Photo-a-Day  (Wednesday, 11th August, 2021)

Good photo Dennis. Library Street is where I used to catch the bus home to Ince when I was a young girl, opposite McNulty's shoe shop. which I think is the only shop left from those days. Even now, whenever I go down there on the bus, I imagine my Mam and I waiting for the bus home as it was getting dusk on a Winter Saturday afternoon, hot pies bought from Voses' pie shop for the family's tea smelling delicious in my Mam's bag! When it was foggy, you could always see the Wigan Corporation bus approaching due to the green lights on either side of the destination board. The town planners have taken away a lot of the Wigan we knew back then, but they can't take the memories.

One wouldnt think that there were so many tree to be seen in that area. well done Wigan council for keeping our streets green

Irene, It will be Alzheimer’s that will end up taking away the memories.

Mick, apparently Alzheimers patients remember the past better than the present, and if that happens it will suit me fine. However, I assure you I have my full set of faculties at the moment, thankyou! What does everyone else remember about Library Street? I remember the "new baths", (swimming pool), being built at the bottom end....when I am on facebook, there are often pictures of those baths and younger people refer to them as "the old baths",,,,to me and many others, they were "the NEW baths"....the "old baths" was in Millgate! I remember Timberlakes too, and a music shop which sold guitars, and I seem to recall a barbers with a traditional red-and-white pole outside.

I remember the trees that lined Parson’s Walk and Wigan Lane. Sadly most of them fell victim to Dutch Elm Disease. All cut down and never replaced.

Don't stop being that little ray of sunshine Mick :) Good photo Dennis

My wife suffers from short term memory loss but can still remember Library Street has it was years ago

I remember the 'stinky' Pavillion at the bottom end on the left. It was a cream and maroon building - I always hurried up passing there. I also remember Byrons on the other side where I learned to touch type. There was some steps leading up there. Best of all was the Library (Now the History Museum). The entrance then was around the corner on the ground floor. There was stone steps leading up to the upper floor. I remember a carved wooden panel from the 1600's with letters on it but cannot remember what it said. Is that the first sign of Alzheimer's ? It is 60 years since I first joined, I am still a member - I think you had to be 14 to join the adult library, I loved it as it was far more interesting then. I haunted that library.

We used to catch the No 3 to Hindley.I remember a shop which I now think must have been something to do with car insurance and had a model of roads with model cars,it was on the left hand side going to the town centre.Timberlakes was also a great shop to look into.Also remember Bill Tracey from Hindley argueing with the bobby on point duty at the top.The Bobby went to the phone and a van came and bundled him off.Happy carefree days when we were kids

Wasn't there a cut through in between the History Museum and the next building
( Timberlakes) which brought you out on King St. Also the Crawford Rooms was down that entry it had a side entrance/ exit if my memory serves me well. The first grown up 'dance hall' I went to at 16. It was around the time the Beatles were just coming into the big time. I remember The Stomp and the Twist, it was really hot in there when it was crowded.

Irene, the music shop was Heywoods near the top of Library St. , they also had a record department. Veronica , there was a cut between Library and King St where you say, which was roofed over part of the way and I seem to remember that the kitchens where school dinners were prepared was on the left hand side of it going from Library St.,

Pw the car insurance was on the right hand side going down Library St and it was Hill House Hammond. Got our sons 1st car insurance from them nearly £400 cheaper than any other insurer Ashton/Wigan.That was in the day of walking/phoning for quotes

Yes Veronica,there was a cut through where you say..I believe someone was murdered there.i don't know any of the details though,perhaps someone can enlighten us.

I worked in L A Pardey & Co, Accountants, for many years - the building at the bottom of Library Street, I believe it's an Italian Restaurant now. The library was directly across the road, very handy at lunchtimes! I remember Lowe's shop, down the alley cutting through to King Street. They repaired and sold typewriters. Bought a little typewriter from there in 1973. I loved McNulty's shop too Irene - but the shoes were over my budget, as I remember. The Mayor's Parlour was next door to our office, and I remember the florists delivering fresh flowers when there was some important civic event being held there.

Yes, I remember L A Pardey and Co, and I also remember the partly-covered alleyway between King Street and Library Street....wasn't Chamberlain's Music Shop at the King Street end of the alleyway, and people called the alleyway "Chamberlain's Arcade"? There is still a long narrow alleyway off King Street which comes out at the side of what used to be Wallpaper Supplies. I have sometimes got off the bus in King Street and cut through there to the library.

Maureen the murder was after my time around the late 80's 90's ? I think that was why it was closed off. always used to cut through there if going to the Court/County Pictures, coming down Scholes.

Veronica I too learned to touch type at Byroms Commercial College. I. Am almost sure the insurance company was The Royal.

