Wigan Album

That would be the site of Woodcock House, Douglas House is over the bridge towards the town centre.

Trying to find my bearings here.
The taller buildings to the top left, are they what was known as the "upside down houses"?
If I'm correct, Wigan Little Theatre is just out of shot at bottom left?

I think it will be where Crompton House is, the flats to the upper left corner will be Limefield, they've now gone haven't they.

The pub on the crossing is now where the Salvation Army building is The photograph was probably taken from the old Wigan Central railway line bridge The top of the photograph is looking towards Whelley. Hope this clears it up.

I'm getting those flat names mixed up - tuddy is right with Woodcock House.

Pub on the crossing. The Blue Bell. There was a pub opposite to where the white car is turning. The Shovel, and Broom.

The central feature at the junction of Scholes & School Lane is the Blue Bell pub, further down Scholes,just inside the photo is the Shovel & Broom.No policeman on point duty at Scholes Crossing,too late for such an iconic figure

TommyT, weren't the so called upside down house at the junction of Schofield Lane and Hardybutts?

i think this photo has been taken from the top of douglas house they were the first flats to be built in scholes by wimpys

the little road going right was the amy lane ran up to warrington rd

Keep putting them photographs of scholes onto wigan world please,they bring good memories back to the old people that lived there.

Next door to the Bluebell, or next door but one, was Livesey’s tobaccnist’s shop.

Does any of you older residents of scholes remember to terrible coach crash that demolished the paper shop on the opposite corner to the bluebell i think it was in 1954.

Next to the 'Dust Hole' wasn't the tall building a lodging house? If it was I don't remember the name of it. I'm surprised no one has mentioned Amy Lane down by the side of the grassy patch of land with railings around it. It was a steep cobbled pathway. I have often wondered was there ever buildings there at one time in the distant past. I walked down there many times to go to the library etc. I love seeing pictures of Scholes - this one seems to be Scholes in it's dying throes.

Struggling to get my bearings on here, but admit I didn't know Scholes very well. However, I remember the lodging house, even though I only saw it one. It was a curved-shaped building, and wasn't it called The Royal George, Veronica?

I often wondered about the grassy area in the centre of the picture. Walked past it on many occasions going to my nans on Warrington lane My mum always said that it was a mine shift and nothing could be built on it. Can anyone throw any light on this ?

Ed,Didn't the coach crash you refer to involve people going to Wembley for the rugby league cup final?
Veronica, there were two lodging houses in the area. The Royal George was on Warrington Lane at it's junction with Hardybutts. There was another called the Common Lodging House which was just beyond Scholes railway bridge going towards Chapel Lane and roughly opposite what is now the Life Centre.

It was another lodging house Irene - the tall building just opposite the grassy area where the white vehicle is turning at the point of the bottom of Amy Lane. (3 storey building) The Royal George was the curved building at the bottom of Hardybutts/ Warrington Lane. ( apologies Amy Lane was mentioned)

Yes Derek I recall the one you mean - but I'm thinking the tall building as well, if I'm not mistaken was a lodging house , if not what was it? I have read about the accident but don't remember it at Scholes crossings.

This photo brings back memories, I can remember walking to Wigan sometimes with my Aunty, along Manchester Road, Ince then up Scholefield Lane down through Scholes. It was always a busy and interesting place, chock full of shops, houses and pubs.

Yes derek b it was the coach going to the wembley final,it happened very early saturday morning,me and my cousens came across it while on our way to the abc minors on the ritz.

I also can't get my bearings here!
If you carry on straight through the crossroads would that bring you to where Lidl is now on the right hand side?

I was on duty in Scholes, in 1960, a car went through the lights at Scholes Crossing. It was travelling from Darlington Street. It crashed into a lorry travelling across the junction, from Whelley. The lorry crashed int the T/L standard, outside of the shop, opposite the Bluebell. As the T/L toppled over,it just missed lady, that was about to cross the road. She was so terribly shocked, I took her into the shop where I asked them to make her a cup of sweet tea. Which they did.

