Wigan Album

The shortish chimney to the right could belong to Thomas Taylor's Victoria Mills.

This picture is brilliant. Just think all these years later Trencherfield is now posh apartments!

The photograph depicts a rather plesant evening, weather wise. In the 40s, 50s, and 60s,the smogs were terrible, especially,Nov., Dec., and Jan.,In the late 50s,we were issued with smog masks, prior to going out onto your beat. At your refreshment time, you changed the gauze. On the gauze where your mouth, and nostrils had been,was a black sticky tar like substance. The medicated gauze prevented it going down to your lungs. Although wearing these did cause people to jump, coming into their vision, out of the smog.

fantastic!!!!

Fantastic!! I think the chimney to the left of Trencherfield came down in the 70's. I worked at The Obs in Woods Street at the time, and looking at where its situated, it looks like its to the right of Woods Street, where the Obs was at the time. If I remember rightly, we all had to vacate the Obs building as a safety measure. It didnt half make a racket as it came down! I often wondered since if it was Fred Dibnah who dropped it. I dont suppose there were many steeplejacks left. Does anyone else out there who worked at the Obs remember this? I also worked at Trencherfield Mill some years later, in the rag trade when it was Courtaulds. I was there when the Queen came to see the Mill Wheel and what was then the new development of "the way we where" and The Orwell was opened. We all came out to watch our Manageress, Jane, greet the Queen. Just one of the fantastic times I had at Trencherfield Mill. My dad was a train driver. so he would have been on this line at some stage. He worked from Springs Branch and worked there for over 40 years. He used to sound the whistle so I could hear it when I was in bed. We lived in Malvern Crescent, and the Wagon Works and one of the lines ran at the back of St Mary's church, which was the view from my bedroom window. Wonderful memories all of them and I wouldnt have missed them for the world. Amazing how just one picture can evoke so many wonderful memories.