Wigan Album

hi tom my mam and dad went in there,did you ever go in.

Hi Tom did your relations keep a grocers shop on Ivy Brow Aspull.They opened a new shop on Holly Road.I used to deliver to both shops in the late fifties early sixties.Cusani had the Holly Road shop later on.

Was the harp on the corner of of schofield lane . nearly opposite top of greenough street?1

It was on the corner of Vauxhall Road and on the opposite corner was the Pawnbrokers ( Browns ??) behind it in Vauxhall Rd was Seddons stocking factory and across from it in Scholes was Smailes pork butchers.

It was on the corner of Vauxhall Rd.

Theresa , I only went into The Harp, a couple of times, but as a child I used to go to the shop next door The Tripe Shop for a neighbour I remember asking for honeycomb tripe , I used to enjoy a pint with your Mum and Dad in The Stanley and The Waterwheel ,as you know better than anyone they were a nice and genuine a couple as you would ever wish to meet ,I feel very fortunate to have known them.

Tom Clancy, the Walsh's shop on The Ivy are a different family, coincidently though I live on Ivy Brow.

I have mentioned this on a previous occasion. One night, in the late fifties,after midnight, I was working the front of Scholes beat,and in those days you had to check that property was locked. On checking the pub, "The Harp Inn", the front door had been left unlocked. I went in,it was pitch black, I then heard a very deep throaty growl, beads of sweat was on my forehead. I banged, and banged my truncheon on the bar counter. After several minutes I did waken the landlord,and when he put the lights on, I saw the alsatian was chained at the back of the bar. What a relief. I had been too apprehensive to shine my torch.

in the 1954 i used to take orders for mortons the grocers which was in vauxhaull road at the side of the harp inn. i took an order to an address in platt lane.the weather was extremely foggy that night when i got to the address no one was in and i was seething.i set of back and i was turning into vauhaull road when i hit a patch of black ice and i finished up falling over and sliding into the side door spilling the eggs and sugar all over the pub floor plus one of the customers ran out of the way spilling his beer.it took me ages cleaning up the mess.also i hurt my knee in the process

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That was so funny Joe - but not for you at the time. I think you know my brother Terry.