Hi all,

Should you happen to have the time and know how to help, many thanks in advance. I am really new to this and am currently looking into my family history like so many others.

My Nan was born at No 95 Orrell Road, Orrell, Wigan, WN5 8EZ in 1929 called Marianne Cheetham and my Great Grandmother called Mother Margaret May Lawrence DOB 13th May 1906 was born in Wigan on Poole Street.

If anyone is able to suggest how I can go about finding detailed maps, photos, any reference to the above mentioned roads I would really appreciate it.

My great grandmother left school in Wigan and worked in a Cotton factory - any ideas how I can find out which one? I am lead to believe Wigan had four cotton factories.

So many questions at this stage unanswered.... help....

Barbarabanter

Alan Godfrey Maps will sell maps relevant to your time period, I think 95 Orrell Road is the Pemberton side of the Motorway bridge.

If you look on Google Earth, street view you will be able to see No 95, Orrell Rd Wigan

Thank you Indalo but I have tried that already and No 95 doesnt exist, I have found out 11 houses were destroyed to make way for the M6 or so I am to believe

Barbara, go back on Googe Earth the house No 95, does exist,the houses which where pulled down where no where near No 95.It is near to the junction of Orrell Rd and Bankes Ave.

barbara, No 95 Orrell Rd is four houses down from Bankes Ave on the same side

I remember a Mrs Cheetham who's house was in a side street of Coniston Ave , Orrell in the early 60's. She used to sell Paraffin and other 'Hardware' type things from her garden shed. Fairly new housing area, not much in the way of facilities, quite enterprising
Kevan

mrs cheetham s house fronted gathurst road, the back was in the side street ,i lived higher up in gathurst road ,i remember mr cheetham going round wi parrafin ,this would have been in the seventies then

the four cotton factories that i can think of were:-
May Mill in foundary lane pemberton
Eckersley mill
Trencherfield Mill
.........oops cant think of the fourth was it in Leigh?

process It was Taylors in Miry Lane.

I think that if you replace May Mill which was actually in Pemberton, with Rylands Mill which was adjoining Wigan Park.
That would give you the 4 main cotton factories in Wigan.

what about enfield mill in enfield street ,not sure when that was built ,but do know it had the old shuttles where you had to suck the thread through lancashire looms with the long belts hanging down similar to taylors in miry lane .i would think taylors would have been popular with wigan lassies

Enfield Mill, Enfield St. Pemberton was the closest to Orrell Rd. More info about Wigan Mills at Wigan Mills

barbara,

As a young lad in the 1950's I delivered newspapers along Orrell Road everyday and when the motorway was being built I saw the houses being emptied and demolished to make way for the new motorway. I took a couple of photos of the houses which no longer exist of course and can send them to you if you want to.

Good old days,

Regards.

Fred - can you not put them on here? I'd love to see them. Always wondered what they were like. My mum said they were lovely bonny houses. Rgds. Susan

I know 95 Orrell Road, there is now a pedestrian crossing right next to it.
It was the office base of a church when it changed hands about 20 or so yrs ago to a residential house.

The original doors are huge, much bigger than a typical door we have nowadays, there is a cellar.

Near Bradshaw St?

Susan,
This is one of the photos' that I took of a couple of empty houses which is now the motorway bridge on Orrell Road. Taken around 1960, I believe.

My mothers cousin lived in one of these houses that where demolished.
James and flo latham. They then got the bungalow further at down at the
lights. At the motorway.
He had a beautiful garden which was ripped up.must have
been heart breaking.

Christine,

I delivered my papers along the right side of he road going uphill towards the Stag at Orrell Post and one day I went into the rear garden of an empty house out of curiosity. It was beautiful as you say. There were greenhouses and orchards full of apples, pears and other stuff. I saw a plant which at the time I didn't know what it was since I had never seen anything like it. I found out later that it was bamboo. What a place to live. Just a wee bit bigger than our council house. What..!!!

Sounds like jims garden.i vaguely remember it.
He made the garden at the bunga.low beautiful as well
although it wasn't as big.
Think the first house on the photo was the one they lived
in.remember it being a large dark semi which was on the left as you looked at it
Mums great aunt lived with them until 1953.
Clara barton. I remember her too .
Must have been terrible to leave such lovely houses.
Although they would be compensated .a lot of hard work would
have gone into that garden.
There is a photo in one of those wigan memories books
of one of thegardens there with a man standing in it.not sure
he its Jim though.

Ps .are these houses on the left going towards orrell post?

Yes, they are, Christine. If you stand on that pavement today, you will be looking down at the motorway and facing south.