Wigan Album

They were waiting for the Hindley or Ince bus.

Used to catch the number 3 a bit futher up to Hindley opposite Timberlakes car showroom.

That is the Hindley bus queue, the New Springs bus is higher up Library Street

1970s and 1980s the New springs bus stopped at bottom of Library street outside the baths.
I should know I caught it ť mornings a week for over 7 years. Sometimes 6 mornings if any overtime going.

The facades of the buildings are magnificent - the insides are another story for another day! Not much changed.
The bus stop for me if I have missed a train is right at the bottom these
days- most inconvenient !

The queue is for the bus to Hindley. The bus in the picture would be on the stand for the no 14 service to New Springs.

Great picture DTease . It’s hard to believe this was once Wigan . Those who built these wonderful buildings clearly had confidence in its future .
Something or someone along the line did not share that same confidence, as we now see . It’s like that word progress just washed this all away , like it never existed at all . We are just left with pictures of how it once was . Now we have a completely different Wigan . My God ! Doesn’t time move ! I suddenly feel like a pawn being shunted ahead even more urgently!

3E Ince and 1A Hindley. Outside of the then Timberlakes car dealer.

Wigan And District Mining And Technical College. The college was so highly regarded that it's qualifications were mentioned in The Mines And Quarries Regulations. The building is now the town hall.

Which building was the Mining College Tuddy ?
My Grandfather was the Head of Mining there.

I recall going to evening classes for art lessons up those steps in 1961. NThere was a lot of ' classrooms', very crowded when coming out with people rushing down the steps.

The one on the right was the college. The one with the dome was the Municipal Buildings. The Borough Engineer and Borough Treasurer had offices there.

Thank you Ken.

Helen of Troy, If you don't mind me asking, was your Grandfather's surname Dickie?

No Tuddy, he was a Thomas

Tuddy;Bob Dickie was head of mining at st Helens college in the 1960s/70s

Helen, and AH, It was Bob Dickie who I was thinking about, I was at St Helens college when he was there, I thought that he may have moved to St Helens after Wigan stopped teaching mining engineering.

Tuddy, sorry but I gave my grandfathers Christian name, he was Thomas Bryson.

Tuddy;wigan college stopped mining courses 1968/69 all mining courses moved to st Helens college

Thanks Helen, must have been before my time.

AH, do you know if the mining staff at St Helens were originally at Wigan?

I studied shorthand across the road - this would be in the 1970s and made a lovely friend there - what happened to you .....