Wigan Album

the photo is taken roughly near the Forresters Arms looking down to the junction with Old Pepper Lane.

Hi Robert nice picture taken from a B/W postcard. Just had a look at your web site. Good stuff. You should give lessons. I went on a night school course on photoshop.RUBBISH. Can't remember one thing.

Looking to Old Pepper Lane on left, bear right to Almond Brook and School Lane to Standish traffic lights.

you can see pepper lane on the right,the photo appear's to be taken in the vicinity of the farmer's arms pup

Thanks Philbee

Philbee's spot on, but I'm going to be picky. It's Shevington Moor, not Almond Brook Road.
Almond Brook Road used to start at the bend in the middle of the photo

Could that be St Maries Church top left hand corner of the photo?

The only church in that area was Standish Primitive Methodist Chapel which was on Preston Road.
The building in the shadows between the cottages is probably Almond's Brewery (where Somerfield is now)

Thanks for all the comments

I agree it should be Shevington Moor, IN Almond Brook. My Fairhurst relatives had a Grocer's shop possibly just out of the picture to the left of the photographer for eons and also lived in one of the houses on the right. I suspect the Almond Brook Primitive Methodist Church was to the right of the photographer.

Anybody got a date (might be on the back of the photo/ postcard), my best guess is about 1900, might be some of my relatives there!

I note there is no "Wigan Streets" picture for "Shevington Moor", will this automatically end up there?

Almond Brook and Shevington Moor were two distinct places Jim.
Almond Brook covered the area between the current hotel and Old Pepper Lane, Shevington Moor the area past OPL down to Four Lane Ends

Can anyone decipher whats on the bill boards?

Thanks for the correction. I still find it confusing, despite my Mum being born in one of the cottages on the right. I'll check out more with my cousins who lived there. I'm confused though, as if I understand you correctly Almond Brook Chapel is (was) in Shevington Moor and not Almond Brook. However, from what I can gather (having had a look around the web), although there is still an Almond Brook Rd, it just goes to Shevington Moor, such that Shevington Moor now encompasses the old Almond Brook. Am I confusing everyone else as well as myself? I could not find any old maps on the web, or much info re Almond Brook location. Of course, it doesn't help that the main road through Shevington Moor is called just "Shevington Moor". If you live on "Shevington Moor", it's a bit like New York, so great they named it twice.

Look at all those white stoned front steps...lovely picture.

I may be wrong but I think the Methodist church mentioned was on the right of the picture. The church building itself is still there but has been converted into Lester Pet Care vet surgery, where I take my pets for treatment.

Fairhurst's shop (where i used to live) is recessed on the left hand side of the photo, just where the lady is standing on the left, the path widens out so that the double front of the shop is completely out of view and the address is Nos 9 and 11 almond brook, Shevington Moor, now a hairdressers shop.Almond Brook Methodist church is just out of view to the left of the photo - if anyone has any more photos please use my email

Dave, no chance of being Almonds brewery, it's too high.

The methodist church was on the right of the photo (out of shot)i also rememeber fairhurst grocers as i was brought up in the stone cottages bottom left of the photo, cyril and beryl used to own the shop and was good friends with peter their son happy times, not the same anymore cant move for all the houses, was nothing but fields then.

sorry the shop keepers were cyril and sadie not beryl my mistake proper shop keepers in those days.

Thanks for the correction Gordon Winstanley - nice to read your comments about my mum and dad (cyril and sadie) Your quite right the chapel is on the right out of view - I meant to type "right" first time but got it wrong