Wigan Album

What a lovely cute photo Irene…it really is. You are nearly dwarfed by that bouquet.

Thankyou, Veronica! In case you are wondering why the photo is labelled Ashton rather than Ince, I have actually only uploaded the photo as an experiment. A friend emailed two photos of Ashton-in-Makerfield to me to ask if I would upload them onto The Album for him, (which I have done in the past and was happy to do again). Anyway, I have been trying for two days and they just won't go onto Wigan World for some reason....I'm sure someone with a bit of technical knowledge could manage it but I am very limited in my ability! Anyway, I thought I would upload the above pic of myself to see if I was doing it right, and it has gone on successfully so it may be something to do with my friend's actual photos that is causing the problem.

Wonderful photo Irene, you look very happy to have received the bouquet too. And a Privet hedge, nearly everyone then had a Privet hedge, and I never knew they flowered until I would travel along the East Lancs road in the 1990s, every July the privet hedges along the fields bordering the road from from Golborne to Lowton would burst into blossom, and the very strong aroma filled the air, apparently the farmer would only cut the hedges once they had flowered, he and his wife must have liked the aroma too. Sadly for whatever reason these living fences along there were later removed and replaced with wire mesh fencing.
As were folks Privet hedges too, you don't see them now.

You're right, Cyril.....the scent of those little white flowers on a privet hedge on a hot day can take me back to childhood in a heartbeat. It isn't even a very pleasant aroma, but it is very evocative of Summer days when I was a child, with "sugar-stealers" floating in the air and the ice-cream man playing "Greensleeves" as he meandered through the streets!

I think sometimes it’s the size of the photo that’s being uploaded if it is just a little bit too big. I have found that being a reason Irene. I couldn’t upload a photo of a procession passing the Drill Hall I tried umpteen times and it just would not upload…I gave up in the end.

What a sweet photo of you Irene !
I ws a florist all my working life & when Charles & Diana married it started a trend of brides wanting the same style of bouquet Diana carried.....they too were long & very heavy. I was glad when the fashion for something lighter came along !

I can remember Walking Days in Ince, Helen, when a local lady used to make all the bouquets and posies for the little girls walking under the banners. She had a lamp over her door saying "Lilian...Florist" and the scent of fresh flowers in her home on walking-day morning is something that will stay with me forever. I imagine she made all the local wedding bouquets too. So many ladies copied Diana's style, and at the 1940s events, I often see "Diana" hats with the feathers on the back and the little net veil at the front, and I think "That's 1980s, not 1940s!"

You are right Irene…the scent of flowers on Whit Monday when we walked to the Market Square hung heavily in the air for hours. Somethings you never forget.
Plus when I have been to the 40’s events you could spot the real costumes from the 40’s with the more intricate designs. Usually young girls who can’t tell the difference wear what they ‘think’ is the 40’s garb. I think if you were born in the 40’s and 50’s you do recognise what is actually from the 40’s.
Even so with dresses made from 40’s patterns with today’s fabrics. They are good though..

I hope it didn't sound as if I was criticising the re-enactors who don't have 1940s clothing ....most of my own stuff is modern, although I have one original dress and one original hat from the 1940s and a number of furs which were kindly passed to me from a friend when her mother passed away. It's just there are so many hats of the style that Diana made popular at the forties events that you realise how she DID influence fashion, and that people have kept the hats they bought at the time. A lot of ladies just turn up in flowered dresses and hats, and men in their everyday suits but with a trilby; it's the little touches like seamed stockings, (tights in my case!), gloves, a wicker shopping basket and red lipstick that give clothes the "forties" feel, and it's wonderful to see people joining in the fun.

That's a lovely photo Irene, one to treasure. With a lovey smile. It's a shame little girls today will never know the thrill of walking day.