Wigan Album

My dad was born in Soho St in 1910.Thank you Frank for this photo.I have only recently been asking around, where was Soho St.

The entrance to robin park playing fields at the bottom of soho st,behind the white van

Thank you AH.I now know exactly were it is.

Once again thank you for these great images of yesteryear.

I am trying to get my barings with the picture. Am I right in thinking the photographer is stood somewhere where Screwfix is now?

The road in the picture with the stationary traffic is clearly one way. I am assuming Asda customers visiting the store would need to drive from the junction of Robin Park Road (near where Burger King is now). Then when leaving they would exit onto Ormskirk Road where Millers is?

Please forgive me if I am well out here.

I was born a few years after this picture was taken. I only remember there being one way into Asda via the junction at Robin Park Road, which took you past Grahams timber yard and into the main Asda car park.

I remember the rifle club and there was an old plane on the site for many years. I seem to remember both Grahams & the rifle club went sometime in the mid 1990s when the new superstore was built behind the original Asda building.

Once the new Asda was ready to open - they simply demolished the old site and expanded the carpark at the front.

I have no idea when Millers disappeared. I am sure my dad once told me about a place called 'Billy's Motorcycle Shop' in this area. I vaguely remember the construction of the Fads building which is now home to SCS.

That's all there was in the 1970s. I don't know when the original Asda was built. The Robin Park playing fields have vanished where the retail park and DW Stadium is now, and an electricity route from Westwood power station towards Preston went this way with the medium size pylons. I think I remember the solitary house, and Beloit Walmsley factory that is still there today. A Mk1 Ford Cortina, small BMW and Hillman Avenger wait at the traffic lights. Just out of the picture was Frith Street where B&Q is now with car scrapyards.

What a great photograph. I used to shoot at Wigan rifle club in 1975/76. I used to use the club rifles at first, they were BSA's, .22 calibre but I can't remember the model. I then bought an Anchutz model 1407 bolt action from Stensbys gun shop, Shudehill, Manchester. The club had an indoor 25 yard range, a prep room where you could clean and assemble your gun and a strong room where the guns and ammunition were kept, a club room and kitchen. Some of the members I remember were Crawford Higham, who used to own Crawfords wool shop in the wiend, Ian Anderson who was the best shot in the club, Eddie who's surname I can't remember and Fred Alker. I used to get there on the bus until I got my motorbike which was a Honda CB125.

Was the photo taken from Clays wood merchants. It was around that area .