Photo-a-Day  (Wednesday, 2nd December, 2015)

Nice shot if it wasn't leaning to the right. Good effort though!

A van driver once asked me "where is MES - NES street". I pointed out that the address on the drivers document was actually pronounced 'MAINS St', the chap said "shocking typist in our office"

Mains St or Worsley Mains sounds much better than Worsley Mesnes.
Anyone outside Wigan says MES NES instead of Mains, because thats how it's spelled.

Why throw out the historic derivation of the name to please outsiders?

Thank you for this. I am having such a rough time at present, & to see this which brings back such happy memories of my childhood does help a lot.

I think "Mesnes" might derive from the Anglo Norman "demesne" meaning land belonging to a manor.

I totally agree with gary.
Neil, try talking over the phone, you always have to spell the address out.

Not a matter to please outsiders, you always need to spell out the word, try living there.

Neil you simply don't understand do you. Not to please others at all, its all about explaining my address over the phone. It happens every time.

Correct AW, the land beside a manor, church, hall etc, nothing to do with Mains.

The land where the park, Parsons Walk and college now stands was once known as the "Old Mesnes" so it probably belonged to Wigan Hall (The Rectory).

Maggie, at the top of the photo is Google search, type in Mesnes Park. You'll see loads more photos of the park.
I hope it cheers you up.

S
ure i have read about a Duke/Lord/Sire De Mesnes, from the wigan area?

A.W. and Roy, the meaning of demesne has nothing to do with 'main' as you say, but its pronunciation (Old French) does (apparently) being pronounced di'mein or di'mayn and is a varient of 'domaine.

Mesne itself refers to 'middle' and a mesne lord is a landlord who has tenants holding under him, while himself holding of a superior lord, i.e. subletting.

The 's' in mesne was probably unvoiced (as many letters in French are) hence 'mene' and the last 'e' not spoken (like champagne) leaves us with men or mein.

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demesne

The Italian word 'mezzanine' meaning middle floor, seems strongly related. (Old French came from Latin.)

Sorry Neil, i didn't say it had owt to do with Main, i said the opposite.

I left Wigan when I was 10 but have a problem with Maims Park and Hey Hall

Neil, I pointed out the likely origin of "mesnes" as a name and made no connection with "mains".

You can also say that with Leigh-Lee.

Where is Hey Hall, or where is the Town Hall in Lee, or as a Wiganer would say LEY ,?????