Ace picture. I was born in School St.

veronica the dust hole was farther up scholes opposite greenough st , the grassed area used to a patch of rough ground for some reason nobody went on there .

I thought The Shovel and Broom was also called the Dust Hole as well Tom. Nobody has come up with what the tall building was next to it yet.

Ian - the road running diagonally left to right across the photo, is Scholes.
The crossroads two thirds of the way up, is the junction of Scholes with School Lane and Warrigton Lane.
If you turn left at the crossroads, it takes you towards the Little Theatre and the town centre.
If you turn right, it takes you towards the Foundry crossing and Lidl.

veronica the dust hole was the rose and crown just before schofield lane if you were going up on the right hand side

Thanks Tom- (you would have thought Shovel and Broom would have been nicknamed Dust Hole!). We still don't know about the tall building.

At the top and to the left of Amy lane was a disused mine shaft. I don't know the name of the mine as it was closed before I used to walk past it on my way to St Mary's school. But an interesting fact is that when the foundations for the new baths (as they were then 60's) were being excavated, one of the old mine workings was discovered/uncovered, I think that there was a photograph of it in (probably) the Wigan observer.

A question for John who was born in School St....I was also born in School St., number 32. Were you anywhere near me?

The tall building was originally the King Edward Lodging House but turned into a sewing factory later. It may have been called Anderton's.

if my memory serves me rightthere was a saw mill on right going up amy lane and at the top opp royal george there was a pub on warrington rd forgot the name

The four story building left of pic. was Andertons sewing factory.
The Dust hole pub(Rose and Crown) can be seen in photo. #:7740 in Places, Greenough St.

Apology, #: 7740 is under Scholes.
Andertons sewing factory was formally King Edward Lodging House.

the stanley arms watchalot

What car is that? Looks a rare one ?

The workmen are on the spot of George Beards Douglas Bridge Saw Mill and Sutcliffes Tripe with the Amy Lane at the side.

cheers tom

Watchalot, Was'nt the saw mill at the bottom of The Amy Lane? I think it was called Dunlop's. I think there was also a motor cycle shop there, not Miller's, that was further up Scholes.

I was involved in a car accident on this junction in the mid 80's. I was travelling to work at 05:00 from right to left on this junction when a car came flying up the hill, through the red light and hit my car, spinning it until I was facing the way i'd come from. We both got out and he admitted fault straight away, " hadn't seen the lights " ? we exchanged details and off we went. My car sustained a smashed p/s/r quarter panel, bent d/s half shaft and other cosmetic damage. I was stopped on Wigan Lane near the Boars Head by the police who could see the car was bouncing about due to the half shaft damage, and was told to take it home. Was without the car for nearly 2 weeks. Got it back as good as new but it didn't feel the same and sold it shortly after. I still get a strange feeling driving across this junction, even today.

Thanks for that, Mick. I know where Iam now!

At the time when this photograph was taken, and much of the time before it, the community spirit within the Scholes area was exceptional. With the exceptional amount of redevelopment that has taken place since the sixties. Has it had any effect on that community spirit?.

The Rose & Crown aka The Dust Hole was usually known in the Thirties & Forties as Little Maggie's after the landlady.The women customers were famous as snuff takers

FOR NORMAN CUNLIFFE. I was born at number 72 Norman. Greenough St end.

So, John, you weren't very far from Boys Well Lane. In those
days No.32 and No.72 were a world apart so we probably never saw each other.

My Father in Law came from Scholes, Jimmy Shepherd. Anyone know him ?

I did not know Scholes very well except walking down to Central Park.Has anyone got an old map they could put on as I cannot get my bearings.When we were still at school near Christmas about 1964 we got served in the Stanley pub and after a few pints we were rat legged.I have no idea to this day how I got home to Hindley.A good job Albert was not on duty.