Irene the alleyway you mean was further up Library St from the one I mean , past the side entrance of Wallpaper Supplies and led onto Grimes Arcade. Another passage exits directly opposite the side entrance of the Wallpaper store. There was a Wool Shop called Crawfords and opposite to that shop was Vallmar Fabrics. That's going way back. The buildings are still there though and the 'cobbles'.

I first learned to swim at the old baths,then I taught my three little ones to swim at the new one..every Saturday morning we would be there..I only stopped going when a man I knew insisted on keep ducking my head under the water which I hated..I remember all the shops on Library Street,it has an awful lot of history.

I seemed to recall the lady at the college always had a ruler in her hand Linma. She used to walk up and down peering over our shoulders. She made me nervous!;o))

Once more a great photo Dennis. I do remember Library Street and all the stores etc. that everyone remembered. But my clearest memory was of the alleyway where the Bodega pub was and the public urinals down by the library, not that I ever used them.

When I played rugby for Wigan Tech we used to meet on the tech steps on the left hand side for away games.

I always found the library interesting.

Now come on Veronica get your thinking cap on, what was her name, I can’t remember. I do remember when Platt’s printers phoned up wanting a typist and I was the one at the top of the list so I went. Got the job and my wage was £3 3s. When she came back from holiday she went mad, “my girls don’t start on less than £3 10s’ so I missed out!

Veronica, wasn’t the lady at Byrom’s called Mrs. Heathcote. She was very strict and also had an Assistant (Sheila?). We used to wave out of the typing room window at the guys building the baths. That also got us into trouble. I’m thinking it was 1965.

I remember Crawford's wool shop, and Valmar fabrics, Veronica, but time has played tricks with my mind and I can't just visualise where they stood....perhaps our little ray of sunshine is right and I am losing the plot! I'll have to have a nostalgic mooch around there soon and see if I can bring them back....perhaps I'll end up doing a Gary Sparrow down those back alleys and end up back in the 1960s Wigan? If I do, I'll send for you and Maureen and all our Wigan World Ladies to join me.

I can't remember her name ladies, all I know is it was like being back at school! It was early 70's when I went there, I wanted a change in 'career'. I still have the certificates somewhere that I passed. But that's another story of being a 'temp'! Strewth!
You would remember if you walked down the cobbled Rd Irene, across from Wallgate Station.

The murder in the early 1980s was on College Avenue (rear of where the library was) a barman from the Turnkey Cellars who during the evening had been talking to and later asked by a customer to meet up in the alley after the bar had closed, his naked and badly beaten body was found in the morning by someone on their way to work going through the alley, a man from Scholes was reported to police having been seen either by a neighbour or his girlfriend covered in blood. Sadly the reason behind the murder was homophobic because the barman was known to be gay.

It was an horrific murder and was reported in a lot of detail at the time and was maybe around the same time as the other horrific murder of the young woman found on Station Road.

I remember there being a men's outfitters at the top of Library Street, but I can't recall the name, I never bought anything from there as everything seemed to be overpriced, the original shop front is still there but now an estate agents.

Do you mean Rowbottom Square, Veronica? Opposite the old GPO? That's where I thought Crawford's wool shop was, and the fabric shop, but I thought you meant it was an alleyway off Library Street......that's why I couldn't get my bearings! We had got our wires crossed, Dolly dear!

My outstanding memory of the old library was that it was generally full of books,...and stuff like that. But most of the books they had, had very few pictures in them,....unlike the Beano, or the Dandy.

That's it Irene... further up than the one near the old library... nothing new for me getting wires crossed.
Ozy you were probably on the wrong floor! There was more to see up the stone steps - where all the owd men kept warm reading the newspapers amongst other old fossils.

I never realised that reading newspapers and old fossils could keep you warm Veebs,... Thanks for the tip.
I'll try to remember that the next time the old AGA conks out.
I think I may still have a few old fossils down in the shelter. I'll root them out first chance... Just in case.

Yes just wrap the fossils up in newspaper and get the fire going ...;o)

Cyril, the men's outfitters you refer to was Collin (Just one word ) spelled with the double LL and you are right in saying that it was very expensive. Next door to it was Rigby's shoe shop , an independent selling expensive shoes and next door on the other side was Jays, a chain furniture shop, where you could furnish your house for 10/- a week with the cheap stuff they sold.

I have a photo of Rigby's shoe shop I must post it on Album.

Thanks for that DerekB, Collin it was, memory must be playing tricks as I also seem to have got the date of one those murders wrong which I seemed to remember were committed around the same time. Sadly the murder of the young woman on Station Road was 1989, here's a link: http://www.blackkalendar.nl/c/37602/Peter%20David%20Heaton

However I can't find any more info on the murder committed on College Avenue, nothing listed on here unless I've missed it. Reading through there are a lot of murders listed that have been committed in Wigan from 1980 to 1999, some I'd forgotten about and some I didn't know about. https://totalcrime.co.uk/2014/06/21/murderbook-1900-1999/