Photo-a-Day  (Thursday, 24th July, 2025)

Oh, no, Brian, not again.

The address of The Honeysuckle is 75 - 77 Pool Street, Wigan, WN3 5BT.
This is because Swan Meadow Road stops at the River Douglas and Pool Street joins it there.

Yes, I know. The road sign is in the wrong place. In fact, it's been reported to the council by locals, but they don't seem to want to shift it.

What a sweet name for a lovely building. I like the welcoming lamps above the doors.
I wonder where the name originates from.

When I'm pedaling up Swan Meadow Road I always wonder we're did all the meadows go. Because I can only find Parsons Meadow and Fourteen Meadows, so to my reckoning there should be another 11 somewhere.

A pub I haven’t been in for fifty years which at the time we had friends living in Baxter Street. Glad to see it’s still open.

I'm not familiar with that area of Wigan and have never seen this pub, but it looks very nice. It's good to see a pub still open these days and I hope it continues to stay that way. Good photo, Brian.

Where ever it is situated it looks like a 'proper' pub. Neat & well kept & it looks like it was built to be a pub & hasn't been converted from other buildings. Nice name too !
Good photo Brian.

Aside from English , you didn’t do maths when you were at Cambridge either did you Mick ? … or is it Sue ?

I like the way that they have shaved off some of the left on the building to make it easier for pedestrians.

It could be any of ‘em Ozy, pad is populated with comments from so many Mick’s, Micksesses it’s like being at a Little Mix convention. What exactly is the point!
I might not give my name but at least I’m consistent by using only one.
Excellent photo by the way Brian.

Irene, if I were in the same boat as you, I would make it a priority to go and locate this pub. If you did that to all the PADS that you have never seen before, it wouldn't be long until you knew Wigan like the back of your hand.

Lots of negative folk on here, criticism once again. It's Swan Medow Road for me and never doubt Brian, after all he took this brilliant photo.

Another criticism from ozy or is it eddie.
A fine photo of a tradition pub Brian and you've captured the full building.
Went in this pub back in the late 60s and early 70s. Still looks fantastic.
Thanks Brian.

So John Noakes, its still Swan Medow Road so Brian is right, it's the road sign thats wrong not Brian
Nice photo of a lovely pub on Swan Medow Road.

We all know the site has gone down with the inconsistent named people. It just encourages them more. I know Eddie uses that name so his former colleagues know it’s him who sends the transport photos.

You do see those old shaved off corners in large towns & cities where streets were very narrow. I think they were to allow horses pulling the dreys loaded with barrels to back up to or give a bit more leeway when passing round sharp turnings. There could have been wooden 'doors' in the pavement going into the cellars. The barrels were rolled down wooden ramps. Well spotted 'Alberto'

I must say the "Little Mix Convention" is very apt! It's like a remake of an old film on here at the moment......"Mutley, Sue and Mick too". To paraphrase The Three Musketeers, "All is one and one is all". Veronica, I agree about the old-fashioned lamps over the pub door; I bet they look lovely as dusk falls.

Ocean’s eleven might be a bit closer to the mark Irene ... Or the dirty dozen .
And I fancy if Irene was in the same boat as you Mick … or is it Mutley ?
she’d chuck herself overboard to the sharks.

I don't like to be involved all this silly stuff re multiple names but by drawing attention to them & making comments just gives them more fun. Try ignoring them.

Looks like Brian has the same camera as you, Mick, but it seems to work better for him.

I don't think this pub ever closed down, it does well with trade, looks very nice too.
Bet it looks nice inside aswell.

Ozy I did say it was to my reckoning, what do you make it to be?

Don't forget Mick and his other alias’s which he actually owns up to
..’ Big Harold’ and ‘Tom’ that’s just 2. For proof see the ‘ Boards’. “It’s Not Unusual” as Tom Jones sings..

Directly facing The Honeysuckle, and standing adjacent to the River Douglas, stood number 110 Pool Street.

Ozy, if your unsure if it's me or a fake who is posting, you can always ask me a secret question that only me would know.
Tried to do this with Irene but she didn't understand what I was on about and before pointing the finger at me have a closer look at your own friends, women included.
Best thing to do is what Heleb suggests and like I do just ignore them .

