Login   |   Register   |   
Photos of Wigan
Photos of Wigan



Wigan Album

Powell Street, WIgan

9 Comments

Old maps 1908 & 1939 showing Powell Street & Drill Hall.(Re previous Drill Hall Photos & Comments.)
Old maps 1908 & 1939 showing Powell Street & Drill Hall.(Re previous Drill Hall Photos & Comments.)
Photo: Barrie
Views: 4,158
Item #: 29980
Whilst trying to locate where Santus Motor Body works had been on Powell Street ( Dad worked there during the 1930-40 era) came across these 2 sections of Wigan maps. As you can see the Drill Hall was certainly Pre 1st World War era, but Santus, having started out as a Wheelright in 1906 must have moved sometime after 1910 into the premises marked "motor body works" shown on the 1939 map.

Comment by: Pete Barker on 10th December 2017 at 23:22

I can recall a bofors gun on display outside the drill hall. It was some sort of open day there and was very busy. Not sure when, but would have been very late 1950's IIRC.

Comment by: Mick on 11th December 2017 at 09:08

If the age of the old Drill Hall is in question, it was there in 1889, when the survey for the 25 inch OS map of Lancashire was conducted.

Comment by: Rev David Long on 11th December 2017 at 09:22

Looking at the bottom right-hand corner of the Drill Hall site, it looks as if there was an extension of the Hall in the period between the maps.

Comment by: Cyril on 11th December 2017 at 17:56

If the extension was the building on the corner of Water St/Church St that was where the hall caretaker lived.

Comment by: Rev David Long on 12th December 2017 at 08:44

Maybe that explains the indent into the site below the 'll' of Hall.?

Comment by: Joseph on 14th December 2017 at 13:30

1884 June 21 Laying of the Foundation Stone of the Volunteer Drill Hall in Powell-street, Wigan, by Lieut.-Col. the Earl of Crawford and Balcarres.

1884 Dec 20 Opening of the Volunteer Drill Hall by the Earl of Crawford and Balcarres.

Comment by: wuz on 16th December 2017 at 11:20

I used to work in Wigan in the 60's and seem to remember that the building marked motor body works was were the TA unit stored their lorries. I used to walk past and the large door used to be open especially when someone was in the Drill Hall. I can't recall whether it was a permanent garage for the vehicles or whether they used to borrow it if something was happening at the drill hall

Comment by: Barrie on 16th December 2017 at 17:31

wuz, Item #29962 I left a comment that after Santus shut up shop, the Military took over the body works for their use,so that fits in with your comment. It has always surprised me looking at the section of the map how many places of worship there were in a small area of Wigan. When my Dad moved to Wigan in 1926,he was lodging in the Dicconson Terrace area for a couple of years and on a Sunday would attend the Congregational Church on Standishgate or Hope Street or Library Street way.He was a lay preacher for a while and took Sunday School classes (he was 25 years old)

Comment by: Wuz on 18th December 2017 at 15:03

Thanks Barrie its nice to hear about these places once known to me and my wife, we left in the late sixties and hardly ever get the chance to return, when we did we didn't like what has been done to the old town, a tragedy.

Leave a comment?

* Enter the 5 digit code to the right of the input box. Don't worry if you make a mistake, you will get another chance. Your comments won't be lost.