Wigan Album

A lovely find Veronica.
Unless I am mistaken that look like The Packet House on the left, next the six stone cottages, then the barn at Bark Hill and the Colliers Arms at the top.
If so, the Packet House has been much altered but the rest are very much the same today.

The deeds to those buildings would be very interesting to read. Built well before the photo was taken.

Lovely old photo,I've always had a soft spot for New Springs.

I do agree Elizabeth, a much overlooked and beautiful area in my opinion. Mainly I think due to the confined road, heavy traffic and closeness of some of the houses on its approach Wigan.

Great picture showing 4 old pubs, including on the right the Dog & Partridge and the Bridgewater.

Veronica, this is a photo I have never seen before, is it from a private collection?
I see it says Wigan and Leigh Archives on it, but did it originally come from a private collection?

It looks like a private photo given to the Wigan Archives Dennis.
There’s a lot of photos from districts around Wigan.

If you are interested the photo was taken by James Millard of 70 Market Street Wigan. The date taken 1904 or 1905 I would think.

I have many memories of News Springs. Just realised that the spelling is wrong but it always came across to me to sound like that.
One memory is the view from my Grandma’s house in Cale Lane across the fields to the Whelley Line and to Wigan and beyond. Now gone due to housing.

I have always been curious concerning derivation of the name, 'New Springs'.

When were they they new?

Were they new because they appeared where previously there had not been springs? I guess mining subsidence would have caused that sort of thing rather frequently.

Or where they new just as a change in where potable water was obtained, rather than from old springs to the north of the town, or town well?(Wallgate)

Or is it some entirely different story?

I remember seeing a blue plaque on a wall, (I think it was an old school on the main road through New Springs), , saying it was near to the place where the comedian Frank Randle was born; there was also a very old lamp over the door of the old school which was very picturesque but it disappeared when the building was boarded up. I remember a Wigan parody on Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" some years ago....."If tha con mek it theer, tha'll mek it anywheer, It's up to thee, New Springs, New Springs!". It really tickled me and I can't help thinking of it whenever I hear that song.