I see what you're saying Helen, but it's really annoying. I am perfectly happy for people to use a pseudonym, as many of our regular contributors do, but to keep swapping from name to name to praise his own photos is ridiculous. However, you are always a polite and pleasant contributor and I was interested to read your theory of why the corner of the pub is shaped the way it is. I have seen pubs like that before and never realised the reason. It's good to learn something new.

It’s nothing less than a Multiple Personality Disorder, you can get help for this.

Well Mick , or whoever it might be that I’m addressing …
I’m assuming that the road leading to Parson’s Meadow which is named Fourteen Meadows road , was so named as it led to fourteen meadows ….
Sounds logical to me …right ?

And I’m assuming also that both Parson’s Meadow and Swan Meadow were included in the count of those fourteen meadows …
Still with me ?

Then that leaves twelve meadows to be accounted for according to my reckoning .
O.k. so far ?

Now all that’s supposing that we’re failing to include a meadow that went by the unlikely title of " Fourteen Meadow " in the total .

A number of assumptions and suppositions there , and a complete master class in pedantry I’ll admit , but that’s how I arrive at the figure twelve …
Happy now ?

And btw … the name’s
‘ Ozy or is it Eddie ‘ from this moment on if it’s all the same to you .

But rest assured that it it’ll never be Tom , Dick , or Walter bleed’n Mitty .

The brewery Admiral Taverns, says on this link of the re-opening - 'Take a look inside', but they've forgotton to include photos of the inside, must have imbibed far too much on the night,
https://www.admiraltaverns.co.uk/newsarticles/take-a-look-inside-new-wigan-pub-following-180000-makeover/

But, no fear as a link to photos of the interior is here:
https://proper-pubs.com/our-proper-pubs/honeysuckle-wigan/

Very often those flat corners (they must have a name?) had doors that led into a smaller room of the pub, often called a Snug or off license sales, they later fell out of use and the doorways bricked up with or without a window.

I too haven't been in for 50 odd years; the Queens Head darts team would very often be playing home or away matches with the Honeysuckle, and according to the thingamabob, they still hold many entertainment nights.
Down Park Street left of the pub, was where you got to Catterall's scrap and rag yard, and where you could hire a horse & cart, see link to Frank Orrell's photo on Album:

https://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/photo.php?opt=4&id=31101&page=140.

Mick, all those meadows that where around there at one time, have been built on - so no surprise there then.

I am thinking that with the development of the nearby Eckersley Mill, the Cotton Works etc, https://cotton-works.co.uk/ that might drive more trade in the direction of The Honeysuckle, and most folk call it 'Thunnysuckle'

I think Mick can see that we have Parsons, Swan and Fourteen Ozy, but I think he is asking, Where are the other 11 meadows.
I've had a good look at Google Maps, I'm sure they will be in the same area, but so far, 11 of them are unnamed.

Alberto VO5,
the lower corners of buildings were purposely built diagonally, so as to incorporate a door entry as seen in corner shop entrances and pub corner entrances, and were often called a chamfered corner doorway.
As can be seen on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/architecture/comments/10cx3oa/what_is_the_term_for_a_corner_lot_with_a_diagonal/

I have been looking at some old maps, and Swan Meadow Road ends at it's junction with Park Street and Corporation Street, so although the address of the Honeysuckle is given as Poole Street, it is actually on Swan Meadow Road, the map shows that Swan Meadow Road was built a long time before Pool Street, but it was built with the bridge over the River Douglas where it ended in a field.

We’ll book the Christening forthwith ‘Ozy or is it Eddie’ and we’ll have a shindig/ bun fight at
1 Anderson Tin Shelter
Nr Wigan Infirmary
Off Wigan Lane
WN1
RSVP.

Ozy encouraged this silly talk at 08:59. by rude comment to Mick. Don't blame anyone else but yourself.
Lovely photo Brian, does anyone know if the Eckersley Arms is still trading?

So it’s the Catterall relations ( from far back) Cyril that may have something to do with the ‘lost’ meadows? I wouldn’t be surprised.

