Wigan Album

Once known as the Burma Road, the Crofters, Bricklayers and All Saints Tavern. No idea why. Anybody know?

Was it the Brickmakers , not the Bricklayers? Played darts in there a few times.

Alan H - Bricklayers in Hallgate, Brickmakers in Woodhouse Lane.

It was The Bricklayers, Alan H. I THINK, but am not sure, there was a Brickmakers somewhere up Frog Lane, but unsure on that. Definitely Bricklayers in Hallgate, though.

Thanks Mick and Irene easy to get confused but would still like to know why it was called Burma Road.

Used to walk down there to work in Dorning Street. The pub on the right is where we saw Tom Jones coming out of one dinner time. He was appearing at the Ritz that night.

Alan H could it have been called "the Burma Road" because a lot of ex service men drank in the pubs down there!,? Just a guess -they may have swapped tales amongst themselves and after all they were called "The Forgotten Army". Who knows!

Good suggestion, Vb but it was my dad who told me it was called the Burma Road and he was born in 1902 although it was about 1950 when he told me when I was early old enough to go to the pub. He used to say don't go down the Burma road as though it was a street of ill repute. Wonder if Albert our ex policeman can throw any light on the subject?

Hope so Alan I am intrigued now!

Alan H - the real Burma Road saw many battles and skirmishes, during WWII.
I would suggest that this stretch of Hallgate with the three pubs was named for a similar reason.
Even in the late 1970s, when I was a bobby in Wigan town centre, the 'Brick' and the All Saints had long standing reputations as hotspots for bother, and the Crofters wasn't exactly Claridges or The Savoy Hotel either.

Thanks Mick, I knew that one of our ex-policemen would come up with the answer.

Mick, I seem to remember that when there was trouble in the Crofters the Bobby's used to wait outside until the fight died down and then go in and gather up what was left, I can't say that I blame them.

I only went into the All Saint's Tavern once, never seen such a dive before or since, The Ship was reputedly said to be rough, but was a Sheraton compared to that place.