Wigan Album

Was this Harry Houghtons Lodge?

It is Ranger, there were three lodges around there at one time, this one, a smaller one behind the hedges and another over the railway, though by this time that one could well have been filled in because earlier it had become to be used as a rubbish dump.

we called houghtons lodge the one over the railway line, filled in many years ago.

Is this the pond located opposite where Arnold Clark is now?

I am assuming the busy stretch of Scot Lane wasn't build yet.

My mum once told me the original route across to Beech Hill was via Martland Mill Lane which was blocked off when the new Scot Lane opened.

Has Kings Wood, The Clayhole ( The Quarry as we called it) The fields over towards Marsh Green, now been built on, the entire area? I remember being able to walk straight down the brick road from Heinz's past Kings Wood. I used to climb a tree as a young boy on the brick road overlooking Fields of Gold, that's why I love Stings song. Always reminds me to this day of that view. I can imagine it has all changed dramatically now. Frank posted a picture of the Clayhole (Quarry) as I remember it. Wonderful place I spent my childhood. Only knew two Lodges, The Lodge and The Little Lodge. I remember swimming in a large pond somewhere near Martland Mill as a boy.

No this wasn't wasn't Houghtons Lodge it was over the raiway line facing Hougton St.
It only started getting called Houghtons Lodge after the Marsh Green estate was built.

There was loads of wildlife in those fields and woods too Harry, Cuckoos could be heard every spring in Kings wood as well as loads of other birds, and in the sky above the fields Skylarks galore, are Skylarks still singing high in the sky? I've never heard one for years. Once when I was down in the clay quarry and heard a kerfuffle above, next thing a Hare came tumbling head over heels down the side of the quarry and then off like lightening, I'd never seen the likes before nor since, what was chasing it I've no idea, I know there was Hares in those fields as I'd often seen them leaping up above the tall grass whilst running to see what was what. Further down between Duncalf's farm fields there was a Horsetail Reed bog which in winter attracted flocks of Snipe and other wading birds, and as you've said - it's now all covered over with concrete, bricks and tarmac. I'm sure too that the council at the time surely would have known that the farms and manor houses around there should have been listed buildings with them being as early as Tudor and up to Elizabethan i.e. 14th to 16th century so well before 1840, and should have been left in situation, though maybe no one ever applied for them to be listed.
There's a couple of photos in the Album of buildings around there with interesting comments:
https://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/photo.php?opt=5&id=31522&gallery=Beech+Hill&offset=0

https://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/photo.php?opt=3&id=8393&gallery=H.+J.+Heinz%252C+Kitt+Green&offset=60

Thanks Cyril, I will have a look. No one mentions skylarks anymore.
It's a treasured memory for me, walking on those fields alone as a young boy , watching the skylarks above my head trying to divert me from the nest. Never ever saw a hare in all my years on the fields, don't know why, but never did. I once saw a plague of frogs once, and I mean a plague! It was quite scary seeing so many . Also, again alone, I saw a very large white owl, that did a lap of honour around the quarry. It was very big but don't know what kind of owl it was. I also used to see loads and loads of sparrows in my neighbours garden, which I haven't seen many since. Our back garden was only a tiny size whereas his was huge. Another thing I saw in the fields once Cyril in my walks. All the grasses seemed to have a cocoons on them, everywhere I looked. I wondered what they were but didn't touch them. A few days later there were swarms of these large black flying insect with red wings and black spots on their wings. Again, because they were everywhere and so many, it was like some alien invasion, scary as a boy. Much appreciated Cyril. I always check out your posts as you are a very knowledgeable chap and provide many links for everyone to follow up. The skylarks alone is a truly wonderful memory that takes me to my wanderings alone as a boy when I managed to skive off school. If young people of today would spend some time alone walking amongst Nature, and take notice of what they see, that experience will last them a lifetime, as clearly it did both you and me. Not only that , they will treasure that memory. Sadly, a lot prefer to spend their time killing people in computer games. Different world now.
Thanks Cyril , All the Best

Houghtons Lodge was over the railway lines in Martland Mill. At the top of Houghton Ave (,we're I grew up) stood some garages and at the back of these were two ponds ,
The ponds at both sides of the railway were old clay pits connected to the old brickworks