Photo-a-Day  (Tuesday, 27th February, 2024)

Good photo as always Dennis. Watch out for the swans, way back when, they used to nest behind those rocks.

Definitely worth a visit, and absolutely fantastic to view. Listening the water and the sounds of the birds singing, what more do we want to start the day.
I'm glad you use the word Wigan Park and not Mesnes Park, Dennis. It's that name we were brought up with.
Cheers Dennis.

Thats a good photo Dennis.... a nice green & mossy 'oasis' but with the sound of water.
I think the 2 gentlemen may be volunteers if the park does that sort of thing ? I think a public park is an asset for any town.

Lovely photo on a cold frosty morning. Dennis this has made my day. Spring is almost here.

Exceptional picture Dennis.
Known as The Pulham Rock Feature and Fountain, built by James Pulham & Son of Hertfordshire. They were responsible for similar features in many country houses, including Buckingham Palace.
This is first time I have ever seen water flowing over the rocks

Nice scenic view of the waterfall and pond . Where are all the ducks.? This is a park which we have not visited for a few years.

That's a lovely photo Dennis and brings memories of being taken to Wigan Park (we never called it Mesnes Park), as a child on Sunday afternoons; the Sunday outing was always Wigan Park or Haigh Hall. I took my own children many years later and the duck-pond, for some reason, had been drained and it didn't take Our Jamie two minutes to fall in! It was just thick black slutch and he emerged yelling and looking like the creature from the black lagoon! I had to get us a taxi home, first walking him through Wigan, (much to the amusement of passers-by), to the fruit market to beg some cardboard boxes for him to sit on in the taxi!

What a beautiful spot. I've always found the sound of running water to be very therapeutic and relaxing. Thank you Dennis.

I think Mesnes Park is the correct title. Every park in Wigan is Wigan Park because they're in Wigan.
Nice photo of Mesnes Park.

Correction:
Known as the Pulham Rock Feature and Waterfall.

Lovely and natural looking but man made. Does anyone know where the rocks came from?

Seems well kept and tidy.If they are volunteers good on them.I hope they manage to keep the ivy under control as it soon takes over everything.

A lovely photo, showing the nicer side to Wigan.

By far my favourite part of the park. Thank you Dennis

It is Mesnes Park and always will be for the following reason:
A public park laid out by John McClean and opened in 1878. The area within which Mesnes Park lies was traditionally known as the Mesnes after the manorial demesnes land. The land, which was mostly meadow and pasture, formed part of the Wigan Rectory Glebe Estate, the Rector also being Lord of the Manor.
Again, Dennis a beautiful and memorable picture, I was in the Park over the weekend, it looked spectacular and well maintained in the sunshine, I assume the two gentleman are some of The Friends of Mesnes Park who do a brilliant job. I just up the council clear those two fallen trees which have fallen into the pond.

Irene, quite funny story regarding your son. When I was in the park over weekend I went up the slope to take pictures of the mill in such a sad and sorry state. My footwear was inappropriate so sank to my ankles in mud and nearly slipped onto my back. I scraped off what I could and then had to wait an hour for them to dry off in the sunshine before I could think of getting onto a bus home! Must confess I was on the point of ringing my son to bring me clean shoes.

Veronica a rock quarry.

It is thought that much of the stone is locally sourced but the Pulham’s also used artificial stone known as ‘Pulhamite’ so it could be a combination of both.

I know Mesnes Park is the correct title but in my 71 years I have honestly never once heard someone say, "I was in Mesnes Park yesterday" or "I thought I'd take the children to Mesnes Park"....it has always been called Wigan Park by Wiganers. Same with Walmesley Park in Ince....we Incers NEVER called it Walmesley Park during my childhood and many people had no idea of its correct title. I LIKE local names for places....people asking for "Low Hall Nature Reserve" in Platt Bridge would be answered with, "Do you mean Sammy's Flood?" Long may the homely local names we are all familiar with continue and be passed down through the generations.

Well said V , Man made ! I urge you to read how the Victorians saw parks and those who used them !

RIP Pammy, The Queen of Wigan Pier, Pam would have loved todays photo of Wigan, she was a regular viewer of the daily photos, and used to love her trips to Wigan park and this magnificent fountain.

Most people still say Wigan Park. ..always will be to me.

Iv only know it as wigin park.

Is there a stone quarry in Wigan??? If there is I’ve never heard of it. So how was it brought to Wigan Tiny Tim. On the Canal?? On the train?? On the non existent motorway? Through the post… ? Or what Clever Dick. Do tell us…

Wigan Park sounds much better than Mesnes Park anyway.

Yes, John Chan....Pam loved Wigan Park and was often in the cafe with the little dog Millie. Her spirit will continue to be there, I'm sure. Rest in Peace, lovely lady.

Well said Veronica! You asked a perfectly reasonable question. I wonder if the sarcastic person who answered is Clog-Iron? Funnily enough, my daughter used to work for Tarmac and dealt with orders for stone taken from quarries. One day someone rang her to order some stone to build the roundabout near The Black Diamond Pub in Lower Ince. Ashley lived and worked in Leek at the time and her office was there. The man ordering the stone was trying to explain where it needed delivering to and began complicated directions to Lower Ince. He told her the roundabout was going to be in front of a pub not far from a large cemetery and was gobsmacked when this young lady in Staffordshire said, "Do you mean The Black Diamond?", (especially as that was its nickname, local to Wigan!)