Mick Is De Roma ice cream still going around Poolstock area.
Smart looking pub Brian and photo.

If I had to have a guess, I'd say the "fourteen meadows" were on the site of Eckersley's Mills, between Swan Meadow Road and Pottery Road. It would be the mill site, split into fourteen, and rented to different locals for livestock purposes. Has anyone got a map of the area pre-mills development?

I’m not disputing that there were once fourteen meadows in this area ianp … the point that I’m disputing is the supposition that there was ever a meadow entitled "Fourteen" . Follow ?

But maybe someone can produce evidence that there was once a meadow with "Fourteen" as its title .

Fourteen Meadows Road has no apostrophe in it does it ? So I’m obliged to conclude that the word "Meadows" without the apostrophe is meant to be interpreted as a collective plural rather than the name of a particular meadow .

Still , all this bo..ocks is one way of wasting an otherwise uneventful afternoon I suppose .

The pub was rebuilt early 80's from the ground up.

Another typical bricked up doorway on Pub corner is the Silverwell at the bottom of Cambridge St. I remember when the door was there in the sixties.

Peter

The Eckersley Arms closed about fifteen years ago, and it was made into three houses.

Kath

De Roma Ice Cream production was moved away from Poolstock about twenty years ago.

I get what you are saying now, Ozy, I wish you had said that in the first place and it would have saved your lady friends from getting all worked up again.

Big Harold, Tom and a boy named Sue
Slippery Mick and Mutley too
Is it Ozy or is it Eddie?
Malc or Kath or maybe Freddie?
Joan or Jean and many others
Have all our heads in a total muddle
O my poor old aching head
Please lay me down upon my bed!

Thank you Sir Bob.

Mick … be advised … I suggest you give it up with this lady friends crap as from now … and seriously .

Superb comical eight-line poem, DTease.

The right-hand corner of the pub along with a Walker brewery sign, can be seen on this photo on the Album, and also the buildings that were on the opposite side:

https://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/photo.php?opt=7&id=13741&gallery=Wigan+Rugby&page=670

I'd forgotten about the resident ghosts too, there were all manner of tales going around at one time, and didn't they have folks staying the night to see if they appeared?
No idea if, or how much they charged, I'm sure they would have, and maybe they'll make a comeback. There was a discussion on communicate:

https://wiganworld.co.uk/communicate/mb_message.php?opt=f2&msd=130795&page=70&subject=Honeysuckle%20pub-Poolstock

The pub was rebuilt early 80's from the ground up.

I just thought you was friends because you once showed me a painting you have that she. gave you..
But like been said by Helan already if you think I'm slippery mick and the othe other names just ignore any comments that they put on , Ive noticed that some of them deliberately miss out word and make spelling mistakes so that it looks like it me.

I very often give paintings away.
So what ?!!! ***idiot!

I have a number of paintings that Veronica has kindly given me. It is usual to pass on examples of a hobby to friends and family. I'm sure many of her friends have been lucky enough to receive a painting.

Actually Ozy/ Eddie is a very kind man. I know he won’t appreciate me saying this. He asked did anyone want an old slop-stone on the site. I said ‘ yes’ straight away. Then forgot about it. A while after he came rolling up with it. It was very heavy and he went to a lot of trouble bringing it. I wanted to pay him for it but he wouldn’t accept anything. I even offered him a painting but his answer was “ neaw I’m getting rid of stuff!” I did nothing but laugh and off he went after a nice cup of tea. I imagine he would do anything for anybody in fact that is what he does. I hope I haven’t embarrassed you Ozy or is it Eddie. And thank you for your kind gesture the slop stone is brimming over with alpine plants.

Irene, when I was a child, my hobby was making potato men. This was before they made it easy by selling plastic bits that you stuck on.
I would generally use a King Edward for the body, Broccoli for its hair, thinly sliced carrots for its eyes and nose and two carrots for its legs.
If I wanted to make a woman, I would do the same, but I would use some cabbage leaves for her skirt
all stuck on with a few matches.

That is very true about Ozy being kind as he does a lot to help people and not just round Wigan.