Wigan Album

I’m wondering what it’s like these days in this area. I remember as children rambling about and going to the Bowling Green this way.

That's the path leading from Great Acre bowling greens towards Greenough Street. Sullivan Way doctors surgery is down there now.

I’ve never been there since all the changes I think it would spoil the memories. I would probably become disorientated. I take it there’s no stone wall or steps left at all?

on the left side looking down there was old tennis
courts we used for playing football, on the right was st georges school it was agood playground for all the kids who lived in the area

I love this photo even though I don't recall the area. In "Last of the Summer Wine" there are some stone steps with a railing just by Ivy's Cafe, and whenever we have visited Holmfirth, where it was filmed, they have fascinated me.....they are still there in Holmfirth. There seemed to be so many at one time, and I think they add such character to a place, like "The Blind Steps" off Darlington Street East. I hate to see such landmarks disappear.

When I took my lovely wife to Holmfirth, the cafe was called Sids.
If I had not been to someplace for a long time, I would make a point of going as soon as I could, I do go up this hill on my bike on regular occasions, I just have to keep a close lookout for broken glass, and I would say don't risk it after dark.

You wouldn’t have known it Irene it was away from the main roads. I can’t visualise the place now if the steps have gone. Scholes was great for rambling around with all these hidden places for adventures. We were always fascinated with steps they seemed to be everywhere. It was a change going to the bowling green instead of down by the Duggie and the Camel’s Hump. This part reminded me of a road to a castle with the stone walls.

What is the name of the street in the background at the end of the railings just past where the 4 lads are standing? Is that Oxford Street?

I used to know all the street names Rich but not sure if that is Oxford St. or not. I am sure somebody will know.

still have nightmares of walking down there to St Georges school.

Veronica, do you have a rough date for the photo ? Is that Limefield Flats back left, and does that make it late 60s early 70s?

I can only guess Douglas to me it looks late sixties to me. Although there’s still a lot of the old terraces. I Left Wigan in ‘69 and the tall flats were built and the other flats and houses There was no date on the photo. It might even be mid sixties. A lot of the terraced houses had been demolished in the mid sixties. I lived in John St and our street was gone by ‘67.

Rich., I can remember there was Windsor Street and there was Castle Street; it could be one of these two streets.

Veronica, thank you for uploading this wonderful photograph of Wigan.

Douglas, I cannot offer you an exact date, but I would guess at somewhere around 1970. I believe, much of the area where the flats are (on the other side of Greenough Street) was modernised in the sixties. Many of the terraced houses around Windsor Street (this side of Greenough Street) were demolished in the early seventies.
I remember, the travelling fairground was held (I think, a few times) on the land (Windsor Street area), which is the terraced houses area on the above
photograph and this happened around 1974.
There were some terraced houses still standing in 1975 in this area, but most terraced houses had been demolished and the land was just left for a while. It was quite strange, because the streets still remained, but the terraced houses had gone, just rubble and broken house bricks where there had once been a living community.

There was Regent St and Vaughan St . I think Oxford St was the one that did lead up to those steps. It’s that long ago I can’t say. Others will know who actually lived in these streets.

Rich., looking at the photograph and trying to picture that area, I think that it could be Castle Street.
I think that Windsor Street was close to St George's School and would be on the photograph if that street was Windsor Street.
If I remember correctly, Oxford Street and Regent Street were higher up Greenough Street and, therefore, more to the left of the photograph.
I think, Castle Street was at the top, beyond Vaughan Street. Also, there was a street crossing these streets, which I think was Arundel Street or something like that.
Additionally, I think that the terraced houses to the left (you can see the back of the terraced houses) are on Osborne
Street.
But! These are only my thoughts and memories of the area.

i would say its the ear[y sixties there isnt very many
tv airials on the chimneys can see woodcock house and douglas house lived in woodcock house early sixties

Where approximately is/was Longshoot on the pic ?

