Wigan Album

The school was where my maternal grandmother went to. It also became the Wigan Agencies that sold clothes on weekly terms.

I love the little curtain at the top of the window just behind the car.....I have one of those on MY window to this day; I bet there was an aspidistra on a plant-stand like mine too! I also love the lady in the window above it having a "toot" at the goings-on. I didn't know that area at all, Ron, but I loved gas-lamps and jumble-sales and all the things that seem to have sadly disappeared now. These photos are priceless.

Thanks Ron, you’re a Star!
My Grandmother lived on Harrogate Street further up on the left No 39 and my mother got married from there around that time so they would probably have witnessed this.
I was born in the same house upstairs on the front bedroom floor delivered by a few neighbours on my eldest brothers birthday!!!!

Ps, thanks to the map recently posted on The Album by Keith I didn’t know that this was known as Harrogate Place, I don’t think there was a name plate up in the 1950’s even though I lived across the road until the early 60’s when the entire area with all its memories had been demolished.

The Duke is to the right of the Mayor (the man with chain around his neck). I recognise The Duke from old film clips.
The building he is visiting is to the left of the picture, the entrance to which is behind the camera.
As an aside we used to use tennis rackets to bounce balls of that wall to the right!

Thank you for posting this photo Colin. Not only did it show Harrogate Place but a relative of mine, the Mayor, James Horne. He married my grandfather’s sister, Matilda (Hilda) in 1929 at St Catharine’s Church. I’ve never been any good at giving family relationship titles so I won’t even try.

Oops. I meant to write "His son, Henry married my grandfather’s sister, Matilda (Hilda) in 1929 at St Catharine’s Church."

So glad that this was of interest to you Keith, the detail is not very good, could the magic and skill that you and your computer have make any improvements? Not necessarily a Aspidistra in the window but perhaps some colourisation.

Hi Colin. I gave your photo the ‘treatment’, unfortunately there was hardly any difference. I have come to the realisation after hundreds of attempts that the photos that work best have a range of medium or even tones, rather than the more contrasty ones. The algorithm cannot add these tones, if they are not there, as in this case, then it can be disappointing. If anyone had told me years ago that by pressing a few buttons you could convert b/w photos to colour I would not have believed them. My conclusion is that if someone tells me today that details and sympathetic tones could be added by pressing a few buttons I would not be sceptical. I think the rule is, keep hold of all your photos (especially negatives if you have them), you never know what tomorrow brings.

Thanks for trying Keith, the trouble is with many of the photos they have on file in the Reference Library is that they are poor photocopies of the the originals and this one is very much lacking in contrast and detail.
The next time I visit I will ask if they have the original archived and take a copy myself.