By that time in 1964 Pw you were perfectly safe from me,as in the July of that year, solely because of the writing being on the wall, for the demise of The Wigan Borough Police. That in the July of that year, I had transferred to the Kent Police, and I was patrolling the streets of Folkestone.

I will tell you an amusing story relating to my duties at Folkestone. One night, in 1966, about 12.30 am. I was on foot patrol when a burglar alarm sounded. On reaching the location where the alarm was sounding, the sergeant was already there to give me a point. An upper window was open. The sergeant said “ Climb up the drain spout Bert, see if you can see anything through the window”. This I did. To cut a long story short. Still wearing my helmet. (Fool me) I pushed myself through the window. It was completely dark. Suddenly a light came on, a solitary bulb, at the end of a flex. a large lady enters the room. I then realise that I am close to the roof of a lavatory. The lady then prepares herself ,for her essentials. I dare not stir. I knew that if she looked up, and saw me above her, she may have a heart attack. For a good few minutes I had to suffer noises, and odours, not common to my senses. On her completion, she sorted herself out, switched off the light, left the room, completely unaware that a guardian policeman had been watching over her. I struggled back out of the window, and descended to the pavement, to make my hilarious rejport to my sergeant..

I know him Standisher WN1! I can just about remember Scholes like this. I feel this photo is taken from Douglas House. It is either when being built or shortly after. The works yard was cleared for Woodcock House. The centre of the pic: I feel the tree is still there! Cheers!

Albert,I remember one day a well known drunk from Hindley was giving the traffic policeman at the top of Library Street a lot of grief ,the officer stopped all the traffic and went to a blue phone box,within minutes he was thrown into the back of a black van.If only crime was so simple these days.

Albert, you could have said that you were there to take down her particulars.

Albert: At the very least she would have seen your bobbies helmet through the sky light, nothing to worry about, you were young with dimples, I'am sure she would have been flattered.

DTease. It took me all my time not to move a muscle, in case I frightened her into a heart attack, if she looked up. Being jammed in the widow frame helped me.. it took me a good minute to extricate myself

John.G I wasn’t,t so young. I was thirty two. I probably should have put near to the room’s ceiling, and not the roof, as I was actually in the room above her.

Brilliant, Albert! xx

I may be throwing a spanner into the works but, was Dunlop's Wood works not in Higher Ince?

Picture taken from top floor of Douglas House June 1965 Groundworks at lower right for Woodcock house. My photo.

This the same view we had from our lounge window on the 7th Floor in Douglas House, when we moved in the railway bridge would still be there. At the time I took a lot of pictures over the years as demolition and rebuilding took place and once filmed a walking day parade. Sadly all now lost.
Hanna and Teddy Livesey had the paper shop further up from the Blue Bell and the Fleece Hotel was roughly on the opposite side. The Priest family ran the Fleece until it closed. Danny Priest was my school mate.
Very many memories for me in this picture.

The Shovel and Broom was the next building up from the factory on the left.
There is still a path leading up roughly where the Amy Lane used to be, pity is is not named and commemorated as a lost lane.

It’s not quite the right path Colin..going up the slope the path was more to the right. I wish I had a shilling for every time I walked up and down the Amy Lane. All those cobbles gone…..I can remember hanging on to railings when it was icy..

Veronica, the original Amy Lane was more to the right, the new path is to the left but should still commemorate this lost lane.
I remember it as steep and cobbled, when icy we used to slide down on sheets of hardboard or cardboard.
Going up the park to the left was railed off, accessible only if you climbed over the railings and then got chased off. The only green space in Scholes and not open to the public.

There was also big white rocks dug into the ground. The. Railings were all around unlike today. I wonder what happened to them.

"Scholes Park" was very steep sided facing onto the road. I remember going past on the bus on my way to work in the late fifties ,seeing the council gardeners mowing the grass and wondering how on earth they managed to stop the mowing machines rolling down the slope.I think it was levelled after the high rise were built.