Roy, Longshoot is not on the photograph. Basically, Longshoot is to the left of the photographer.
If you were the photographer taking this photograph, Longshoot would be to your left, across that piece of land and possibly stretching further up and beyond.
If you are referring to the medical centre, it would be to your left and possibly not too far behind you.
To give you a position, St George's School would be to your right and the main road to Whelley would be on your left.
I hope that this helps.

I’m assuming this path no longer exists? I’ve been on multiple walks over the years and the only path Im aware of is at the bottom of Great Acre hill leading down towards the River Douglas. I’m sure there is a bowling green behind the houses on Great Acre that you can access via Coop Street (behind Longshoot Medical Centre). To the best of my knowledge there is no direct path here leading down to Sullivan Way. I would say this pic is either late 1960s or 70s judging by the presence of the Scholes flats. All the terraced housing in this picture had all been demolished by the mid 1970s which is when the whole site was redeveloped for what is now the estate of council owned town houses on Sullivan Way.

CJ

There’s very little left of the Scholes I knew apart from Vauxhall Rd and Scholefield Lane and St Pat’s Church. If I did walk up there looking for landmarks it would seem like a “ wilderness” . All the character has been wiped out. Even walking along the Duggie isn’t the same which we all did at one time.

the path started at the side of the house that ted morley and his family lived in on the bowling greens it went down to the houses shown which led to greenough st ,my cousin lived in the last house on longshoot jump over the garden wall and you was in the bowling green

My family lived at Mint Court as people have said it would be on the left hand side at the top of Coop Street. We left in 63.

For those people who have fond memories of the place, it is better to keep hold of those memories and images which resemble the photograph above. Sadly, most of old Greenough Street and the streets around have gone, even Central Park is no longer there: replaced by a supermarket and car park.
Greenough Street is certainly not the street it used to be. In fact, Wigan is no longer the place it used to be.

I was born in Osborne St. and Ian is right the backs of the houses on the far left of the photograph are Osborne St. and the back of our house is just on the picture on the left.

The path and steps are still there, Tom the multi story flats in the photo were built mid to late 60s.

Where would I go if I wanted to see the path and steps again Tuddy? Would it be from Scholes do you think? Or from Greenough St?

Make your way to SULLIVAN WAY SURGERY in SULLIVAN WAY.and you'll pass them on the right, 50 yards before the surgery.

You can go either way Veronica, you could go the way Tom says, or go behind Longshoot doctors in Scholes, walk down the cobbled path, and the steps are at the bottom on the right.

Thank you both. I thought the steps wouldn't be there anymore. Next time I go to Wigan I’ll go and have a look. I might go tomorrow actually. ;o)

The street directly facing the steps is Castle Street which led into Vaughn Street (after it crossed with Arundel Street). My mum's family lived in Turner Street, which ran parallell with Vaughn Street (to the right on the photograph).

I walked around there today. I walked from the Scholes end where I saw some nice Apartments being built. My thoughts of the area is that somehow it’s shrunk and it’s a lot more secluded. No wide open space left. I did see a part of the stone wall and a few steps leading nowhere. I walked past St George’s Nursing Home with the entrance stone over the door denoting ‘ Girls’ and Infants’. I followed a path that said ‘no access for cars’ to a dead end and a modern house. I turned around a bit dejected and got back onto Greenough St from what was Turner St. I couldn’t associate anything I remembered all those years ago. I don’t know how all those houses existed in those streets. A Community wiped out. I have to say the modern houses are lovely though with very nice gardens. It does look a very quiet area beyond the main road.

My parents Mary and Ken Jameson lived on Weston St, which i believe was sort of in front of St. Georges.

I took a photo roughly from the same spot today, if I can figure out how to post on here I will do.

I was thinking that Tuddy I wish I had taken my iPad. I hope you can ‘ figure out how to post it’….

the street behind the boys is castle st. leading to vaughan st the photo must have been taken about 1960 to63 because limefield flats in the top left corner is were i live from 1960. they can just be seen in front of the high rise flats.

The high rise flats in the background were build mid to late 1960s.