There use to be large quarries in Appley Bridge some years ago, I think the name were Finches/coopers.

Thank you Arthur that’s all I wanted to know. I didn’t know of a quarry anywhere near Wigan and I bet Pea Brain didn’t either. Lately there’s one or two smart A***s trying to spoil this forum. So tediously boring zzzzz.
Thanks Irene you know what I mean.

Couldn't agree more Irene and Veronica,as you say they will always be Wigan Park and Ince Park to me.X

Arthur, Appley Bridge or Parbold sound logical locations, although there are other quarries around the town.
If the large stones could be transported (some say from Wales) to Stonehenge I am sure Appley Bridge or wherever to Wigan would be a cinch.
Again Dennis, thanks for the photo.

Appley Bridge, Parbold. Hunters Hill, Upholland.all had quarries

There were lots of small quarries around the Wigan area - The Hall of Ince School (St Mary's) was built on the site of a delph, or quarry, and pit waste was used to build up the levels for the school buildings.

Of course there are Quarries all over the place, there's one in Horwich, Armstrongs. Veronica asked pacifically if there was any STONE Quarries in Wigan and I said Appley Bridge, ok, might not in Wigan, but post town Wigan.

Appley Bridge in Lancashire not Wigan, Wales famous for Slate not stone.

RIP Pam, I hadn't heard about her death until I'd read it above. I only saw her too in Morrison's the Saturday before last, though thinking back she wasn't her usual chatty self and did mention she wasn't too good and was going to get a couple of more things and off home.

I wouldn't know which stone quarry the large boulders had come from Veronica, though besides the quarries at Appley Bridge and Parbold which were mentioned, there was also a couple at Horwich, though the builders may have had a particular quarry somewhere with whom they always dealt with and who knew the size, shapes and composition of the rocks needed, though I'm sure a geologist could say a whereabouts in the country.

Thank you Cyril a civil answer and dependable as usual with spot on information. Unlike some.

Colin, the stones for Stonehenge were dug out near Brynberian in the Preseli Hills, Pembs, and erected on land near my brother-inlaw's farm. Later moved to the current site.

If we are still guessing where the stone came from what about around Rivington? There’s some ‘whoppers’ in the Chinese Gardens. I bet those kindly volunteers will know. Not too sure when the rocks were placed there but it would have been a great haulage effort you can bet to bring them through Wigan.

Veronica that would have been a very easy job.
We had Navvies building railway bridges and viaducts sky high built with large stone blocks without any mechanical machines to lift them that was the during the 1800s.
Doesn't that put things in perspective.

This is a simple subject. Workers rigged up timber hoist tied with ropes to lift large stones or indeed anything heavy. This was how Britain was built. We made equipment.

Very true it does put things in perspective. Thanks reminds me of the workmen who built the Skyscrapers in America. Not forgetting the Pyramids in Egypt…a long way from Wigan Park. Nothing was beneath their ingenuity.
‘ Needs must when the devil drives’.

History tells us everything. Transport in the early days. Horse and carts, steam lorries canal barges. haulage was not a problem, its lifting heavyweights in position with man-made navigation crane's ie tree trunk and chains/ropes. Many lost their lives. Just think how Blackpool Tower was built.

Scaffolding dates back to the Stone Age. Not many people know that. Transported by Carts.

‘Without the wheel it is likely that human societies would have remained small and isolated . The development of agriculture, industry and transport would have been hindered and slow.
Wheels are the archetype of a primitive technology. But it took until 3,500 BC for someone to invent them’….

No Chinese Gardens in Rivington, they're Japanese.

It was always Wigan park to me just as it was always Ince park but the two parks in Hindley were always Leyland park and Raynor park.

Known locally as the Chinese Gardens for some reason.

Veronica, in the link below there's a reference to the rock and water feature at Wigan (Mesnes) Park in 1878, and also the gardens at Rivington, the bridge and cascades in 1922.
https://pulham.org.uk/where/north/

and this: 'However, they are mainly remembered today as the eminent firm of landscape artists, famous for their design and construction of picturesque rock gardens, ferneries, follies and grottoes etc, which they built from both natural and artificial stone. They made their artificial rocks by building up heaps of old bricks and rubble, and coating them with cement which they then coloured and moulded to simulate the surface of natural stone. Their cement soon became known as Pulhamite, and the craftsmen who sculpted it were known as ‘Rock Builders’'. copied and pasted from here: https://pulham.org.uk/about/the-book?iframe=true&theme_preview=true

so maybe some of those rocks on the park water feature are Pulhamite and then made to look like rocks, then mosses and algae's soon grow making the rocks look aged, similar to how Hypertufa does.

Thanks Cyril I read the link. So the rocks/stones are synthetic then in a way.
A bit like cladding that some people fix to their houses I bet. They look real but I would rather have stone dug from a quarry if I am honest.