Wigan Album

Thanks for posting, Veronica. That's a fantastic photo of King Street. I have seen many others but not that one. I love the building with the little wall and railings and the little garden gate....it looks like a private house but could have been a business. A very interesting photo.

It's like everywhere times change.

That is a great photo Veronica....no littler, no ' street furniture ' to get in your way. Neatly maintained buildings. From the comments I have read about King St on WW its has lost its way over the years. Think my mother worked in King St...or was that Library St ??

I can’t help feeling a ‘genteel’ family would have lived in the house with railings around when they were first built. Obviously monied people.

Back when Wigan had trade, employment and an economy.
People had pride and discipline and most importantly respect.
Unfortunately society has been diluted by years of Tory rule, the rich getting richer and the rest of us falling out amongst ourselves about who is to blame!

What was the name of the place where your mother worked, please, Helen? Someone may know if it was on King Street or Library Street.

Great photo Veronica,and the street looked so clean.id love just to have a stroll up there.

Spent a lot of my working life working in King Street and when I worked there in the late 60's it was so clean.Started going downhill from about mid to late 90's.

Yes it looks ‘so well
to- do ‘ Maureen. How can it have got in such a dilapidated bad way as it is now.

It's got like it is because of the people who frequent it.
And looking back it was a very good idea for our council to site all the bars and takeaways in that one area.

Looks like some building work was going on on the roof of one of the buildings

What a fantastic photo! Thank you for sharing it.
Absolutely fantastic!
You should have had it stamped or whatever its called so that no one else can claim the credit for it. Ive no doubt that this will appear elswhere on other websites.

Pw that was the telephone exchange That was where the cables came into the building from the overheard lines.

Pw, I think that was the telephone exchange but can't be sure.

Not at the expense of turning it into a ‘rat hole’
Tom. This street was quite upmarket at one time. When we were young in the sixties it was the Bodega we went to and the Crawford Rooms for dancing. A lot of young ones frequented the pubs such as the Clarence and other pubs but King St still looked good. It’s a disgusting eyesore now from the eighties onward. Before that it was decent. Thinking about it - the eighties was the start of a downward spiral in many things.

I remember the name "The Bodega" but never went there. I do remember "The Turnkey" restaurant and remember having a meal there in the early 1970s.....also remember having a meal in The Minorca which was a "Berni Inn". I agree with Veronica that things went downhill from the 1980s.

I agree with other comments, it is a superb photo. If only Tesco had renovated or revamped the church into their grocery store, instead they demolished it and built a brick box in its place, though a lot of buildings went the same way.

It did begin to lose its way in the 1980s Veronica, the solicitors and other businesses began moving out and replaced with the 'Fun Pubs' that were the rage then, and filthy premises began serving pizzas out of a side window at weekends, until environmental health visited them.

Went to the Bodega,later named the Bier Keller in the late 60's,the Stable Bar next to Berni Inn also in early 70's. .The Street really wasn't bad in about 1990 but did go extremely downhill after that.

Rich/Veronica , already on Wigan Local History and Heritage . Think its 21st Feb if I remember, I was scrolling and just glanced , so could be wrong.

Thanks Ron and Irene.

I got this photo from a friend so I can’t claim it as mine really Mark. It’s there for people to look at anyway. But it annoys when there’s no credit given on Wigan Nostalgia for the number of others snapped up. I wouldn’t care they don’t know what they’re talking about half the time!

https://www.wiganlocalhistory.org/articles/the-story-of-54-to-58-king-street

Name William A. Mayes
Age 50
Estimated Birth Year abt 1831
Relationship to Head Head
Spouse Sarah Mayes
Gender Male
Where born Walsingham, Norfolk, England
Civil parish Wigan Street Address King Street County Court
Marital Status Married
Occupation County Court Baliff William A. Mayes 50 Head County Court Baliff
Sarah Mayes 49 Wife
Richard Mayes 28 Son Post Office Clerk
Harriet Mayes 15 Daughter

Name James Fairclough
Age 46
Estimated Birth Year abt 1805
Relation Head
Spouse's Name Alice Fairclough
Gender Male
Where born Wigan, Lancashire, England
Civil parish Wigan Address 54 King Street James Fairclough 46 Head Builder Employer
Alice Fairclough 43 Wife
Ellen Fairclough 18 Daughter
Alice Fairclough 11 Daughter
Catherine Fairclough 8 Daughter
Elizabeth Fairclough 6 Daughter

My Mother worked in the offices of Deacons Jam Veronica. I always thought I somehow had made that name up in my mind but eventually traced the Firm & its founder...a wealthy man.

Oops ! Sorry Irene...I wrote Veronica in my comment but it was you !

Don't worry, Helen. I googled "Deacons Jam" a few minutes ago but all I got was a rock group!!

I am in contact with a member of the Deacons Jam family. Who has written a great History of the family and company.

Fascinating clear picture Veronica, thank you so much.
The first three story building on the right eventually became the Court Hall, dancing and live music. I remember seeing both Brian Pool and the Tremolos and Herman's Hermits there in the mid 60'. Thankfully, the Court Hall canopy has now been taken down and the building looks better than it has done in the last 70 years, the brickwork cleaned and the wonderful doorway revealed again.
However the two ground floor windows have been replaced by a shop front this is now 'Madam Geneva's Gin Bar' and the ornate doorway leads to the 'Baby Platinum Gentleman's Club'. The mind boggles!
The ground floor of two storey house next door became the booking Office for the Court Cinema and is now an extension of 'Madam Geneva's! Perhaps it could be worse.
The church on the other side of The Court Cinema was demolished and that monstrous Tesco Cube put up in its place.
I took a picture a while back from roughly the same spot, I will send it to Ron to see if he can put the two together.

