Wigan Album

A good photo, Keith. Would the small buildings to the right of the photo be outside toilets?

Irene I would say they are outside toilets and probably "coal holes" The houses don't have any back yards so most likely 'shared facilities'.

It looks much better in colour Keith.
The little buildings look like coal bunkers to me Irene.

Those were my exact same thoughts Irene, but I just don’t know.

Thankyou Ron, Veronica and Keith. I thought they were coal bunkers at first, as the doorways don't seem as high as the front doors on the houses. I remember when I was growing up in Ince, we had a private back yard with an outside toilet , and we had separate "alcoves" behind the houses where the dustbins were kept....we called them "t'bin places". However, my brother who, on marriage, lived further up Ince Green Lane than we did, had a communal "backs" behind his house where there was a whole row of toilets, and each neighbour had a key to their own toilet.

The first house seems to have an underground room.

I’ve changed my mind I do think they are outside lavatories they look small because they’re behind a mound. The ones facing look like openings in the wall. I wonder if they are ‘ middens’…. I think the houses all have cellars looking closely. Would that be because of the closeness of the river I wonder.

The Douglas Terrace I remember was on the right hand side leaving Wigan before the Saddle along side of the river Douglas.

Unless I'm seeing things there appears to have been a window on the side of the end house which has been bricked up for some reason?
You can see the brick arch lintel which is still there.

Yes I can see it..perhaps it was blocked to make less draught from the window. I remember the house we lived in there was a window at the top of the stairs and landing.

This angle, if you stood there now, is basically where the credit union 'shop' and the trade entrance to the grand arcade stands on Crompton St.