wigan baths

this picture seems to show that it was !

pavilion 2

tonker,no mines eh,tell me what where the shafts for that used to be at the side of the river Douglas approximately where the traffic lights are now near the Wigan Little Theatre.Also two shafts in Walkden Avenue,where these jam buttie mines?

The Pavilion was demolished in 1959 and the Baths opened in 1968.

I used to go to the old baths with school , the entrance was in Millgate . From memory it was quite small , I remember the attendant his name was Mr Spooner , he terrified the life out of the school kids . The "new " baths were very popular when they first opned , the steam room in particular was popular with sportsmen .

Dostaf, you are correct about springs and wells in Wigan, especially the Harrogate well (see link below) which was later polluted by mine workings. There was also a spring in the cellar of the building on the corner of Darlington St East and Warrington Lane, at one time it was Entwistle and Joint then latterly it was a fabric shop, now it is back to being a house. There's also springs bubbling up in Newmarket St between Thicknesse (Wigan) Hall and the College, on the grass in front of what used to be the community centre building.

Harrogate Spa Wigan

Danni, not ALL shafts, tunnels or underground voids are evidence of 'coal mining'.

Coccium, read my previous post again, taking particular notice of the bit that says :-
'Wigan ... in between two major 'faults' ... There are NO easily, or economically, accessible COAL SEAMS between these two faults'.

Wigan means Wigan. Not Ince, Pemberton, Standish, Leigh, Hindley, Astley, Atherton, Orrell, Ashton, Haydock, Billinge or anywhere else within a ten mile radius of Wigan that may be thought of as being 'in' Wigan, when it's clearly not!


As for 'polluted by mine workings', think about it ....
Mine workings are well below ground. Anywhere 'polluted' by them is going to be even lower.
So, it follows that the mine workings that polluted the water in Wigan were, actually, at a higher level than Wigan itself. And Wigan is in a deep hole.
In fact, I read that the water in Wigan was polluted badly by many factors including the smallpox burial ground at Bryn. That's on the land line between the Ribble and the Mersey drainage basins.
The surface water drains from there, to Wigan, into the Douglas, then to the Ribble.
Ashton, Abram, Golborne, Hindley etc. all drain into the Mersey, via. the Glaze.
Water in Wigan would be contaminated by surface water from Haigh, Ince and Pemberton.

Like I said earlier, believe whatever 'urban myth' you like but, what's true's what's true!

Dog Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeat!

As the Pavilion was demolished in 1959, then I would have been nine years old, but I do remember clearly that it was being cleared to make way for the new swimming pool.

Once it had been demolished, they did begin the excavations not too long afterwards, as memory serves.

As I recall it, there were/are many underground tunnels. One in particular went from the Parish Church to what used to be the Convent on Standishgate, I believe. For what purpose, I'm unsure, but there was talk that it was an escape route. There are no doubt others.

If I'm wrong, I won't argue, because some of this is what I was told, rather than from first hand knowledge.

i agree with danni"s mum.

Where was Millgate pit then?........Southport
Wigans original baths were in Millgate, behind the Pavilion Cinema, in Library St. Consisting of two baths 25 yds long, one female & one male, with mixed bathing one day per week.
The mens plunge bath was covered over on monday nights for Dancing.I was there. Tonks was a bubble

During the the building of Wigan Baths ,there was found a shaft,owned by some one by the name of Platt,whether this produced coal is debatable.

Between the learned academics who are the geologists appointed by British Coal and a few Wiganers, who's only knowledge of coal mining is that their dad/grandad once worked down pit ...... I know who I'd rather believe.

Where was Wigan Central 1 & 2 pits then Tonks?

The foundation stone for the baths was laid on 29th April 1964 by the mayor Joseph Johnson J.P.

Four years between the foundation and the opening seems a long time!

Also I remember the building work happening and I thought even some of the demolition but I could be wrong . . .

No mines in Wigan... nah, of course not. The people who put them on the maps way back were only doing it to create urban myths... it was a cottage industry in Wigan, I'm surprised you lot didn't know that!

My dad took me to watch Tarzan fighting with crocadiles on the very spot about 1950.

I remember the Pavilion, used to go regularly Saturdays. The original baths were in Millgate and as ©art© says The men's plunge bath was covered over on Monday nights for Dancing. It was also covered occasionally for Wigan Boys Club boxing contests between other boxing clubs in Lancashire, I think if my memory serves me correct, the farthest being a team from Lancaster. Others were from St Helens, Bradford Dyers factory Standish, Manchester, these are just a few places I remember, we always had return contests away from Wigan, Jimmy Chadwick was the trainer for the boxing at Wigan Boys Club, happy days.

Below is a copy of an advert in the Wigan Observer, also results of advertised contest.



BOYS' CLUB BOXERS

WIGAN BEAT LANCASTER 8-3
H. Halliwell (Wigan) defeated J. lamb. J. Grimes (Wigan) beat A. Holmes. W. Kinane (Wigan) beat R. Heavyside. other Wigan winners were B. Hodginson beat W. Horne. F. Rennox beat D. Bond. J. Tilley beat R. Tyson. F. Webb beat W. Threlfall and F. Rosbottom who beat G. Ryding. Lancaster's winners were R. Calvert. S. Parkinson. and S. Winstanley.
The Chief Constable (Mr. P. Foster) presented the prizes to all the contestants.

Does anyone remember/know any of the Wigan team members?

