Red Pond at Newtown

does anyone know what this was before it became the red pond? Used to walk round there years ago and often wondered

Hello danni, I think it may have come about because of mining subsidence like the flashes. I remember when I used to cut across there from Newtown to Poolstock in the sixties, there was a lot of evidence still around then of past mine workings such as old ventilation shafts and spoil heaps, it may also have got its name because of the red shale from those heaps.

thanks ayerfield thats really helpful. My imagination is fired now so will have to do some digging

just had a memory pop up, wasnt parsons meadow where the footy pitches are now once all red shale?

I was wondering which pit this shale etc came from and looking on this site there's evidence of a pit called Worsley Mesnes Colliery with workings around there.

In the 'photo of the day' section (Sunday 19th October 2008) the photo taken from the top of All Saints (or Parish)Church shows around there and it looks quite nice now with all the grass and greenery around, very different to what it was like at one time.

On a sombre note, I remember when an horrendous event happened down there; when a lad who was after bird's eggs fell down one of the old shafts and was lost under the water, it was awful news at the time.

wasnt that the one off Worsley Mesnes Drive where they built the retirement flats. There were 2 shafts that were capped afterwards I think

The red pond was a creation from a collapsed mine tunnel.

My Great Uncle used to play around it in the 40's and remember's the only time his father had to smack him. He arrived home very late from one of his exploits around the said area and got a wallop.

I always thought it was one on the large field off Mesnes ave and Keats ave what led down towards the red pond, The Victoria club used to overlook the same field if that's still there? But I may be wrong about the location.

that field is Parsons Meadow where St Judes play now. Im not sure myself now, maybe some info somewhere?

There used to be an old crane there in the late60s/early70s.
It also got polluted and most of the fish died, can remember Leeroy bringing a pike back to school and leaving it on the radiator at Tommy More.
The lad that fell down the mineshaft was John Conway, I dont believe they ever found him. I always think of him when I travel along that road.

so was it off Worsley Mesnes Drive then the shaft Davey? Im sure I remember thats where it happened

It was danni, at the side of the brook, mines rescue tried unsucessfuly to recover him. Theres a memorial on the car park of the old folks home i think.

I was only small but I do remember it, Worsley Mesnes was a tight knit community then and everyone was in total shock

the problem with that shaft locally called owd nat,s ,it was,nt capped, just a wall around you could easily climb to the top of.i well remember mick waddington and a mate dancing on the timber across the shaft,about 18inch wide,above that dark abyss.when mother found out she hit the roof barred us from going down ,t lane.tippings bridge being the divide between up laners worsley mesnes and down laners poolstockers.it was another iron curtain,that bridge.st judes pitch ,parsons meadow was never red,it was blue pit spoil.red pond had shale deposits from worsley mesnes iron foundry,gaffer will have a map to show whats what.brookhouse is built over owd nat,s pit.

it didnt look blue to me micky was deffo red in the early 70's

I only recently found the exact spot in Worsley Mesnes where that pit shaft was located and it is where brocklanders says it is, next to Smithy Brook very near to the Brookside sheltered housing complex.

The shaft being filled in after the accident.


I think all Wigan was in shock over it, because they could not recover the lads body, it was front page news in the Wigan papers for a few days and it was on the television as well.

danni i lived in keats ave for a few years it was pockmarked with what looked like shell holes,ie parsons meadow i only remember blue waste on our back fields . a neighbours child slipped into one of these holes filled with water ,with a tragic ending.then the council scraped them level.the "shell" holes where what was left of people digging for a little coal from the spoil,so i was told.

the holes were created during the general strike of '26'
people digging coal slack

danni are you ex worsley mesnes?

I remember the day very well I lived in masefield drive then, I believe my nephew was with the lad who fell but had to go home before the accident happened.