Wigan Album

dk, if this IS Ince rec, the building on the left would be the "Canteen" where pupils at the old Ince Central School used to have their dinner. I started there around 1958 whilst the new school was still being built, and we used to wash our hands in the cloakroom at the old school, then go in a "crocodile" with the teachers and dinner-ladies across Ince Green Lane, down Local Board Street and Pickup Steet to the canteen. Would the photo showing the slag tip have been taken from the Pickup Street end looking towards Manchester Road? Aitch remembers the Canteen better than me and may be able to verify.

Top picture looking towards Jackson Street. Manchestr Road to the left, slag tip seen over buildings. Lower picture looking towards Manchester road, spectators standing on the football stand backing on to bowling green.

My Grandmother used to live on Belle Green Lane when I was growing up in the 1950's, the Slag Heaps ran virtually all the way up Belle Green Lane on the right, behind the house from the viscinity of The Engineers Arms up to behind the Royal Oak, just before the railway crossing. They were buldozed away in the late 1950'/early 60's to make way for all the Housing thats there now. The Pit Shafts were still there, we used to climb the wall and throw bricks down the shaft.

Further to my earlier comment,due to the number of spectators it is more likely to be Ince Carnival Morris Dancing competition.These finished about 1950, I remember selling programmes for the event all round the Wigan area.My friend's wife was leader of Ince troupe, Rosaline Rigby, now Crank.they live in Hindley.

It is definitly the slag tip which you could see at the top of Petticoat Lane, this was the spoil heap from the Ince Iron and steel works, a continuation of the slaggy was the rabbit rocks, although these were nowhere near as high as the slagtip was, I spent many hours climbing over both in the 40s and 50s

Thanks for the info. It helps me a lot with the sequence of different films that I am playing with. For further clues: at the end of this section of film is a short piece of film attempting to record the fireworks display and the film canister is dated 1955. Would there have been a special event with fireworks perhaps, or would fireworks have been commonplace? I am aware that the various rucks were higher and changed shape over the years. I wish I could remember them better. Thanks again

hi adrich the last time i went up petticoat lane it was a dirt track to my anties house the blakleys between jimmy and kenny britons and the halliwell girls did know you them

hi dave c i think you might be thinking of what we used to call the gray hills,the slag tip was down hemfield rd at the top of bell green lane.