher was kind and all was well till you moved up,to be kind lets say ms howgate & ms jones were strict & the cane was king however there were about forty kids per class. some rooms were divided by folding partitions which could be opened up to make larger areas.the school was old and overcrowded and I remember having a pink book where we recorded donations to buy bricks for the (new school),yes our parents helped to buy it. it was a wonderful day when we literaly walked across to the new school and took up residence. I had two very happy years there overlooking the new playing fields with two lovely teachers miss melling & mrs ryder before going to rose bridge. I hope some of you out there can relate to my memories and share yours with me. regards from western australia.

Terry, I am still in contact with Miss Ashurst, (later Mrs Johnson when she married). She got in touch with me when I had an article printed in a local heritage magazine, Past Forward, about my years at Ince Central.She is the only teacher still alive fron our time at Ince Central, but I remember them all so well. You can see old copies of Past Forward online. I had quite a few articles in, many about Ince where I grew up. The article about Ince Cenral is in issue 38,pages 26 and 27, and is called An Apple for The Teacher. I THINK you just put Past Forward Issue 38 into Google and it allows you to scroll through the pages. I'm afraid I'm not clever enough with computers to send you a link as some people can, but I hope you find it and that it brings back memories.

thanks for the info irene I will look up past forward,not read any for years,keep up the good work.

Terry, if you can't find it I would be happy to share memories on here or to send my Past Forward articles about Ince Central and Ince in general through the post, although obviously I would need your address, which you might prefer not to give. I can talk about the Ince of my childhood all day, and would love to hear your memories. You must be a few years older than me as I was still in the Infants' when we moved across to the new school, but I'm sure our memories are similar. There was a Brenda Halsall in my class.....would she be a relative of yours?

thanks again irene your so kind, i had no problem finding the past forward issues, only the most recent one is not available yet. I read an apple for the teacher, what a lovely story you put it so well,have not read any more yet but will soon. Yes Iam older I start my pension in october b 1948. and yes we have been in touch with Brenda Halsall you may remember she put a photo in the (people) section of her great uncle evan who was killed in gallipoli,he was my grandfather so we are related but havent met as yet, by the way I just commented on same photo cause I did not the last comment what do you think ? Anyhow I am going to look for any old photo,s I know I have at least one of ince brook overflowing, shame we cant shed any more light on the above photo , hope someone can, what a beauty, could it be on a slope or is the picture tilted ? ..

I agree with what you have put on the photo under "people" about inappropriate commrnts, Terry; what on earth are some people thinking of?! I was born in 1952 so wouldn't have been on the photo in the old Ince Central School Hall, (above). I must have gone there about 1957/8, but I can vaguely remember the hall and people whose birthday it was being called on stage to have "Happy Birthday" sung to them, and their hair "tugged" a number of times, (seven times if they were seven and so on). I can vaguely recall a Christmas Party where a lad from the top class, (who seemed like an adult to an infant), standing on the stage singing one of the pop songs of the time, but I'm blowed if I can remember what it was. "Singin' The Blues", I think. I vividly remember the halls in the "new school", both infants and juniors. Mr. Fairchild used to hold a "Party Dance" once a month on Friday night. It was 1/6d entrance and I remember doing the Twist.....happy days!

yes irene happy days I remember the same things,the lad singing on stage could have been johnny entwhistle he was a card, he could sing & dance , should have been a pop star.

irene do you have any information on miss ryder or possibly a picture i remember her tellingus about her holidays in india and the poverty also she showed us a picture of the staue of william tellfrom her trip to austria qqrso

No, Jim, I have no information on Miss Ryder, sorry. I remember her and how she always talked about "Mother Nature". She was never my actual class-teacher, but when I was in Mr. Heaton's class there was an opportunity to go to swimming each week at Wigan Baths, and those who didn't want to go, (me included), went into Miss Ryder's class whilst our classmates were at the baths. I can remember some of the little gipsy girls from the caravan site in Careless Lane bringing bundles of lace and ribbon for Miss Ryder. Isn't it odd what sticks in your mind? I know she was there for many years because she taught my brothers, one of whom was 19 years my senior, and the other 12 years.

PS. There is a picture of Mrs. Sandiford on the previous page to this, with some of the other teachers.

Sorry, Jim.....a Senior Moment there! It is Miss RYDER you're looking for, not Mrs. Sandiford. Apologies!

re miss ryder no irene i am fairly certain of the name just a minute the nurses are coming with my medication but seriously the classroom was right as you went up the stairs you used to cross a short landing for craft lessons with balsa wood

I realise you meant Miss Ryder, Jim, but I think I mistakenly led you to believe there was a photo of her on The Album, when there isn't. You are exactly right about Miss Ryder's classroom and when I attended the Christmas Fair at Ince Central last year, I sneaked along the corridor and up those stairs for just another peep! I shouldn't have been there but I did no harm and it was such a precious, nostalgic moment!

gurry