Photo-a-Day  (Friday, 18th February, 2022)

Part of our playground growing up.

When us kids where out and about we could always make out the bright white painted Standish water tower from places like Billinge hill Winter hill and Ashurst beacon
They don't use the tower now except for mobile phone mast,
United Utilities have built a underground reservoir so Standisher don't get thirsty.

Lovely picture.

The playground of my youth.

MESSAGE FOR EDNA.......Edna, just in case you haven't seen it, I left you a message on yesterday's p-a-d. I only put it on quite late last night so you may not have seen it. (Sorry, everyone, for interrupting today's p-a-d).

Like yesterday's photo, this has an ethereal feel to it, as if we have stumbled upon something "other-wordly". I like the dreamy quality of these photos.

A tad Pre-Raphaelite .

Standish Water Tower is in Standish. Haigh Hall is in Haigh. Aspull Pumping Pit, in Haigh, is on higher ground than both. The east side of Billinge Hill is higher than all of them.
The highest ground in Wigan is behind St.Catharine's church.

Don't like it, the top part of the photo hurts my eye, just looked up Raphael and I don't like hes paintings as well

Something different about the colours - an iridescence to them. Changing from ordinary to extraordinary. It must be a secret formula. Well done Poet whTever it is.

I'm surprised developers haven't bought it and turned it into luxury retirement flats - "rural, lots of wildlife ,cycling, hang gliding, great views" etc £300,000 + £200 per month ground rent and £250 per month maintenance charge.

Looks like an illustration from a fairy story book. Just the kind of picture from one my best childhood books.
Nicely composed Poet.

I'm surprised at the claim that land near St. Catherine church is the highest ground in Wigan. I would have thought that all of Wigan Lane up to approaching Boars Head was considerably higher land.

An eerie, misty scene Poet, like yesterday's pic. Its good to have something different that is easy on the eye & senses. It gives the mind a chance to wander away.

Also going up Whelley and the road leading up to the Balcarras in Haigh. I recall standing on Scholefield Lane after the demolition of buildings in Scholes and being amazed at the view overlooking Belvoir St. No wonder the name of the street means 'beautiful vista'. I roller skated down that brew many times. It is certainly high up.

Aspull Pumping Pit isn’t in Haigh James.

James Hanson is wrong yet again with his assertion the area of St Catharines church is the highest point in the Wigan borough area. It 'peaks out' at 164 feet above sea level.
Just one area of Wigan Lane taken as a sample (the junction of Freckleton St and Wigan Lane) is 197 feet above sea level, and given the topography of the area, there are greater heights than that along Wigan Lane.
The source of this information is both the Ordnance Survey and the Land Registry.
There again, they may be wrong, and James Hanson correct, but I rather doubt it.

Poet: You’re doing very well with this shading on your photos, keep it going shows you are mastering your craft, it’s interesting to watch someone experimenting in light and shade.

Thanks all for your nice words . If people like the photos then it's a great pleasure to do them .
Some may know that the cricket club boundary lies just behind the fence and it's the ambition of every batsman to hit a six by striking the tower .
Can Standish C.C. claim to be the highest cricket field in Wigan district ?
Regards.

Like Linda says part of youth around that structure and is the cricket ground still there? If memory serves me right, the stands were a wooden structure. Bit of courting went on there as a teenager. Poet, did you walk up from the Lodge Gates to take this view?

You can see one of the ancient Standish cross bases on the left of the photo.

Indeed I did Barrie , the path being directly behind me .

Me and my mate have hit the water tower playing for golborne late 70’s….not in the same match…I now live and walk past the tower on lovely walks…great memories…

DTease, the O.S. and the L.R. seem to think it is in Haigh, as they've shown it as such on their maps.

Tony L, I didn't say " the area of St Catharines church", did I?
I said, "The highest ground in Wigan is behind St.Catharine's church." The Key word being "behind".
The highest ground under Wigan borough council is close to Billinge Hill.
You can check them all for yourself using a 'spot heights map'.

The Standish Water Tower isn't even "in a wood"

The ground behind St Catharine's church is quite flat, then goes downhill in Lorne St.
The highest point around that area is Scholefield Lane at the front of the church. I lived at the bottom of Belvoir St which is uphill.

James , you need therapy son .

The highest building in Morecambe is Blackpool Tower.

Roylew , I wonder if you or your mate were left handers , hitting the tower by a classic Gower hook . Or was it the longer Bothamesque heave over mid on ? Both a joy to watch on a summer afternoon with a pint or two on the clubhouse steps .
Make haste ye swallows .

Irene!! I have sent you a comment on yesterday's pad, sorry its a bit late. I have to say, I've had the picture out, to have a look, I may hang it back up.!! xx

P S Poet, good photo.Its mysterious, I like it.

Barrie that triggered another memory, The Lodge Gates. My boyfriend lived in Wigan but he always saw me home. He was a gentleman. We got off at The Lodge Gates which is we’re we did our courting and the bus carried on to Pepper Lane. When it came round the corner at Turner’s garage boyfriend crossed the road and caught it back to town and I ran into the house. One night Mr Alty walking his dog shouted ‘goodnight Linda’. The day after my Dad told me off for showing me up in front of the neighbours, Mr Alty had obviously told him. Boyfriend and I were stood under the lamppost just kissing. How times have changed don’t know what Dad would think about today’s going’s on.

Poet we were both right handlers…my mate Steve hit the tower way higher than me…he usually scared 60 or a duck…no messing with him

Linda, that last posting brought a smile to my face as I thought of those bygone days of our "youth" living in a village where nearly everyone knew you or your parents. I now know that my parents got told about my antics at times (talking with my sisters, who are older than me, that they had the same in the 40's /50's before they came of age.) Even when I left home to work in Scotland mid 60's and used to come home for a long weekend every 4 weeks, word got about that I was visiting by the neighbours. Nowadays, it's very rare to find that in the locality as people come and go and are not long stayers in properties. I often wonder whether the village policeman, who collared me on Beech walks just up from the Lodge Gates up one of the trees ever told my Dad as he threatened me with. That was around 1958.