Wigan Album

My Dad was from Spring View, and my sister-in-law.....I wonder if your wife knew my sister-in-law, Ron? Her name was Pat Cooksey. She would have been older than your wife but she may have known her. I also had cousins in Taylors Lane....their name was Griffiths, and I also had relatives in that area called Gittoes. My Dad always pronounced Cecil Street as "Ceecil Street". My brother worked at Springs Branch. What a small world!

I lived in one of the houses on Warrington Road at the side of the church in the picture from 1949-68.

Probable that the open land on the right is the same as the recent photo of the Miners strike children waiting to be fed.

This looks very much like a Thomas Sutch railway photo.
The large chimney to the right of the church is from Empress Mill and far right is from Belle Green Lane.

Arthur, no way is that the Empress mill chimney Could be the Rylands mIll chimney? But that looks to far away??? Could it be Giants Hal?

Is that The Wutchie? Silhouetted on horizon behind chimney on Right.

What is the name of the church in the photo ? Just trying to get the location in mind. My grandad lost the use of his arm in WW1, and was employed by Springs Branch as a railway “ knocker “.

St Mary's church. Duglas.
Ron I'll stick with my analysis of Empress mill.
Rylands too far away to see from Springs Branch.

Sorry should have Douglas.

I can see two tall chimneys on the photo and I would say that one of the chimneys shown would have been The Empress Chimney, (possibly the one far right.....the one nearest the church right looks too far away), and the hill in the distance is The Wutchie. I lived near The Empress and it wasn't all that far from St. Mary's and Springs Branch. My brother worked at Springs Branch and I used to walk down there with him to pick up his wages. The Black Diamond pub was only at the bottom of Ince Green Lane and it wasn't much further to Springs Branch. I am happy to stand corrected if I'm wrong.

I reckon the chimney on the left was at Ince Iron Works, while the one on the right was at Ince Forge?

I'll go with Empress mill and to the far right Ince Forge. The one in Belle green lane was demolished in the late 60s or very early 70s.

George hindley ince iron works chimney was demolished very many years ago before this photo was taken. I agree with ince Forge though and Empress mill on Anderson St.

Easily recognisable as one of Tom Sutch's photographs. It was one of a series taken in 1974 from one of the Springs Branch yard's lighting towers. The train in the sidings provided a working platform for the installation of the overhead electrical system.