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Photos of Wigan
Photos of Wigan



Wigan Album

ST. THOMAS'S CHURCH

6 Comments

Cover of Centeneary Booklet 1851-1951
Cover of Centeneary Booklet 1851-1951
Photo: RON HUNT
Views: 2,180
Item #: 21108
Cover of the Centenary Booklet published for the church centenary 1951

Comment by: Al.C. on 26th July 2012 at 10:07

Was this the church that was on or near Caroline Street, demolished sometime in the 1970s?

Comment by: RON HUNT on 26th July 2012 at 11:06

Here is a link to a photograph of the church, on the site, just prior to demolition
http://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/photo.php?opt=2&id=421&gallery=St+Thomas%27s+C+of+E%2C+Wigan&offset=0

Comment by: Rev David Long on 26th July 2012 at 22:16

The pic's a bit strange. I don't expect geographical accuracy, but you would assume that the buildings featured would be in St Thomas' Parish - but the power station cooling towers were very definitely within the boundaries of St Mary's, Lower Ince. I'm not sure that the gas works were in St Thomas' either - maybe All Saints', or even St George's.

Comment by: RON HUNT on 26th July 2012 at 22:47

Hi Rev. This an extract from the Centenary Booklet
"St.Thomas's is a typical down town parish. The boundaries are fixed by the canal and railway lines, and within its borders are the two railway stations, the gas works, the electricity generating stations, and numerous mills and factories.

Comment by: Rev David Long on 28th July 2012 at 14:29

When I was Vicar of St Mary's we rationalised our boundaries with the Parish of St James with St Thomas so that the Leeds & Liverpool Canal became the new boundary from just below Britannia Bridge to the junction for the Leigh Branch, and then down the Branch until the West Coast Main Line crossing (almost). Before that the boundary had been the pre-1974 boundary between Wigan Borough and Ince Urban District, which followed the course of the Clarington Brook as it had been before the canal was built, and coal mining brought other physical changes. Thus it led from Boundary Street off Warrington Road, by Britannia Bridge, through the Britannia PH (one entrance was in Lancs, the other in Wigan with different opening hours), then through the block of terraced houses along the canal bank before crossing what became the line of the canal. Then it meandered across where the power station was built - but only the wharf and what appears to have been open ground between the canal and the cooling towers were on the St James with St Thomas side. It then recrossed the canal and went almost to Poolstock itself before turning sharply southwards and heading off towards Bamfurlong - a difficult boundary to follow once mining created Scotmans Flash which spread across both sides of where the brook had been. I don't know where the boundary between St James' and St Thomas' was before they were amalgamated, so I don't know which one historically had more of the power station site within its bounds - but the majority of the site had always been in St Mary's Parish, even though the vehicular and barge accesses were in another parish, or two.

Comment by: Dave Marsh on 28th July 2012 at 16:08

In Jersey each Parish Church has a sanctuary path leading to the sea.I wonder if sanctuary went outside the Church building in the U.K..The narrow paths make very pleasant walks today.

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