Wigan Album

Am I right in thinking that the ‘Mesnes Playing Field’ was originally used as a rubbish tip?

Hi Josh,

It was quarried up until the grammar school above or the one afterwards had it laid out as a playing field. There is an aerial image somewhere on here in better detail. If you zoomed in closely you can make out rugby posts so there was some form of sports played on here regardless of its state at the time.

When I was a kid you could go in to the empty ruins of the fives court, gifted by Col. Ffarington Eckersley. One of the houses at the grammar school was called "Eckersley House".

Andrew. I also have memories of the Fives Court. Such a waste. From memory the WGS Houses were Eckersley,- purple, Bankes - green, Crawford - brown, Powell - light blue, and Leigh - dark blue. Leigh of course was the best !

I can remember when the FIVES COURT was still in use. Although I never used it, as I went to the TLS. We did use the Mesnes Field for Cricket, and our annual Sports Day.

Thank you for the info’ Andrew. As an ex-WGS schoolboy, I still have fond memories of using the Fives Court.

Powell was red, and yes Leigh was tops

I remember a brick building that could be seen from Mesnes Street and was told it was a changing room for tennis and cricket players, I never went in so don't know if it was.

Andrew, a link to the aerial photo on the Album that you may remember is below, looks to have been quarried, maybe for sand.
https://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/photo.php?opt=5&id=25791&gallery=Market+Square&page=343

Where is the clock tower. Was that added later?

Rich, different building. This Building was demolished to make way for the building as it is now.

Don't you mean destroyed ...not developed !!!!

Carolean.You have forgotten Bridgeman And Linacre,though that can be excused as it disappeared in 1946

Bridge man was yellow