Deakin's Jams & Preserves: https://deakin.broadwaymanor.co.uk/

In the link is a an aerial photo of Deakin's Eclipse jam works at Bradford Place off Chapel Lane. photo by Ron Hunt and from Album: https://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/photo.php?opt=3&id=28213&gallery=W.R.DEAKIN+JAM+WORKS&offset=0

There are other photos and information about Deakin's jam on the Album and other pages, type Deakin's jam in the Search bar.

I can't remember if I pasted the link onto my previous comment about the aerial photo of Ron's on the Album and of Deakin's Jam Works, anyhow it's here:
https://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/photo.php?opt=3&id=28213&gallery=W.R.DEAKIN+JAM+WORKS&offset=0

Wiganers must have had a sweet tooth as there was other Jam Factories at Newtown and Golborne too, as well as the Santus and Westhead Toffee Factories.

I’ve only posted it Colin. I was keeping it for myself as I don’t like to post anything I haven’t ‘sourced’. It was ‘sent’ to me’. But it’s a shame not to. Next week I am due for an eye test I will wander up here with my iPad and try as you say to take a picture of how it is now from the same spot. It’s a tragedy what has gone from Wigan’s heritage. It’s a ‘hell hole’ nowadays.

I've been told that there was another Jam Factory by the name of Mawdesley's on Princess Street, so three in Wigan and one in Golborne, unless someone knows of more.
We was told that the Sergeant Major would often say - " ? give 'em jam." There'd be plenty to go around in Wigan.

There was also Sovereign Toffee Works at Lowton, Cyril. I believe my late mother-in-law worked there at one time.

Thanks for all that information everybody.
The home of the Deakins down in Broadway was a beautiful honey coloured sandstone, lovely garden as well. Ron its nice to know there are descendents of the family still around.

Thanks Ron and Irene.

Don't know if it is still legible but, until recently, there was a faded advertisement for Deakins jam on the gable end of a house on Woodhouse Lane just before it meets Frog Lane.

I have a vague recollection of that name Sovereign Toffee Irene, though I didn't know they was from a toffee works in Lowton. The health people would have had a field day with all those sugar laden treats to hand locally.

Ron once upon a time when I was in New Zealand, I spotted a can of Deakins Apricots that were canned in Wigan, and sent to the New Zealand soldiers who were fighting in Gallipoli.
I sent in a photo to Pads which appeared on 4th March 2016

Re local jam factories, Golborne was home to Mathers jam and Sun Pat confectionary.

This is on Wigan N. I thanked Jolly Roger for posting the photo and beating me to it as usual!

Cyril, Sovereign Toffee Factory was on Church Lane Lowton, take the road down from Abram side, just before you get to Golborne and it was just before the East Lanc's Road on the left hand side. it's now a housing estate.
1967 I worked in Golborne, Rank Audio Visual down Barn Lane, Mathers Jam Factory was at the back alongside Millingford Brook.
Around 1972 Rank bought the old Sovereign Factory and we moved into it along with other Rank Organisation Divisions including Rank Strand Electric, everything was under one roof to do with cinema and theatre equipment, seating, lighting drapes, sound, lighting you name it. We were in there three years before the smell of toffee went!
When in Golborne there was a empty confectionary factory on Legh Street, I am sure this was the original home of Fisherman's Friends.

Veronica, no need to take your iPad, I took a picture recently and sent this to Brian so it may appear on PAD at some stage.
Apart from what might be considered' Dubious Occupancy' the two building on the right have been cleaned up considerably with that ornate doorway reinstated but the ground floors have shop fronts, that said it really makes a pleasant change on King Street.

There’s 2 later views of King St. one in 1902 (1304) number 1304 and another in 1970 (4094) small changes in the first one and more in the 1970. But nowhere near as bad as it is now.

Great photo Veronica,and the street looked so clean.id love just to have a stroll up there.

Veronica, I bet you're glad you put this photo on now....it has created a lot of interest and rightly so; it's a brilliant photo. Maureen, didn't you and your Mam see the ghost of The Court Cinema Commissionaire standing behind the glass front doors after the cinema had closed down?

My mother- in - law RIP talked of Deacons jam factory,she had lived in Bradford Place,off Chapel Lane.x

It would have been selfish to keep it to myself Irene. Although I felt guilty posting it. It didn’t stop Jolly Roger the Vagabond though. Some one else said he ’lifted it’ …he’s known for light fingers!

Yes Irene,I did and as you say so did my Mam,I shall never forget it,his heart is obviously still around the cinema,its sad the more you think about it don't you think..Also the lady that used take your ticket money from you when the cinema was still alive was one of our patients at Whelley Hospital, and she was always talking about her fathers grand piano...plus she had a beautiful singing voice...her name was Mary Murphy.

Not seen this one before. Ace!

Please compare this picture with present day photo on PaD.

Sorry to be political again, noticed a couple of comments that King Street began going downhill in the 1980s, by coincidence who was our beloved Prime Minister in the majority of the 1980s?