Wigan Album

I would say early sixties with the length of skirts. I am surprised they got away with wearing them so short with the nuns. Why they demolished that building I will never understand.

My wife’s Auntie Mattie worked in the kitchen, at the Convent, with Sister Aloysius.

This photo is already in the Notre Dame section of the Schools' album, since 2007 with over 19,500 views and 64 comments!

Definitely early 60s. Look at the length of the girls skirts.

Probably more towards the end of the sixties; I think the car registration ends in 'D'. The shortness of the skirts also points to a similar date.

Would think this to be later than early sixties from the design of the road sign. The car is one from the BMC 1100 range which I think was introduced in 1964.

I can remember in 1968 seeing old cottages on the corner of Standishgate/Powell Street, so it is later than then because you can see the advertising hoardings on the side of the YMCA that were erected after they had been demolished and the land grassed over, Hilton and Leyland estate agents was in one of those cottages, but who was in the others I can't remember. Veronica, it would be the same reason that the council demolished many other buildings around town that were architecturally wonderful.

After the Convent is the entrance to St. Johns' churchyard then the club rooms, seen on the photo. Then came the properties which were demolished : Thornton' s (Tailors) , Poppleston ( Plumbers ), Alice Monks (Grocer ) then Hilton & Layland (Estate Agent )

I left the Convent after 6th form and school hats were still very much part of the uniform policy so it must be later than 1968.

This photo is already on Wiganworld. I was there at the time. It has been identified as being in 1972/73 before the school closed in 1974

I remember the first time I went there in1962/63 when Chubby Checker's ' 'Let's Twist Again' was all the rage. It was the first time a chap asked me to dance! I even remember what I was wearing... It wasn't in the main ballroom, I recall doors leading off from there...it was so hectic that dance
I think I lost a stone in weight - shrinking to seven and half stone, I know my mother was worrying about me always going dancing!

What a beautiful building..as has already been said..they must have been out of their minds to demolish it...utterly ridiculous.

Oops! Wrong photo! Can't imagine the nuns allowing Chubby Checker's - Lets Twist Again ...in those hallowed cloisters! Sister Mary Monica would have had my guts for garters... It wouldn't have only been her rosary beads that rattled! She was the Head Misstress at St Pats and had two chaperones walking her back to the Convent every day. Needless to say I wasn't a chaperone!

Veronica,that made me chuckle,imagination takes over..it may have done our Sister Frances good someone once said her hands were shaking as she typed her name.

They were strict those nuns - the one before the nun I mentioned was Sister Lucy she taught at St Patrick's for 40 Yrs. There's a stained glass window in the porch at the back of St Pat's Church commemorated to her. She's pictured with children gathered round her - it's a good likeness Maureen. I liked her, she was kind, perhaps because she'd mellowed with age, she played the piano beautifully with really gnarled hands.

I don't remember the Wigan convent so won't know when it was demolished. Gateway House, council offices for the education department was built on the site. The car is an Austin or Morris 1100 with a Chester JFM-D registration.

Thats a really big school.
Does anyone know how many pupils it had ?

It was always referred to as 'The Convent' it was officially the Convent of Notre Dame. I can remember when the ' Mother General' came to visit, it was a 'big' day at school. We had to make sure we were all well scrubbed and tidy, hands especially because we had to walk up to her and bow as she gave us a holy picture. Strange what memories come back to you, I had forgotten all about that event, at the time it seemed exciting...

Cyril one of the other cottages was a bakers i remember running from Whelley school to buy a little penny loaf before they where all gone they where the shape of a loaf probably about two and half inch in length the women who worked there where really small lovely people