Wigan Album

Looks like 2 tunnels where do they go to Rob.

I think this is the galleries not the baths

Can anyone tell me the name of the church in the background ?

There's a photo of this church in the section "Places" and then " Chapel Lane". The name is The Presbyterian Church.

Helen, that was the Presbyterian Church in Chapel Lane. The galleries in the coal seam were part of Peter Platts pit, the discovery of which held up construction of the baths for a while.

Bernard, this is definitely the Baths. The houses/offices next to the church were in Chapel Lane just across from the old Fire Station.

where the yellow huts are was the front of the baths.The church beind was a Presbyterian church.Walked by this church many times.There were grave stones laid flat at the front of it.

Thanks everybody. My Mother & Father were married in the Presbyterian Church on the 30th September 1931, I have the certificate here in front of me & see it was in Chapel Lane. The Rector/Pastor was William Henry Allan. They were married by special licence on a Wednesday as they were travelling to London & sailing to India from Tilbury Docks on the Friday. I have no pics of their wedding day....if any were taken.

Thanks Kevin saved me explaining. I seem to recall some debate about the existance of mines so close to the town centre on this web site earlier in the year.
Went past the new construction site earlier in the week and remembered this photo.

This was the original site of the Pavillion Cinema I remember at the time of its demolition, stories in the paper about mineshafts being discovered underneath it maybe someone in Wigan can check the newspaper archives to find this info

A great picture,my late uncle Henry Platt worked on the construction site of the baths, i recall him telling me that there were mine shafts under the pool area.

I think they are mineshafts as well. A lad i used to work with had a farm at Leyland Mill Lane, his dad told tales of hearing miners talking when ploughing the fields. This would be when horses ruled.

When the baths were being constructed, I took my 2 lads down to see it and there were 2 tunnels going under the town hall. We were told at the time that they were from Peter Plat's pit. He was a chandler in Millgate sometime in the 17th century. Both tunnels were explored and then filled with concrete.

the council obviously didnt test bore the site that was industry standard then, what a shower.little wonder it cost an arm and a leg