Wigan Album

Congratulations Julie. I think this may be a wiganworld first (and second!).

funny thing is this was in rachal boylan handbag deceased who carries a photo of a sewerage works i think it must be coz her son worked there

I think this is the sewerage works that was at the bottom of the sewerage pad near the white bridge over the canal, which is now the large car park at the rear of the D.W Stadium. And not Marsh Green

The most horrible smell I ever encountered, was the the smell of the bone works,when I was on night duty, working round the Wallgate beat. I believe(to my recollection) it was in the region of Prescott Street, towards the bottom of Great George Street.

I used to go down this sewage works for worms for fishing. One turn with the spade and you had a tin full

Thanks for sharing this. It's a very strange thing to take a photo of but I appreciate it all the same. I used to play here as a young lad, your photo brings back great memories !

my uncle walter work there. they gre blackcurrant and gooseberry bushes and rhubarb around the outside. we were never short of fresh fruit. a long time since he took me for a wlk round ther. sadly he passed away 1957 when i was still only 17yrs

I remember there were two semi detached houses down there. Probably for the workers?

There was a sign saying 'Trespassers will be prosecuted' and as a very young lad I thought it meant executed !

lol dave! I know what u mean. When we are children, we dared not ask a question unless absolutely necessary, so we assumed all kinds of things. Back in the 50's I remember a sign in the butchers shop where I was made to walk and buy the weekly meat when I was about 9 years old. There was a sign which said NO EXPECTORATING. Not knowing what the heck that meant, I was in fear of the repercussions of doing whatever that sign meant until I was out the door every single time!

I made sure I kept to my side of the railings,Cheryl B.Anyone identify the type of motor bike in the background?

Sheryl B just had to look up what expectorating means.

It was made much simpler on the buses in those days with the sign - "spitting strictly forbidden" or something like that. Makes me wonder when did they get rid of those signs on the buses?

Didnt buses say prohibited

There once was a man from Darjeeling,
Who got on a bus to Ealing,
It said on the door "Don't Spit On The Floor",
So he stood up and spat at the ceiling.

I suppose the modern day interpretation of the sign " Keep off the Grass" would be interpreted as inferring to, "Don't Use Cannabis". No one these days seems to acknowledge the real meaning of it.

We used to play on a field called the Mayflower on the other side of the Douglas near the locks. We played ticky rugby and did unspeakeble things to frogs. We swam in the canal at White Bridge( dead dogs and all)) and waded in the Little Brook which flows under the canal and into the Douggie. I remember watching near the locks as they dredged for a body.

Dave. Looks like the Motorbike could be an old BSA Bantam

The really bad smell around prescott st area was Gallaghers bone works, my Dad used to work there. He said the rats were as big as cats.