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St Thomas's C of E, Wigan

40 Comments

St Thomas's C of E Church and school.
St Thomas's C of E Church and school.
Photo: Joyce Dennis
Views: 11,478
Item #: 421
St Thomas's C of E Church (1850) and school.
Photo © Roy Millward.

Comment by: Ian Thornley on 4th May 2007 at 14:09

Can any body tell me the name of the church to the extreme left of the picture. Thanks.

Comment by: CAROL LIPTROT on 3rd July 2007 at 19:31

Hi, that was St Joseph's (caroline St)

Comment by: Ian Thornley on 11th July 2007 at 16:04

Which is St Thomas's school? Is it between the two churches?

Comment by: sylvia nee lannon on 29th August 2007 at 23:24

that was my old school my grandparents had the pub across the road call the vine inn in 1948

Comment by: lucky_lady_0404 on 20th November 2007 at 23:25

tht was my old infant school in 1960 i remember mr hedley our headmaster

Comment by: Derek B. on 20th December 2007 at 11:49

nice to a see a picture of the old school. i also remember Mr.Hedley, great teacher.

Comment by: frank a on 7th July 2008 at 12:06

This is taken from the back of the church so the building to the left is the school. St Josephs still stands empty on the other side of Caroline st.I was a pupil at the old St Thomas nursery in Clayton St before 1940 and at Caroline st until 1946. Mr Arthur Jackson was the very strict headmaster.

Comment by: Kevin S on 13th October 2008 at 21:48

not good memories about this school, the headmaster Mr Arthur Jackson was the most uncaring person to this day that i've ever met, he always had 2 boys awaiting his arrival in his car (baby austin CJP 10),and they opened the gates you see in the picture.Joyce Dennis rapped my knuckles many times with a ruler. mr ascroft really was the nicest teacher i ever came across.

Comment by: les gaskell on 3rd January 2009 at 23:43

ha ha i remember mr headley wot about the care taker mr fairhurst lost touch with all school mates ,we where the last ones before closed .

Comment by: Stephen Dingsdale on 9th January 2009 at 20:22

I lived in the pub across the road 1961/71.Also was one of the pupils before it closed Remember the caretaker he used to play cricket with us in the front play ground.Remember playing ZIGGA ZAGGA Good times

Comment by: Stephen Dingsdale on 9th January 2009 at 20:24

I lived in the pub across the road 1961/71.Also was one of the pupils before it closed Remember the caretaker he used to play cricket with us in the front play ground.Remember playing ZIGGA ZAGGA Good times

Comment by: les gaskell on 17th January 2009 at 14:29

hya ste i remember you n your melvin n banks,s and a few more kids remember u findin that money in old shop at bottom of st to ha ha

Comment by: Steve Dingsdale on 18th January 2009 at 16:44

Only got a pound reward for finding that.Do you remember Tommy Tramp he used to scare the hell out of me ?.

Comment by: les gaskell on 25th January 2009 at 15:32

ha ha yea n maggie bella , still remember diveing off the wall onto cross bar of goal posts ,that was only school i ever liked goin i hated the rest , i allways wanted to get to the kezys nest in the church lol ,nice to hear from you good mems , feel like one of the old gits of the muppets lol

Comment by: paul banks on 21st March 2010 at 12:20

remember it well,good times,remember you well stephen dingsdale and your family,we had some good times,do you remember when we locked the caretaker in the boiler room,

Comment by: lezgee on 1st April 2010 at 21:25

hya paul nice to hear off you , its les gaskell here loads good mens of that school better school than some of crap now n kids better behaved , demolished for what crappy shops what a waste hope you well hope you remember me lol

Comment by: paul and kevin banks on 14th April 2010 at 08:18

yes i remember you well les been telling my brother kevin it would be nice if we could get together from the old school there has been a few on this site already nice to hear from you

Comment by: les gaskell on 19th April 2010 at 20:39

hya paul i was told that john newton if you remember him was ill with cancer i hope not coz it be a shame coz he was dragged up as kid n wouldnt harm a fly

Comment by: paul/kevin banks on 27th April 2010 at 20:11

yes i remember john hope its not true one of the good guys of the street.

