Photo-a-Day  (Thursday, 9th May, 2024)

We used to wee over the wall of the boys outside toilets .

The teachers when I was there were Miss Peet who taught me to read , Mrs. Cunliffe , Miss Hart in her duffle brown coat and Mrs. Bradshaw .

After the school closed , it became St.Wilfrid's Social Club and on the opening night the tables and chairs were still the little diddy ones I'd sat on as a boy .
A nostalgic picture Colin , cheers .

What a neat building that is Colin.
I wonder if Mary Smalley was from Wigan....is it a common surname in the Wigan area ?
The mother of a friend of mine who lives in the SE was Grace Smalley & she came from around Stockport .

Poet , that's one of the greatest opening lines in the history of pad .

The engraved stone tablet set into the wall above the third window from the left reads:
Standish Sunday School
Erected By Voluntary Contributions
Anno Domini MDCCCXXIX
''Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it''
Poet, I don't think this included weeing over a wall!!!!!!!!!

Ooooo...... you are awful Poet !!

Wow! a G P O telephone bracket complete with porcelain insulators? Good luck btw to all Wigan telecom engineers currently looking for new jobs, due to the rapid replacement of the copper system to digital. Meanwhile the old school building has stood the test of time and looks fit for another couple of hundered years Colin. Good photo.

My first school so many years ago.

Helen, I know there is a village in Derbyshire by the name of Smalley on the outskirts of Heanor.
Also there is a Smalley Street in Standish although it didn't always go by that name, it is described as being an ancient lane shown on the 1845 OS becoming Bradley Lane. Leading to Bradley Hall about 1.2 km to the North East of Standish.
I don't know if either have any connection with Miss Mary Smalley, perhaps someone out there does?

It’s always a joy to me to see stone buildings they never look out of place. In fact they enhance the surroundings if anything. I pass one every day tucked away where I live built in the 1600’s. I bet John knows where I mean. Clue ‘Franny’ Lee.

Poet I recall little lads seeing who could wee the farthest! It’s what little lads did..naughty boys!

Dave, been there done it, it wasn't a low wall either !!! My first day at the school was in the summer of 1945 in Mrs Peet's class, she was a brilliant lady.

I bet you lot wouldn't get it over that low wall now. ;¬) Welcome to the club.

When my children were at Abram Primary School in the 1980s they had a teacher who left Abram to become headmistress at that little school in Standish, and I did her a pen-and-ink drawing of Abram School which she said she was going to hang in her office at Standish. Funnily enough, they also had a teacher called Miss Smalley at Abram School, and I have a feeling she lived in Standish or somewhere very near there, but I have no idea if she was a descendant of the Miss Smalley mentioned above. I love old schools and old school playgrounds; they have such character, (and characters, especially Poet and Roy!! )

Colin, Mary Smalley was the daughter of the rector of Standish, Edward Smalley. There are a few places in Standish named after former rectors: Bramley Court, Brandreth Place, Perryn Place, Hutton Street. So I suppose Smalley Street could have been named after the rector or his daughter.

Thanks John, that information is very informative.
I did read recently that Reverend Charles Edward Bramley was Rector from 1956 to 1980.
The old school building now forms part of the retirement apartment block, Bramley Court.

Good solid building Colin may be of interest yesterdays comment.By George,Veronica you may be talking about a building that has a thatched roof…..by the way around 1966 I recycled cardboard etc that was normally burned at lostock mill and sold a small lorry load to Franny when he first started with the waste paper business £35 worth,he had a building/shed facing your friends house down Victoria street,he was in partnership for a short time with Peter James that lived maybe where your friend lives as I delivered milk there whilst working for Jim Whitelegg farmer 63/66 small world.

Yes there’s some new builds down there now John- little friend Irene lives opposite in the quaint cottages. The other quaint cottage is still owned by the James family. The cottage you mentioned with thatched roof is no longer thatched. Aren’t there some grand buildings hidden away in W/H..? It was a ‘ Nail Maker’s’ cottage. It has a blue plaque there now due to the WHG.-

Thanks Colin, having checked what I wrote earlier I find that Miss Mary Smalley was the rector's niece not daughter. Sorry for the fake news!

Poet and his mates had a contest to see
How far and how high the best one could pee
Poet came last ‘cos completely by chance
He had entirely forgotten to undo his pants!

Veronica that’s very true and must be donkeys years since I was round that neck of the woods and no cycling allowed now,but you may well of seen me last year clearing Jim Tongue’s shoe shop as I was in and out of Victoria street with my car and trailer and I’ve known Franny’s brother Trevor since early teens.

Yes Veronica,I agree,there are some lovely buildings hidden away in Westhoughton.

John (Westhoughton), Sorry John, I always appreciate your comments but i’m a bit mystified by your last contribution.
Thatched Roof, Victoria Street, Peter James? Doesn’t ring any bells.
Am I missing something or just out of the loop?
Cheers, Colin.

Delightful DTease :-)
Next time I'm going commando .

You may have got your ear chewed off John with little friend Irene for parking down there. Folk go down there thinking they are safe - but they aren’t…..
There’s a lot of history around W/H Elizabeth..what with the Luddite's and Co. Not forgetting cow’s heads rolling about. ;o))

DTease, that was hilarious!! You have cheered me up! xxx

This has been a most entertaining PAD, thanks all. Love all the comments and info. The boys did the same at my junior school, it was pretty horrendous if you forgot and stood on the other side of the wall!

Colin your probably right about the loop as I was just answering a few of Veronica’s comments,but if you look at a comment on yesterday’s PAD you may be interested,sorry but I read all comments but sometimes it’s far to late to reply that day.

Luckily I never parked on Victoria street for more than a few seconds Veronica as I reversed to rear of the shoe shop.

Good one DTease. Laugh.. I thought my subligar would never dry.

What did the Romans ever do for us T.D.?
Under pants that’s what!

Indeed DTease. Friends, Romans, folk of Coccium. Lend me your necessariums and... dry subligaria! .

This was our infant's school before we moved to the new Junior School further down Rectory Lane. Whilst at the Junior School, a new Infants School was built next door before this one closed. The Church Lad's Brigade had the upper rooms and I remember some of the rooms being used for band practice by a local brass band. The St Wilfrids Club opened on the ground floor before it shut to become part of the Bramley Court complex. The youth club was demolished at the same time. I remember most of the teachers named above and also Cannon Bramley, who was a lovely fella.