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Photos of Wigan
Photos of Wigan



Wigan Album

Melbourne Street, Wigan

13 Comments

Melbourne Street 1950
Melbourne Street 1950
Photo: Carol Farmer (nee Greenall)
Views: 5,092
Item #: 22894
Photograph taken from the Hopwood Street end in the direction of Wallgate.

Comment by: JOSIE on 12th March 2013 at 00:47

oh carol, this is just a wonderfull photo what a lovely st just imagin living there in that time when everybody was your friend and neighbor no d*** heads like today just pleasent tranquil times, poor but rich in life, i grew up in 50s so this remindes me of my wonderful childhood nothing like what kids today could comprehend !!! we had nowt really but were sooooo happy just playing out allllllll day didnt want to come in !!!! and couldnt wait to wake up to do it all again, my grandson age 17 just said hummm ime bored nowt do,he has everything we never even dreamd about, lap top i phone ,big telly in bedroom, double bed ,own room,top clothes, money for nowt ,oh i could go on, but i would rather my childhood than his !!! they not gratefull for owt kids ,how did our parent go on no mobiles nemind a house phone ha ha ha it bugs me how kids of today think they got nowt and i suppose its not theire fault really they been brought up this way ,even me wants our grandkids have everything so its us to blame in the end , well thats my gripe over .

Comment by: josie on 12th March 2013 at 00:49

by the way carol i was born in same year as your pic, 1950 new years eve.

Comment by: Carol on 12th March 2013 at 08:38

The picture was in the History Shop - what a fantastic place it is. I am interested in the street as many of my family have lived there from ~ 1860 to 1939.

Comment by: Marie on 12th March 2013 at 10:13

I wish my husband could have seen this he was born in this street

Comment by: Loz on 12th March 2013 at 10:35

I'm a bit confused. Accordng to the map, Hopwood Street joins onto Adelaide Street and Victoria Street. I can't seem to see a Melbourne Street...

Comment by: Jimmy on 12th March 2013 at 15:27

Loz, Adelaide st later became Melbourne st.

Comment by: Dave on 13th March 2013 at 09:09

Fancy electric lighting for 1950 still gas lamps in our street in the fifties with lamp lighter doing his rounds.

Comment by: Jarvo on 14th March 2013 at 08:36

Don't fool yourselves. This looks like summert out of Dickens. The reality was probably totally different: no money; no nice clothes; no holidays; no prospects...Instead: drunkeness; poverty; hardship; and little escape from drudgery. Good old days? Behave yourself!

Comment by: Jackie Webb on 24th February 2021 at 14:24

Hi! Love this photo found my great grandad moved to Adelaide Street then Melbourne Street.. so can only presume it changed the name during that time.. he lived @ 22 Melbourne Street in 1921.. Timothy Smith
????????????

Comment by: Christopher mahoney on 2nd April 2021 at 21:59

I was in born in melbourne street 1950 had three brothers and four sisters plus mam and dad in a 2 up 2 down there was never any burglars cos we had nowt to pinch poor but happy.

Comment by: MikeW on 3rd April 2021 at 09:46

Certainly an evocative picture but I doubt it was the utopia many from our generation claim it was and still yearn after

Would I like to go back?

Despite the never ending and constant complaints about the way in which Wigan has progressed and developed and of what we see as the perceived failings in society in general today, the answer from me is a definite and resounding "no".

Comment by: Gill Mul on 20th April 2021 at 20:38

Jackie Webb, I am just researching my family history and found out that my grandad William Ratchford lived at 26 Adelaide St, and my Great Grandad also William Ratchford lived at 44 Adelaide St.

Comment by: Jackie Webb on 26th August 2021 at 12:42

Hi Gill Mul

My great grandad was Timothy Smith lived at 26 Adelaide Street 1911… he was widowed with 5 Children and died at 8 Melbourne Street 1922

Jackie ??

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