Comment by: lezgee on 1st May 2010 at 10:49

hya paul i live in hindley green now its like jail you cant get in r out with traffic , i married n got 2 kid 23 n 18 girl n boy

Comment by: S.Dingsdale on 5th May 2010 at 21:02

Rememder the caretaker covered in coal dust ha.

Comment by: les gaskell on 7th May 2010 at 22:04

mr fairhurst ste n it was coak dust lol the door to boiler room was maroon n remember the small window in the toilet yard we use to wach him , n haveing to go to church after school at cristmas lol that was best school of all i went

Comment by: paul banks on 10th May 2010 at 18:16

remember it well,also gettin a good hidin of my mother for lockin him in ,good times.

Comment by: margaret farrimond on 12th June 2010 at 13:38

Hi Steven I also attended the school I also went to all saints with your sister margaret I lived across the road in chaple st,do u remember us.

Comment by: Tracy Banks on 3rd July 2010 at 23:33

Hiya i'm Pauls sister...i was at St Thomas's to till it closed then we went to poolstock ...Mr Headley if i remember correctly was headmaster when i was there....we used to live next door but one to the school....Mr linski lived to the the right of us and the Durnens to the left.

Comment by: Paul Rigby on 30th September 2010 at 21:08

i have three gargoyles from st thomas church - my grandad (bert holland) picked them up after the church was demolished - i also have the old sign from hodson street, which my grandad picked up at the same time - all of the above are in my back garden

Comment by: Peter Crate on 7th December 2011 at 18:46

I have just purchased a grandmother clock that was presented to Louisa Newton in 1926, she was head of St Thomas's Wigan. Does anyone know anything about her or have pictures

Comment by: judith white nee oxley on 29th February 2012 at 15:00

this is the back of the church my brothers and me used to come over brew to school some times does any one remember it.mr hedley was my favourite teacher plus headmaster and miss anderton in infants

Comment by: Derek Bissell on 2nd March 2012 at 11:46

I remember walking up and down the brew past the canteens were we had dinners.

Comment by: judith ann white ne oxley on 3rd March 2012 at 02:20

it was a quick way home for us living in eleanor street i started here in1955 and went on to all saints in1961.

Comment by: Susan Mint (Holland) on 13th July 2012 at 02:09

This was my infant school, Mr Hedley, Mr Fairhurst, Mr Ashcroft, Miss Baxter (I think?)

Comment by: bill winstanley on 15th September 2013 at 21:40

yes john newton died he was my cousian i also went to st thomas and on to all saints went to mr hedley house in appley bridge with barry barnard to do some gardening

Comment by: les gaskell on 8th October 2013 at 14:59

i am realy gutted about john he was a real nice lad and did not deserve to die like that R I P JOHN MATE i am proud to have know you

Comment by: alan bland on 20th April 2014 at 21:40

I used to go to this school and remember a lot of people who have left comments sorry to read about john newton.

Comment by: alan barlow on 6th November 2014 at 17:34

i remember going to school there in late 1940s i think,about49 or 1950, i remember using a slate and chalk to write with, those were the days my aunty lived next door in caroline street.

Comment by: rita worthington barnes on 17th February 2015 at 19:30

iwent to thomas,s 51/52 until i turned 11 n on to all saints,mr jackson headmaster/mrs brierley/miss dawber/i remember scully brown n betty smith that church was eerie inside pity yet another part of history destroyed mr jackson was vile yeh mr ashcroft nice think a miss dennis n all remember school sportson playground n having walk down to clayton st for r dinners n bk

Comment by: Geoff Halsall on 19th August 2015 at 14:48

I went to St Thomas's up to it closing in 1972 remember well Mr Hedley Mr Fairhurst and Mr Ashcroft. We lived on the corner of thomas st until 1969

Comment by: bill on 2nd October 2020 at 20:41

we had good times at st thomass me and barry bernard went to mr hedleys house one saturday to help him to do some gardening he lived in appley bridge he drove us in his car a austin cambrige

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