Wigan Album

From what i can see of the buildings that i recognise i would guess at 1960 ish.
Also, unless i'm wrong there seems to be a yellow non - parking line in the gutter, they first appeared in 1956.

Would you have been able to stroll so nonchalantly down the middle of Rectory Road in 1960?

I would guess at 1920's or earlier Pity you cant make out the type of clothes the people are wearing that would help tie the date down a bit.

Just checked and it was posted in 1912.

It would appear that i was nonchalant David, although if you'll pardon me for saying, it is a lane not a road.
It would appear that the lane was cobbled, plus the churchyard wall was much shorter in length than it is now.

The Lychgate appears the same Roy, not the pub :) I wonder if one of those trees in shot was the big one that blew down a few weeks ago ? I suggested a few years ago doing the road in between the Bull and the Lychgate in setts with a few ornamental lamps dotted in for effect. The cobbles might slow the traffic down if nothing else.

WN1, the tree that blew down is / was alongside the path that leads from the Vestry to the lychgate approximately10 or so yards from the gate, in fact it is still lying there. So no, it isn't one of those on the photo.
When i was a lad living in Market St the whole Market Square was cobblestoned, in fact the cobbles are probably still there under the tarmac.

I know the tree is still down and partially taped off, I was in the church yard the other day. That tree would have been considerably smaller in 1912 so it may be a smaller one in the background. It wouldn't surprise me if they threw the tarmac over the cobbles, lets get it scraped off and returned to how it was. It might give a bit of that olde worlde ' village feel ' to the centre of Standish.

Roy, those were the days - Stone setts over most of the market place and proper rounded cobblestones near the well if I remember rightly, and 70 years ago we could almost walk in the road down Rectory Lane at times, there was so little traffic. All the best for the new year - I noticed you had a "big birthday" last summer by the way, I'm not far behind! John K.

WN1. They did away with the olde worlde feel of the Market Square when 'they' demolished part of the terraced row and built the square soulless block that was Lloyd's bank.
Hi John, thank you, yes i did and i know you're not far behind. All the best to you and yours for 2022.

They could always knock the soulless block down and put Taylors back up.

I just thought at the time when I was having the discussion, I put forward the idea of reinstating the cobbles ( wherever they were ), because they'd look nicer, would probably slow speeding traffic down and add to the ambiance of inner Standish. Given the ' where there's a blame, etc... ' culture, this would probably be a non starter now. Has anyone heard how the widening School Lane project is getting on ?

Is that a gas lamp by the lynch gate?
I'm glad to see that we talk about setts being laid and cobbles as well. Have you noticed how many folk on TV don't know the difference. Mainly on televised cycle events when commentators refer to setts as "the cobbles"