Wigan Album

That's actually where the old railway bridge crossed the road.

Just where to the two people are was the bridge. I agree. I have to say it was a mess walking underneath it. It always seemed wet.

I used to attend the children's library but wouldn't have realised this was the same road where it stood. Wigan has changed so much since those days.

What a leafy view and quite a transformation from the 1960's and before.
I assume the car is coming out of Douglas House?
Veronica, it was trial and error walking under the railway bridge with dripping water and pigeon poo to dodge. I once had a dead pigeon drop on me!

The horseshoe was located beyond the river douglas bridge on the right hand side, near the white van. i think the railway bridge crossed in between the horseshoe & the river douglas bridge

AH. YOU ARE LOOKING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION. THE HORSESHOE PUB WAS JUST ON THE LEFT. PROBABLY JUST HIGHER UP THAN THE EDGE OF THE IMAGE.THE ENTRANCE ON THE RIGHT WITH THE CAR IS THE ENTRANCE TO WOODCOCK HOUSE.

I beg your pardon AH the Horseshoe was on the left side out of the picture just past the trees …I think you must mean the Bluebell Pub at Scholes Crossings. You can get disorientated looking at fresh photos of Scholes.
The Horseshoe was actually on Millgate.
The Salvation Army church on the left at the top of the photo was where the Bluebell pub was.

sorry wrong direction apologies; shovel and broom pub was on left towards scholes crossing

Tha’knows nowt.

Irene. This isn't the road where the Library stood. Technically it is just at the end of Millgate and the start of Scholes which is the road going up the hill.
Just on the right was a shop that sold motorbikes and scooters

The signs indicating where Millgate and Scholes join are on the right, on the Millgate side of Scholes Bridge. Helpful arrows beside the names indicate that Scholes is to be found East of the Douglas, and Millgate to the West.

Try to imagine a time when there was no Station Road, no Chapel Lane, no Rodney Street, no railway bridge and no Horseshoe Pub when in pre-industrial days a road ran from the town centre down to the River Douglas were there was a Mill with fields on either side, some with sheep others with corn. Milling flour on stones powered by a water wheel as the fresh clean water flowed down form Rivington teaming with trout and salmon.
What would little bow peep have made of shopping trolleys and the detritus of modern life cascading down the polluted waters!

The little girl who lived in the Georgian House on Millgate used to play near the river with the fields on either side and she drowned in the river.
Over the door is a head of a child made from stone in her memory. I have a booklet with the story of what happened by Geoffrey Shinane. Very interesting story of the lay out of the land behind Millgate.

Veronica, I do not know of that particular incident but when I was small there was a story about a troubled young boy who ran down Douglas Street jumped over the wall at the bottom and drowned in the Douglas and another when a boy fell in the Douglas near to Central Park and was swept all the way down in the fast flowing water and over the weir under the railways bridge with crowds of people running and shouting not able to reach him. I think he was fished out drowned somewhere near Darlington Street.

The story I am on about Colin was in the 1700’s I should have stated that. The also remember how the Douglas was a very fast running river. It was very noisy as well. We used to walk down the side of the river on Sundays for walks when I was little. I remember getting my head stuck in the railings as a five year old. ( I won’t go into that though,).

I am sure prior to the construction of Riversway in 1985, traffic was allowed to travel up this incline, then turn left and travel down Harrogate Street past the former police station.

CJ

Veronica, 1700 was a bit before my time!
I am sure you have mentioned that child's head on another posting, please could you remind me?
CJAlan - That confluence of road junctions has changed so many times since the 1960's it has me confused but yes, that part of Millgate used to accommodate two way traffic, you could come out of Douglas House and turn left and straight into Harrogate Street but now you would have to turn right, go up Scholes and all around the houses to get to Harrogate Street. That's unless it has changed again!!!!!!!!!!

All I can say Colin is the miniature of the little girl’s likeness in stone is still in situ above the door. Her father was someone important in Wigan. I will have a look for the booklet with the story.

Thanks Veronica, I would like to know where that building was or is.

It’s the Georgian House that was part or next to Pennington’s. Work was going on renovating it but it’s now boarded up.
Because of the boards you won’t see the
‘ effigy’ over the door, but it’s still there Colin.
I always looked at it whenever I went past there and remembered the little girl who died.

Thanks Veronica, if you are walking up Millgate and see an old man on a ladder pulling down the boarding, iphone in hand it's me!!!
Being old and Georgian (the building not me) I wonder what it was built for, looks to have probably been residential for a merchant.

Yes it was a residence Colin. I must look for the booklet with the story in it. Courtesy of Geoffrey Shryane (s)

I wonder if those books are still available,
There used to be series on Wicked Wigan by Geoffrey, Vic Jolley was the photographer and David Mottler the printer. I have not seen them in book shops in a long time.

I have looked for the booklet but I must have lent it and not got it back. Try the Museum of Life at the bottom of Library St Colin. I have “Peering at Wigan.” The story isn’t in that one. You might be able to find something on Google.

The Horse Shoo Pub was where Ron Hunt said it was, which is actually at the present day traffic lights on Riverway.

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=19.6&lat=53.54476&lon=-2.62789&layers=168&right=ESRIWorld

Has anyone got further information on the sculptured head on Penningtons doorway, i love obscure trivia like that?