Wigan Album

This looks as though its looking north towards the old power station site at Westwood (which was off to the right in the distance) from the lock on the Leigh Branch at Poolstock, by St James Church. Most of the housing in the middle distance and beyond has now been demolished.

this barge was located at wigan pier,it was fitted with a glass roof and used for school trips,went on it once with belle green primary school in the late 1970s

Ambush is based in Crooke now.

I watched them build one of these in the 1940s at Mayor's boat yard in Poolstock.The timbers were put in a steam pipe to make them flexible. The keel was a piece of RSJ and all the joints on the hull were caulked with oakum and pitch.When the boat was launched it had to go into the canal sideways.A lad that was at school with me worked in the office there and on one launch, he smuggled himself on to the barge to be launched with it.

WHEN WE LIVED IN POOLSTOCK IN THE 60S.SOMETIMES ON SCHOOL HOLIDAYS WE WOULD GO TO POOLSTOCK LOCKS EARLY MORNING,AND HELP THE BARGE MAN THROUGH THE LOCKS.HE WOULD THEN GIVE US A RIDE TO, I THINK IT WAS PLANK LANE PIT AT LEIGH.WHERE HE WOULD BE LOADED UP WITH COAL, AND THEN BRING IT BACK TO WESTWOOD POWER STATION, TO BE UNLOADED BY CRANE STRAIGHT FROM THE BARGE. SOMETIMES HE WOULD TOW A BARGE WITH NO ENGINE.
WE USED TO JUMP BACK OFF THE BARGE AT POOLSTOCK LOCKS.(can you imagine a days adventure like that for young lads today, under health and safty )MOST OF THE TIME WHEN WE GOT HOME WE ENDED UP IN TROUBLE. BECAUSE HOWEVER MUCH WE TRIED, WE COULD NEVER GET RID OF ALL THE EVIDENCE OF THE COAL DUST ON US.EVEN AFTER A BYWASH SWILL.(wash)
AND SO HENCE. A GOOD SALLYWANGER (CLOUT) AND SOMETIMES BED AS WELL.IT HAS BEEN KNOWN BY ME AND OTHERS ON LIGHT SUMMER NIGHTS,TO SHOUT DOWN FROM THE PUNISHMENT BEDROOM.MAM! WE ARE DEAD SORRY AND WON'T DO IT AGAIN,JUST GIVE ANOTHER CLOUT AND LET US GO BACK OUT.

I come from Byrom St and I remember riding the barge up to Moss Bridge.

This indeed was Ambush on it's last trip ti Bickestaff Colliery on the Leigh Branch. My father, Charlie Davies, is closing the lock gate on the right. The chap steering was a reporter from the Lancashire Evening Post. I spent several years in my youth sailing this and other barges (particularly Robert) to and from Westwood Power Station picking up and delivering coal from various surrounding collieries equipped with tipplers (such as the one at Wigan Pier).
The barge was all steel and was not made in Poolstock. It was designed to enter the Mersey to load and unload goods from sea-going vessels and so was originally fitted with coamings (to prevent waves washing into the hold) and wooden hatch covers. After my father acquired the boat I remember sailing it to Adlington and unloading the hatch covers at Bonds Lane and then making a splendid shed using the covers as a roof. I can still see this on Google Earth standing behind Adlington Primary School! After it's working life finished it was converted into a floating restuarant and kept at Burscough before ending up at Crooke (where there was a tippler and where I and my father picked up countless loads of coal). It has since been classified as a historic boat!

The barge Ambush was built for H&R Ainscough flour millers from Burscough,it transported wheat from Liverpool and Birkenhead to the mill in Burscough.The barge was sold and has had a variety of uses from coal carrying,trip boat,restaurant and now fuel boat.