Wigan Album

Is this the open area of grassy land where the present LEA building is now.

Yes you are right Dennis. I worked at the Education Department from 1979 to 1993.
Spent many lunch times on that garden in summer.

Why was it demolished & when, what is in its place ?
Whereabouts in Standishgate was it ?

Hello Helen,
The school was situated at the bottom of Standishgate near Powell Street.The Catholic Churches of St John and St Mary were practically either side of it.
The front rooms of the school were demolished(hence the garden I wrote earlier about)and the back part was made into offices which has been used by The Education Department ever since and is now known as Gateway House.
The alterations took place in the early 70s.
As for why the school closed I'm not sure,maybe all religions were integrated and went into one school.
Maybe someone else can explain the reason.

Helen,there is another photo ( look under schools in the WW album) taken from the other side of the school looking towards the centre of Wigan.
It also says that the school closed in 1974.

Thanks Evelyn, an impressive building.

In the middle 1960s a new convent was built for the nuns in Standish with plans for a school to be built alongside it.However with the phasing out of direct grant education planned for the middle 1970s the school was gradually closed with pupils being moved to other schools in the town.

the reason the school closed was the coming of the Comprehensive system of education.Notre Dame was a grammar school.The nuns already had a secondary modern school=Thomas Moore,so the old school was surplus to requirements.

Someone, somewhere, hopefully has photographs of the four beautiful stained glass windows which were in the Salle, one for each House. I obtained a photocopied picture of the Salle at the Museum of Wigan Life but, unfortunately, it was taken looking towards the opposite end of the room from the windows. There must be a record of them somewhere; who designed/installed them; were they 'rescued' or simply smashed to pieces? Please pass on any helpful information by leaving reply on this site. Thanks.

WOW what a school - wish i was back there to start all over again Sister Marie.Sister Vincent Sister Margaret Paul. Mrs Rynn our lovely Form Mistress Mr Holland Miss Seddon - misic. The Dwyers ahhhhhhhhh all great people but we didnt realise it then . Oh Mr Savage too to name but a few - happy days.

wow my last 5th year form room was at the very top front corner and does anyone else remember that the windows at the front were nailed down at the bottom !

IWas there 1959/1964 lots of memories. MY favourite teacher was Agatha Brown. Cannot remember the name of the lovely nun who left to go and teach African children (I think) but she taught us the French song Dominique by the singing nun. Ah they were good times

Elizabeth I think the nun you are thinking of might have been Sr Gabriel

The sister who went to Africa was lovely Sr Mary. She taught French.A local girl.Tragically she was killed by Idi Armin in Uganda.