Photo-a-Day  (Sunday, 18th February, 2024)

I remember being taken to The Little Theatre to see a puppet show....or is my mind playing tricks ?
Wonder where you took the photo from Dennis, a highrise block ?

Progress can sometimes be ugly

That is like a third world country now with a lot of people that are living there now, its an absolute shambles.

It’s now a landmark where once it just blended in. Anybody coming back for a visit after many years would not recognise the area except for the Duggie and WLT. There used to be a few short cuts further on to get onto Scholes. A while back I tried to find them near the Ball n’ Boot and had to back track…

WLT has stood the test of time, a great institute for Wigan.
Fully booked with shows and Arts throughout out the year.

I love this photo, especially of the Little Theatre. I don't recall the old Scholes much except for walking up Birkett Bank and along Scholefield Lane on Saturday afternoons in the mid-1960s to go to Central Park with my friend and her Dad. Stories of the close-knit community that it once was from people who lived there, such as Tom Walsh and Veronica, fascinate me. Can I just say that the person who commented TWICE on yesterday's p-a-d under the name "eneri strebor" , (my name spelled backwards), is NOT me. The annoying part is that it has happened before and I would love to know WHY?? I could understand someone hiding behind a pseudonym had their comments been malicious or derogatory but the comments that this person made yesterday were totally innocent, merely remarking on who owned the building that was once the chippy, so WHY do they need to hide behind a false name, and why MINE?? It's like a child throwing stones from a safe distance and shouting "You can't catch ME!". For Heaven's sake, whoever you are, grow up and start acting your age instead of your shoe-size! Sorry, everyone else, for the rant.

Sounds like you are on the mend Irene?

No. I'm actually not, DTease, not too good at all, but well enough to stick up for myself as all I have to do is type. I have just looked back on yesterday's comments and he, (if it IS a HE), has made a third comment. After the first comment, signed "eneri strebor", he has changed tactics as signed "ERNIE strebor",....he must think that lets him off the hook!.....it is still an anagram of Irene. Obviously a case of "small things amuse small minds". Apologies too to Dennis for mentioning this on his lovely photo but it isn't the first time "Eneri the eighth" has used my name and it gets annoying. I've no doubt he will do it again but at least I've said my piece about someone who Del-Boy would call "a plonker"!

When photos are taken this they always give a different perspective to the area even for people who live here.Nice photo Dennis

I know I’ve told this story before, there used to be terraced houses right facing the little theatre.. I’ve forgotten what the row ( or street) was called, I had an aunt that lived in one of those houses, and one day my mam was visiting my aunt ..she asked my mam to “ take these sandwiches for our Jimmy” my mam was then sixteen and my dad nineteen..she did just that and that was the start of their lovely courtship.. my Dad was the projectionist when it was a cinema and he lifted my mam up (she was only small) so she could look through at the screen…that was the start of it all..after my Dad passed away she had three proposals but there was nobody like my Dad and so she turned them all down… I used to have a photo of my Dad stood at the front of the theatre but it has just vanished.. how I wish it would turn up.

Sorry to hear you’re still unwell Irene, maybe some better weather will bring an improvement.
Nice to see that you are still fighting your corner though.

There’s one or two loony named posters lately Irene, they obviously think they’re clever. But we do see through them… not as clever as they think with their play on names. Must suffer from boredom not enough going on in their tiny lives.

That’s a shame Maureen it would have been great to see that photo of your dad stood at the front of the building when it was a cinema. It would have soon got full though if there was a good picture on. What year would that have been then.?

Irene, I think Brian must know who posts these comments under a pseudonym and if they are purporting to be someone else on the site like yourself, ban them. It’s
just not cricket! Colin.

Irene, I too wish you well and as DTease says, better weather hopefully on the way, nothing like a sunny warm day to make feel better.
XXX Niloc!

Irene you would have loved old Scholes, every road had/still has Cobbles, even around St Catherine's Church.

I'm also sorry you're still not on the best side Irene, keep your chin up love. If you need owt, give us a shout. Ron has my contacts. Good photo btw Dennis, where was it taken from ?

Thankyou so much everyone for your kind words and good wishes. "eneri" is obviously in the minority on this site .....there are some lovely people on here!

Veronica,I should think about 1936..my Dad was also the projectionist at the cinema at Halfway House,I've forgotten what it was called,I think it later became a night club.

Irene, sending my good wishes to you as well !

Irene, Ron has my contact details also. Anything you need let your friends know X.

Sorry Dennis, with so much digression I overlooked to thank you for your photo.

Good photo Dennis, those bungalows look a lot nicer and better built than those 5 storey maisonettes that where there previously, because on some the concrete was actually breaking away and exposing the eroding metal reinforcing bars, I suppose they were built with similar crumbling pre-cast concrete that is causing concern now.
Though a lot of folks did like living around there with being close to the town centre.
Is the Ball & Boot still open? Remember when it first opened and they'd put a round football on the pub sign, and all the rugby fans were in uproar about it and refusing to go in.

I too wish you well Irene.

the street were the white car is school st i was born there 76years ago i know the area like the back. of my hand some of the streets were lime st upper &lower morris st orchard st kay st every st . so when we were kids we could say we had been in every st in wigan. thats when the world was normal.

We’ll soon know Irene if the mangled named ones come back with other re-arranged names. I hope RonnieKerr gets some of those bulky p pads I’ve advised him to get. I believe he suffers from incontinence on the Grayways tours.

You never know Maureen the photo might turn up when you least expect it to. I hope it does. I have photos missing that I wish would turn up. One on Coronation Day and a couple with a gang of kids in John St. Ican still see them in my mind’s eye.

Interestingly, I have also noticed that someone called "Ronnie Kerr" has started putting comments on Veronica's posts on Album...."Ronnie Kerr" sounds suspiciously like "Veronica" to me, , (say it quickly and you will see what I mean), and I wonder if he is the same person as "eneri" as he knows Veronica and I are friends. It makes you think! What a sad person if so!

This photo brings back many memories for me from the time I spent there during my formation in curacy at St Patrick's.

That’s rubbish for a start.

Maureen, would that have been the Sportsman's at Pemberton, near Carnegie Library. Best wishes to you Irene for better health very soon. Xx

Pat, the cinema was the CARLTON. Later became the CARLTON CLUB, Then the SPORTSMANS. Then reverted back to UNIT 4 cinema.

Maureen and Pat McC, it was The Carlton Cinema at Halfway House, and later it did become the Sportsman club.

Thanks Ron and Cyril.

Good photo Dennis,would that be the Wutchie in the background? Maureen I was thinking the same as Veronica, what a lovely story about your Aunt. Much love Irene, hope you are soon better.xx

I was born in School st in 1950. Scholes has changed since then for sure.