Wigan Album

Rode pillion to Lil's on more than one occasion lol.

Second from right is Dickie Atherton, third right is Billy Winstanley

that is my dad in the doorway ray hill a well known motor bike racer who rode for rodgersons motobike shop at orrell post

where was lils? and what is there now?

Gerry, Lil's was on Preston Rd Standish, between Pepper Lane and Coppull. It later became Dave Baron caravans.

someone once told me they put sixpence in the juke box to play "house of the rising sun" then run outside jump on a bike go up to chorley around the black and white lampost and be back in the cafe to hear the end of the tune
did one else hear that tale?

Jimmy,maybe i'm wrong but I cannot recollect Lil's Cafe building being used by Barons caravans,they have been on the site,as are Stuart Longton Caravans now.Lil's Grills as it was affectionately known in the 50s and 60s was a transport cafe run by the Waters family and was a gathering place for juke box aficionados and motorcyclists.Since then it has been a series of foreign restaurants, for many years Amins and for the last few years,Cinnamon,obviously the original building has been knocked about a bit,upgraded,extended etc,but still on the same plot.
Gerry. Lil's to the big lamp in Chorley and back in 3 mins+,sorry,no chance!

spent many a night watching the bikers do the chicken run from lils to pepper lane and pepper lane to lils a certain well known company owner in his teens would race his minivan which was the dogs bollocks against the bikes very scary to say the least

I BELIEVE THE MAN IN THE DOOR IS RAYMOND RDWARDSON..(MY DAD)HE USED TO SPEND QUITE A LOT OF TIME HERE..

Spent many happy hours there, ride outs and drinking coffee then playing on the football machine on saturday nights, better than any pub, good memories and still a keen biker at 65 years young.

The three minute Jukebox record run was to Standish lights & back..;o)

i remember lil"s caf with fond memories. use to go there on the back of my brothers bike and had some good nights no alcohol or drugs needed in them days. coffee n music.the song that reminds me most is"will you still love me tomorrow"by the shirells.does anyone remember tardy gate?

Used to live in fairhurst avenue and as a kid experienced these good old days both in lils's and watching the chicken runs that actually went to pepper lane then they rode like hell down preston road and more or less jumped over the humpback bridge over almond brooke, we used to sit at the bridge frightened to death, it was an unbelievable experience, "those were the days my freinds"!

Paul,it,s Pongy Bridge that you,re talking about and the brook that flows under it is Stars Brook which later joins Hic Bibi Brook, the unusual and rare thing about these brooks is that they flow AWAY from the sea.

Paul Roy is reet pongy brook it is.anyway how is your tally doin ? and you to

Well I don't mind being corrected Roy and Alan thanks, it's so long ago and me living in Germany for the past 40 years one does forget or get things mixed up and as they say you learn somthing new every day! I didn't know that brooks flow AWAY from the sea. Question; where do they eventually flow to then? Alan I take it you mean our Stephen? As I said Iv'e been living here so long and at some stage you don't here from everyone, I'd have to ask myself, but knowing him he'll be as right as rain....! I'm fine and hope you too.

There was a Taylor family at No.1, I used to knock about with Derek Iddon No.20; haven't seen anyone from Fairhurst Av for years.

Well nail on the head there Peter. W.... Nr 1. Fairhurst Av is where I lived and grew up, I can recall Derek Hiddons name but he was older than me so didn't have much to do with him although we all used to greet one another...

And Derek Smith, He now lives oposite the newish bungalow on Preston Road.

this was my nans cafe she used tell me loads of stories about it crazy place

Hi Paul, all rivers and brooks via the rivers eventually flow to the sea but some brooks flow away from the sea until they meet something larger, stream or river.

Paul go on Coppull Village Lancashire and it mentions the brooks

Roy, the Coppull Village site is interesting. There is/was a spring on Hic-Bibbi (we pronounce hig-bibbi) about a mile away from pongy bridge that we used to refresh ourselves from on hot summer days, then we walked the length of the stream up to Pongy Bridge in the water of course then went to Lil’s Café passing the pub and Old Seven Stars farm and there was a big concrete slab on the parking place, there we took off our shoes and socks and dried them off on the concrete slab, “what a great time we had”!

Yes Paul i,ve had a few drinks from hic bibi myself over the years,my first drink from there would be about 63 or 64 years ago,i still go past it yet,i live about a 10 minute walk away.

Paul, i,m on the photo of the cross 1 row below this photo of Lils.

Paul help me out could not remember your mams name was it Lilian ?i remember Robins lucky escape as though it was yesterday ,

Lilian is correct Alan, haven't heard from our Robert for years, where do you live Alan? Oh by the way does the chippy still exist at Pepper Lane and is it still as good as it used to be?

roy we have been trying to find the hic bibi well as my parteners grandma used to live nearby and every day before school she went there for the days water how do we get to it from the main road?

Hiya again Paul we lived next to Balls int corner of the avenue at the bottom ,Pepper lane still has a chippy not as good as When Mona hadit and the prices are well over the top

can anyone tell me how we can find the marker for hic bibi well please keep trying to find it but not having any luck

Sheila not been to the well for 40years I dont know if it has a marker it never had one when we ventured there from James square in the 50s and 60s.if i were to go there again i would travel to coppull turn into coppull moor lane then about 1/2 mile on the right should be bogburn lane travel down there for a mile or so till reach the stream the well is/was on the right of the little bridge .hope this helps if not mick mit have a ride there if he sees this postand film the ride cos to me he seems that sort of fella.

Sheila iam rung its not Bogburn lane its the next track on right.

cheers alan will try again to find hic bibi well my parteners great grandma had to get water from there every day before going to school she came from coppull

We're any of the people in the picture called or related to a James Hunter, he was my father and this picture was amongst his possessions when he died, and I would love to know more about it.

yes Kathleen, I was a regular at tardy gate coffee bar (expresso Riviera) use to visit lils about twice a week. great days.

I met my husband John at Lil's Cafe'in 1959.My cousin Renee had asked me to go there with her but was a bit reluctant to do so because my dad had threatened to ground me for life if I ever set foot in the place.It had a bad reputation,locally,because of all the bikers who went.Anyway Idecided to risk dad's wrath and go.I never regretted it.I met John.We got on well and started going out together and will be celebrating our 53rd wedding anniversary in March.Dad never found out where we met and I was never brave enough to tell him.

Many fond memories, 63\64,me riding pillion with Dennis whittle, Norton jubilee I think, winter or summer great days , great people

I was brought up on stories of lives cafe by my dad dougie seed does anyone remember him

Sorry I meant lils cafe

I was brought up on stories of lives cafe by my dad dougie seed does anyone remember him

Myself and a group of friends used to ride to Lils from Liverpool late 50's early 60's, remember a couple of families who lived nearby, the Johnson's from Preston Road and the Edwards from Tansley Avenue Coppull, fond memories.

Ah! those were the good old days, it brings back fond memories of my biker days in the early '60s. Great, Great days.

Don’t see it mentioned but Lila son Carl Waters had the first Royal Enfield Crusader Sports, what a good looking bike. Anyone on here throw any light on Pongys Ghost which was Standish folklore at the time

does anyone reamber harry birch, from 1960"s ? my mom joyce barnes used to go to lills cafe.

Yea met Lils Son Carl Waters there in 1967 it was a regular place to go from Keith’s Cafe in Hindley it was not until 1972 Carl and I became great biker buddies and still are today Carl as 5 bikes ranging from a 1951 Thunderbird to a Honda Blackbird he turns 80 next month.