Photo-a-Day  (Wednesday, 16th April, 2025)

Jack Welsby the St Helens RL captain, car is parked up.
Jack is a Wigan lad and used to play for Shevington Sharks when he was a lad.

Pity a Chelsea tractor is blocking the view and a very large pothole which requires filling in at the front of the houses

What a lovely peaceful and wide open space to escape to - “away from the Madding crowd”…it makes the heart sing to see it.
The stone properties are
perfect as well….

Mick, I can just see our drain pipe, the road belongs to the CRT we are sick of asking them to fix the potholes,
which are caused by car drivers spinning their wheels.

I can’t quite place the location Mick, which bridge is that the background?

'Pity a Chelsea tractor is blocking the view and a very large pothole which requires filling in at the front of the houses'

Its a cul de sac and unlikely to be an adopted road. Not high in the list of anyones priorities.

If the neighbours shaped themselves the pot holes could be fixed. Are there no big brawny men in those houses?
There’s enough cars there to contribute to the holes.

Has it got an “Incy Whincy Spider” in it Joan?

Les Platt - do you have permission to reveal an individual's address on a public forum? If not, don't do it!!!!
No I'm not Jack Welsby

You can see Jack's name and the club he plays for on his car, so he won't be bothered about it being mentioned here.

Les Platt, how can you say Jack Welsby is a Wigan lad? He's from Billinge, in St.Helens went to school in Rainford, St.Helens then college in Eccleston, St.Helens.

Daveo18, he's got his name advertised on both sides of his hire-car for all to see. He's hardly incognito.

Mick have they replaced the forms on the other side of this bridge as they disappeared after the tow path was resurfaced?

That's good news, John, Ive not seen the new ones yet because I've been in London.
Colin I thought you knew everything about everything Im glad that you don't know where the bridge is.
This is the bridge that got Appley Bridge its name, this was the bridge that a horse and cart carrying the dead body of George Lyon, the Highwayman went over twice, where he was brought back from Lancaster jail. The reason he went over twice was because Bank Brew was too steep to get up, so they turned around and went back over the bridge and up through Shevington and up the less steep Gathurst hill.
Lower down from the bridge was the Alison Arms pub that was where on one Sunday afternoon, I came off my motorbike and banged on the closed front door, because in those days they closed at 2pm. The landlady took me inside and gave me a brandy, and I was sent to Wigan Infirmary because I had a sore arm. The infirmary said we don't do xrays on Sundays so come back tomorrow. I did and they said it was broken, so I got 6 weeks off work.
On the left of the bridge was the Railway hotel where we would gather at night, along with the some local girls and some from Upholland.
The pub back then had a bowling green that we could go on if you wanted some once dry grass to lie down on, and there were the old abandoned stables that were used for the canal boat cart horses that we could go into if it was wet.

Just found this interesting old news on Wiganworld
TWO LADS DROWNED NEAR APPLEY BRIDGE.

A sad drowning fatality happened in the locality of Appley Bridge on Thursday, the victims being Wm. Edward Mawdesley, 11 years of age, son of Edward Mawdesley, of 11, Appley-lane, Upholland, and a boy named Wm. Lamb, also 11 years old, whose home is in Wrightington. It appears that Mawdesley and his parents and Lamb and some others were holding a party at a relative's house near Appley Bridge, and about one o'clock the lads left the house to have a ride on a donkey. Half an hour later the donkey was found swimming in the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Appley Lock, Wrightington, and the boys caps being the water search was made, with the result that the dead bodies were found in the canal.

Another old Appley Bridge tale found on Wiganworld

At the Chorley Petty Sessions, on Tuesday, a young man named James Ranicar was charged with assaulting his mother, Mary Ranicar, a widow, who keeps the Appley Bridge public-house. On the night of the 17th inst. complainant, after closing the house at ten o'clock, retired to her bedroom. Her son broke open the door, took it from its hinges, and threw it at her, inflicting a slight wound on the head, and giving her a black eye. Defendant was in liquor at the time. On the following morning a man was supplied with a glass of gin, and because the stranger would not pay for one for the defendant he drank the man's gin. His mother remonstrated with him when he pushed her down on the floor. - Mr. Superintendent Beetham stated that defendant had been drinking heavily for some time, and was suffering from delirium tremens. The constable informed him that defendant sometimes took a gun to shoot the moon, and at other times a pitchfork to get the moon out of the canal. - The bench said it was a serious case to assault a mother, and they sent defendant to gaol for a month with hard labour.

Billinge has a WN postcode

Mick I don’t know if there’s any new forms that was my question. Also I don’t think Colin is the kind of person that says he knows everything about everything ,bye the way Paul is considering only opening the bike shop at Platt Bridge 3 days a week and he deserves a medal for the help he gave to the residents near his shop after the recent flooding.

Mick said "This is the bridge that got Appley Bridge its name" but I think he's wrong as it would be the river bridge not the canal bridge which came later.

Mick, it was just a tease to get you to say more.
All the information you posted is in addition to my extensive knowledge, so much appreciated.
See you in Shevy one day. Cheers, Colin.

I wasn't wearing my hearing aids when I read your post John.
It might be a good idea for Paul to cut back on opening times and, on other days, start a mobile bike repair service from the back of his van.

Mick albeit you know what the books are written in for the deaf?

That’s definitely an alternative Mick for Paul