Wigan Album

In the late fifties I had to accompany the sergeant to this pub, where they were drinking well into the afternoon beyond closing time. I then had to cart trays of pint mugs, containing partially consumed pints of beer,across to the police station side door, next to the fire station. You were required to produce them in court, as evidence.

There was a "Shovel & Broom" on Manchester road,higher ince. Is this not the same one?

Tom a photo. of the Shovel and Broom pub in Ince is on page 2

Thanks Ron.

The chardonnay sippers probably escaped thru the back lane Albert!!

Beer belly. I suppose in those far off days, they thought chardonnay, as I did, was some far off distant country.

My mother was born in this pub in June 1904. The landlord at the time was Peter ('owd P) Jolley, her father. He was later landlord at other pubs in Wigan incloding the Swan & Railway opposite NW station. Mum spent her nearly all her working life in the pub trade, the Bodega in King St. during the war, the Millstone in Wigan Lane in the seventies (for Harry & Jean Vose) and finishing at the Balcarres just off the top of Greenough St. later the same decade.

My uncle Billy was landlord of this pub Billy Lees.. He was charged by A policeman called Sergeant Wellsby because he was caught for drinking after closing.. My dad said the policeman was arrogant and no one liked him because of his manner.. he wasn’t at all popular!
He sat on the pub wall and took notes looking through the window!

My Great Uncle Thomas Paxton ran this pub with his wife Mary from 1891 until 1894 when he moved to run the Swan and Railway in Wallgate.

According to a census in my family tree my ancestors ran this pub 1871 Henry and Alice Gregory

At last, a good picture of the Shovel! This was at one time run by my great aunt Bridget (Beezy) O’Loughlin. Her sister Maria ( pron Ma- ry-a) Doherty had the Queens in Wallgate and M’s son ran the Royal George Boarding house in Scholes with his wife Maggie Lees ????