Wigan Album

I have a pop-bottle from Barton's pop works in Ince.

Irene. Wasn't there a Gallagher's pop,or pickle works, in Higher Ince, at one time, near to the police station?

Albert, it was Barton's pop-works near the Police Station, and I think I am right in saying Gallagher's pickle-works, (known as TEG'S), was somewhere off the bottom of Belle Green Lane, near to The British Legion. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong. My much-older brother told me the local kids used to get in The Bug Picture-House for a penny and a jam-jar, and the owner of The Bug sold the jam-jars back to TEG'S.

I've heard the jam jar entrance fee account from two different people, I think it was a fairly common arrangement with smaller picture houses.

Irene. I remember going to this picture house as a very small boy. I was taken there by my aunties. I recollect the walls were of corrugated sheeting.
The film was a Shirley Temple film. All I remember about the film, is, she was on an American caravan park, and she got knocked down by a automobile (As the Americans would have called it). The seating was similar to the forms that you would have found in the chip shops.

Albert, my Grandma, who I sadly never knew, used to tell my brothers of the days of silent films in The Bug, when an old person, (many couldn't read in those days), would take a Grandchild along to read the captions. In the silence of the cinema, during a scene with a jealous lover, you would hear an old lady shout, "Wozzee seh?", and the little Grandchild would bellow, "Ee sez 'e's gooin' t'porr 'im!" There was a chucker-out called "Cocker", and he used to push the children along the "chippy-forms" with a clothes-prop with a rag tied to the end to make room for a newcomer; this resulted in the child at the other end falling off......can you imagine that today?! But it was all part and parcel of The Bug, and no hard feelings!

Hi Duncan,I used to work in the bottle house's in Wigan&St Helen's I have helped to.produce all kinds of glass containers,the main ones of course was beer & wine bottles & milk bottles.But at St Helens we made vintage cars,various types of birds,turtlewax,& very small perfume bottles.If ever you come across one with a marble in the neck,get it cashed in they are worth a small fortune.

Thanks John G I think the bottle you refer to were the first "pop" bottles, made for carbonated drinks.