Photo-a-Day  (Tuesday, 10th October, 2023)

Only the Cenotaph hasn’t changed. In the bottom photo is that a path winding upwards to the left or is it the road? It looks to have an higher incline than the road. I used to go quite often that way to the Cemetery at Gidlow.

Thanks, Dennis.
The "then" picture is familiar, just missing two or three Wigan Corporation buses.
The concrete bus shelter had a lot of graffitti, not exactly Banksy standard!

Dennis, thankyou so much for this. I love the art-deco style building with the square clock, and the green lamp-post. I wish I could do a "Gary Sparrow" and go back in time, just for an hour or two. for a stroll round Old Aspull.

Lets face it the second picture was very very better in those days compare it to today. Everything was normal not like life is now one big mess!

Veronica, the incline to the left is the steps up to Balcarres Avenue.

Forgot all about the bus shelter and the clock,passed it many times going to work in Horwich.Used to get the “flyer” bus from Hindley to go to the Pink Elephant on Saturday night but Aspull is a place I know very little about.

The Aspull Last of the Summer Wine gang are sat on the bench facing the cenotaph and putting the world to rights, and these gangs very often talked a lot of sense - a pity they wasn't listened to at times by the politicians. There's also someone sat waiting for a bus in the shelter, though knowing what the corporation buses were like for keeping to the schedules around town, they'd have probably turned into a skeleton by the time the bus arrived.

I too was wondering about the incline and hill Veronica, maybe it was 'Paddy's Hump' that you'd often hear folks talking about.

Just love the old fashioned swan neck lamp post.

I prefer the concrete bus shelter, 1920's Art Deco with far more architectural appeal than the bland glass bus shelter. Unfortunately, these concrete bus shelters were demolished and replaced by glass bus shelters or just a post with a bus stop sign on. I believe, one of the main reasons for replacing the concrete bus stops was due to the mistreatment of them (graffiti, litter, vandalism, gathering place for youths...). Obviously, the constant upkeep was a financial burden and time consuming.
Such a shame, because many of these concrete bus shelters were far more interesting structures and they kept people warmer and dryer in bad weather as they were waiting for a bus.
I particularly like the design of the concrete bus shelter seen here and that square clock is a beautiful addition.

That seat was a favourite spot for the old retired pit men. They knew that if they sat there long enough they would see everybody they knew at some time during the day.
The things they talked about would probably surprise some people. Politics? yes, but also books they had read from the Library, poems they had written and pictures they had painted.
Although they were brought up in the School of Hard Knocks, many old Pitmen were wise beyond their calling.

Cant see the steps up to the Crawford Estate in the top photo , all overgrown now Dennis, some very big trees , at the front now.
Waited in that bus stop a few times too ,used to visit my Auntie in Westhoughton , every few weeks with mum, the flyer they called it, a single decker , don't know how it got that name ,used to take forever ,going all round the houses to get there LOL.
Like the then and now photos, jogs the old memory.

Well I personally much prefer the bottom photo anytime. That road island or roundabout in the top photo mismarises me. Aspull labour club gone , now the co op, Aspull high school all gone, where are we going. I'm so glad I was born in the early 50s to see how wonderful we were.

I remember the old photo so well. I used to go to the cenotaph every Remembrance Sunday with my
Dad. In later years he was one of the old chaps that used to congregate there for a chat, before going into the pub across the road.

Can remember well Aspull in the mid to late 50's and 60's,visited relatives here regularly with my Mum and Dad.Miss the 'flyer' bus as well.x

I remember the old photo so well. I used to go to the cenotaph every Remembrance Sunday with my
Dad. In later years he was one of the old chaps that used to congregate there for a chat, before going into the pub across the road.

The progress bird has long now gone ,
with dust now hard behind it ,
my only hope to future held ,
they pause and grasp one day …

I’ll ask my mother. She married a fella from Aspull way.

Another good photo Dennis, My memories of the bus shelter it was well overgrown with moss but still looked good and you may recollect Bob Sumner as being one of those miners who frequented the Moorgate.PW which did you prefer the Pink Elephant or the Castaways at Hindley maybe slightly two different eras

So true about miners Dennis, my father was a miner all his life and he was good at writing poetry and also an avid reader too, ma would get him thrillers from the book stall in the market hall, you could borrow books for whatever cost it was for lending and you could take them back the week or so after to exchange them for more, until he too began going to the library that is.

There's been many miners who have had their poems published, and others having had books published too, I had some Wigan dialect poems written by miners some years ago, they were good too.

John(Westhoughton)I never went to the Castaway or went into the British Legion which it once was even though I lived quite near.