I went to the baths once a week with the Gidlow Secondary School, always called for a bag of chips from the chippy at the top end of Millgate

Thanks to the WW members who have submitted pictures, revived a lot of memories.

Fred
PS. got the copy of advert from Wigan History Shop a couple of years ago, when home for a few weeks.

Fred, I used to swim for Gidlow Sec Mod & Wigan Sea Cadets, & when I left school & discovered girls, changed from swimmin' to dancin' at Mosses,Baths, Abbey Lakes & Emp...could say, swimmin' to wimmin'

©art©, thats what happened to me, I discovered girls & drinking, training was to hard, going to Mosses, Baths, Abbey Lakes and Themp was easy and more enjoyable, You missed out Platt Bridge Pro. I dont know how old you are, but I would like to bet our paths crossed somewhere in the past, did you ever buy a passout from me at Abbey Lakes? or from Roy/Tommy Sherry, did you know Brian Ludbrook (played for Wigan for a short time) Cliff Roper, Tommy Havard,or Jack Nissel? I will be spending Christmas and New Year with Sherry, Ludbrook and Roper in Melbourne, the four of us worked together at the Pepper Mill in Darlington Street, many, many years ago.
Fred

tonker,
You don't like Wigan,do you?

tonker,So they were jam buttie mines
As for the only link between me and my forebears and coalmining let me tell you pal,I shifted many thousands of tons of the stuff unlike you and the learned academics who probably have never seen a lump of coal,I have been down a few mines both by winding gear and by walking down to the coal face. al sithee.

Aspuller, yes, actually, I do like Wigan. Whatever gives you the idea that I don't?

Coccium, I also have been down numerous coal mines. I have crouched and watched, as people like you shifted millions of tons of coal from many coal faces.
The 'learned academics', who you say 'probably have never seen a lump of coal', are the people responsible for telling your bosses which direction to drive the headings, to enable you to get to the coal which you claim to have 'shifted many thousands of tons of'.

What makes Wiganers think that the coal mining industry belongs to them, when Wigan played only a very small part of it?
Probably their 'Jam Butty Brains'!

tonker,
Maybe something I've read somewhere.!

I learned to swim in the old baths which was on the site of the new baths only it was smaller,my dad used to go to the sauna room every week,they also had rooms with big baths in for people who didn't have bathrooms at home,it was sixpence a bath,the main entrance was on Millgate side we would come out after swimming an go to a shop that was right facing the door where we bought little loaves of bread and boy,were they good,happy days.

Aye Fred, Platt Bridge Pro, Ashton Pro, Abram Youth Club, Tudor at Chorley, Various Labour Clubs, Bolton Nevada & Palais & Manchester Ritz.
Then there was the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, 4s/6d got you the train & entrance fee, to listen Ted Heaths band, Dickie Valentine, Denis Lotis & Lita Rosa singin'
Tonks'll be sayin' that Blackpool Tower is an upside down pit next

I remember as a child, (trying to)learnto swim in the old baths on Milgate - that was mid 60's - and used the changing rooms round the pool - there used to be a hot soup machine on the way out - 'chicken broth, it had lots of green floaty bits in it - instant)That pool closed whilst they added it on to the 'Wigan Olympic Pool' and the old pools were redone as the small pools.
Although it was called Wigan Olympic pool - I was told that the pool measurement was 50 yards long, and did not meet the criteria (50 metres) for competition.. not long after it opened. I started school swimming lessons in the new small pool in 1968/9 (St Cuthberts)

My dad sent me for swimming lessons with a mate of his, Eddie, who was also an instructor at Wigan baths. I was only 6 and he took me down to the 16ft end, he got in the pool and said to me, "Reet lad, jump in and I will catch thi." I jumped in and he just let me drop. All I can remember is all these bubbles and me thrashing the water to a foam trying to get to the side. As soon as I managed it, after taking in about a gallon of water, he said, "There ya go lad, tha can swim. Tell thi dad tha deserves steak for thi dinner toneet!"

could I add a few words on the wigan baths saga. The old baths were in millgate going up to college ave, then approx half way down college ave,then a prefabricated building used by pupils of the junior tech.college. The largest part was used to teach brickwork,the other bit was a chemistry lab. Down library street was the pavillion cinema, bottom corner of library st. and rodney st. was a firm called dawsons four square who I think sold patent medicines, then to corner of rodney st. and millgate was a sweet shop called skinny enions? Dawsons had a garage and yard at the junction of bold st. and derby terrace(scholes).The gents baths were boarded over during the winter period for dances/etc. Bruce Woodcock the british champion heavyweight boxer did an exhibition bout just after WW2 at the baths during the shut down period.Sorry if all this doesn't make sense but I am old and febble.

bluechieftain, Ian Mcl beat me to it but there is a picture of the foundation stone April 1964 on the blogs page. It would seem rather a long time between the Pavilion closing and the baths actually opening in 1968. Perhaps the operation was done in seperate phases. I doubt if we had Wigan's answer to The Festival Of Britain, or the Liverpool Garden Festival on the site in the interim period. I could be wrong though.

There were some old photos of the building site in last weeks WEP. Mainly showing a wooden cabin. I noticed a sign saying security by Securicor.

Ayrefield, thanks for the Harrogate Spa link. I know I've also read something about one of those supposed wells turning up behing the front door or in the hall of a house during demolition in the area.

Tonker, a couple of famous 'ologists. once sang;......

♪♫♪♫"Don't go down the mine dad, there's plenty of coal in the baths."♪♫♪♫♪