Wigan Album

Ron , I think you're right it is Hardybutts, the childeren are sat on the corner of Roscoe Street. The tall building right hand side on top of the photograph is The Birkett Hotel.

What a brilliant photo, especially so for someone like me who is familiar with this area.

I think this photo is featured in one of Josephine Cox's books. Hope you had a good birthday, Tom!

I remember sitting on street corners as a young lad with me mates picking at the road asphalt on a baking hot summers day and getting a belt 'cause the tar on your fingers wouldn't come off!!

Leyland wagon,Nalls were the carriers for the L.M.S. railway, mostly with horses and carts. Wagon has just passed top of "Bull Brow" Great picture

My mother was born in the BLACK BULL pub.

WH was the registration for Bolton vehicles

I was born in one of the terraced houses behind the photographer's back, in 1963. When my father bought the house in 1957, his friend told him that he was wasting his time - it would soon be demolished to make way for new property. Guess what - it's still there!

Remember going to my grandma's in Anderton st just round the corner on the left then going to my uncle's who lived
about two doors down from the gas lamp

Pity the Black Bull is out of picture. My dad would go for a drink in there sometimes and also the Spotted Cow on Scholefield lane, but as far as I remember he never went to the Vulcan (now demolished) which would be about 100 yards to the back of the photographer.

The same children are on another picture on "places" under the title Scholes Bank. Instead of the lorry there is a horse and cart just up the road. The lorry must have just passed the cart!

With reference to the Birkett Hotel, i seem to recall that in the 1960s this was turned into a base for Sea Scouts, which always struck me as odd given we were so far inland. Also has anyone noticed that the boys all see to be wearing clogs with the metal segs on the soles being very apparent.
These were still being widely worn by boys in the late 1950s early 60s when I was at Primary school.

vb thanks for referring to the other picture which I just looked at. One of the comments there referred to a boy Colin Livesey dying from an accident with a milk bottle. When I was growing up in the 1950's my mum used to tell me never to run with a bottle in my hand, when i was coming back from Brethertons shop, because of this. I used to think it was just a story and never knew it was true. Also have you seen another picture in the Places Scholes section entitled Hardybutts late sixties. Its taken just a few feet from here looking towards Birkett Bank.

Caroleon The story of the milk bottle accident is true. Norman Livesey was in my class at Warringtom Lane School
1940to 1945 and it happened during that time to his younger brother. They lived in Darlington St East just past Rupert St

Taken in November 1939 for Picture Post magazine by Kurt Hutton on a trip to Wigan with two other photographers. They wanted to see if Orwell's description of Wigan was true after the Road To Wigan Pier's publication two years earlier.

The caption in Picture Post was "Children take a rest from playing games on the street".

As I said above my mum told me about the milk bottle story when I was coming back from the Brethertons shop in Chancery Street. This reminded me that I posted a comment in February this year on the Chancery Street photo that I had just seen.
http://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/photo.php?opt=5&id=20379&gallery=Scholes&offset=100

Does anyone else remember David and Audrey Shawcross who took over from the Brethertons. Other shops in the the neighborhood I remember were Billy Seddos the butchers at the corner of Roscoe Stree and Darlington Street east (his wifes pies were famous). There was also a grocers just past on Darlington Street just past Rupert street which I think was called Wilsons? If the grocer oped a new tin of ham or corned beef for slicing he would always make a hole in the bottom of the tin and blow in it to break the seal. health and Safety would have fit today.

Very occasionally we would also go to a grocers on Hardybutts opposite St Pats. I was quite young when this was demolished but I remember it was run by a husband and wife (Gaskells ??) and the husband was a really tiny man or so it seemed to me. I also recall the sweet shop on Scholefield Lane opposite St Catherines school and the chip shop next to it (Connor's ??) Anyone else remember any of these or other shops around this part of Scholes.

the shops in darlington st east just before rupert st was wilsons grocers then powels hardware then macfarlanes barbers mrs powel gassed her self when we was kids early fiftys then just past rupert st was deans wool shop across rd was coopers chemist and jones bakers shop and on corner of bull brew was dickinsons fruit shopacross rd was masons shop

The little boy who fell on the milk bottle was Keith Livesey brother to Norman and Colin my late husband.It is Norman who is in the photo.