Wigan Album

Yes they do look newly built, as you can see the efflorescence on the front wall bricks. Look at those lovley sash windows too, deadly when the cord went though. Great photo, Tim.

Nice one Tim !

I wonder how much they cost???? Better built than today's houses

You can tell it was taken when the houses were first built, nobody had pinched the gates or the railings. Great photo

If you compare the photo with a modern day view on Google street, nothing much has changed. The garden walls have still got their coping stones and some have still got railings on them.
I like the way you've coloured it from black and white.
Excellent.

Oh Dave.c, You are such a cynic! But your comment really made me laugh. Just wonderful.

The railings and gates would have been cut off in WW II. Those there now are replacements.

Yes indeed, Fran.
Something to do with the war effort.

Forgot to mention earlier, that the gate post's look to be the original ones as well in the Google street shot.

The removal of iron railings etc to aid the war effort, was typical of govermental organisation.
Once the damage had been done, it was found that the iron could not be reused, and more often than not it was simply dumped, often at sea; no doubt so it could not be seen as a reminder of incompetence.

At school as an 8-year-old in Australia in 1957, I had one of these sash windows come down full force onto my left thumb, which promptly split open, bloody gushed forth, I experienced one of the worst painful episodes of my life for a short time, I was also scolded for trying to work the window by myself, my thumb was rinsed off in the drinking trough, roughly wound up in a piece of rag and then I was sent to walk the 1 mile home. Great memory that! :/

Many thanks for all the comments. I didn't think it would get much attention!! Aye, the gate posts are still there, albeit on fewer houses. A few have been replaced by brick built ones. One of the posts on my Dads house was replaced by a new replica stone gate post last year. As long as I can remember though, there was always a wooden replica gate post as the original one cracked and snapped off in a cold winter in the early 60's! Over the years the post got filled in with filler and other kinds of bonding material until it finally gave up the ghost! I've never lifted anything as heavy in my life as the new gate post!

Great photo Tim. My dad always said that Woolden Street,with its view of the bowling green, was the nicest street in Newtown.

I remember you Tim Cooke, You had a Raleigh Strika and a pair of shoes that looked like they had peanuts in them. Ha Ha, we were just young kids.

You would remember the many hours us kids used to play Skilly and Kick Can, the base was always on the wall of Michael Cornce house across from the shop.
Darren Myers, from the top of Mitchell Street/Victoria Street was always with Darren Hoolin.