Wigan Album

Fantastic!Nice to see this old hell hole being demolished.Many unhappy memories from this old ruin.Spent my childhood years in that place.Nothing good to say other than most of the mothers were kind people.Placed in that hell hole through circumstances often beyond there control.

I began my nursing life at the old Frog Lane Hospital. Unlike the previous person who comenated on the Hell Hole thatit was, I have nothing but happy memroies of the place but this is for a different reason. I in fact did browse around the place and understand where he is coming from [well I tried to] The matron in those days was Matron Walsh. The caretaker was Mr. Farrimond. Alll the meals had to be brought over to the main hospital on a truck and carried into tha wards and up the stairs for the upper ward.In my day which was in 1953 we occupied the opsite side to the workhouse as this had been taken over by the RAEI.and was a Geriatric Hospital.The grounds were kept in very good order but as I repeat the building was used for a very different reason than the previous person remebers it for.I hope that life has treated him well since those misfortunate days.

my grand father spent his last days in this hellhole in the late sixties and all i can say is when i asked could he have a glass of water i was asked was i trying to keep him alive they come in here to die you know thank god they knocked it down

I can only agree with David, these places must have been hellholes. Our old fashioned, Victorian attitudes were purely morbid. We are not here to die, we are here to live and enjoy life, to the full. Alright, we will all pass away one day but in between we ENJOY our life because we only have one life to live. There was much morbidity in years past and it's to be hoped that we have moved on to be happy with our life and enjoy it. I have to say that back in those days there were lovely, caring people and it's to be hoped that there are still some like that around today. I know that I am. Be happy and enjoy your time on this beautiful earth.

were abouts was this?

Look on the link for Workhouse It's lower down the page than this link i.e. FROG LANE. You can see maps of where it was.

My mother, Molly Melling,and my sister,May Melling,both worked at the workhouse,during the war.

My great-grandfather John Taylor was Chairman of the Board of Guardians at the turn of the 19th and 20th Centuries. The Board notably supportive of the inmates and, for instance, allowed John to install central heating. He actually proposed knocking the place down in favour of a purpose-built facility on a greenfield site,but he was outvoted.