Wigan Album

Thanks Ron, much clearer picture.
I remember before those traffic lights were put up at the junction of Caroline Street and Wallgate, panicking trying to turn right out of Caroline Street on my first driving test in 1968. If they had been there at the time I would have passed my test first time!
I suppose once all the houses in Caroline Street, Queens Street, Great George Street etc. had been demolished, not to mention Mill closures there there was no locals or passing footfall on Wallgate to keep them open.

What year is this excellent photo.

My husband Peter worked in the row of shops to the right of the photo as a young lad in the 1960s. He worked in Sawbridge's Butchers which is the premises under the fourth chimney-pot from the right. The butchers had relocated to Commercial Yard when the above photo was taken. He recalls that the shop at the end of the row, with the Typhoo Tea advert on the wall, sold second-hand furniture.

Garry, I am fairly certain that this picture is about 1973. The 2 cars and the van are waiting to turn into Caroline Street on the left. The Leyland
Atlantean Wigan Corporation bus has a J reg number plate, KJP 24J. The
cars are waiting to turn right into Caroline Street. The Leyland Atlantean
Wigan Corporation bus has a J reg number plate, KJP 24J. The yellow coach on the left is Smiths Tours, later to become Shearings.
The single deck bus behind the cars and van is a Leyland National of
Ribble Motor Services. Cheers, Ray

Sorry Keith, it is to you that credit should go but thanks Ron for the foggy one!!!

This is a photo of Maureen's old stomping ground ! I remember a girl from work living in Clayton Street when I worked at my first job.

I can smell boiled onions when I click on this photo.

I like that picture.

The Morris Marina van in front of the Leyland National bus to the right of the photo is the Wigan Observer newspaper van, at the time, the paper had two new Marina vans. Both were S reg, so the photo could be around 1977.
I think the car in front of the Marina van is a Ford Cortina mk4.
As Ray rightly says, the two cars and the Van are heading to Caroline Street. The Wigan Observer offices at that date were at Woods Street, just off Caroline Street. The BP garage to the left is Baldwins and Timberlakes, BL dealers.

Garry, I would date this mid 70s. The single decker and double decker buses appear to be still in the orange/white Selnec livery. I think the Greater Manchester Transport livery started to appear in our area about 76/77.

Garry the photo is around 1968 to 1974 the van turning right is ford escort, Ats tyres pick-up right in front towards wigan pier.

Cyril's right (comment on the other Wallgate image) - it was absolute lunacy to demolish any of the properties in view here. They obviously had hundreds of years of useful life ahead of them.

Great photo Keith and the colourisation is really good. Would you mind sharing what colouring app you use?8

Forgot to mention. Keith, many thanks, the photo bring back so many great memories.

Thank you for those comments. Graham I’d love to claim credit for being some kind of genius with computer software, but I ain’t. I merely tap a few keys. I subscribe to My Heritage and one of their features is an algorithm that colourises black and white images into colour, with varying degrees of success. Basically the better the b/w photo (even tone, sharp images etc.,) the better the colour matching. There is an additional bonus I have found, if like me, you have a number of badly faded colour prints, (I seem to have quite a few from the 1970’s) they can be improved a lot by putting them through the same process. Hope that helps.

Great photo Keith and the colourisation is really good. Would you mind sharing what colouring app you use?8

Oh if only buildings could speak..the first shop on the right was a second hand shop .. I’ve forgotten his name but on my way home from school he gave me a small bible, my grandma went mad saying you don’t need anything second hand .. then as Irene said Saebtidges butchers Jim and Billy were my Mam sent me every Saturday for a leg of lamb..then Morts shop that would send your weekly grocery if you posted a note.. just like Supermarket delivery today. The next was Mr Davies chemist.. a lovely lovely man who could tell you what you needed if it wasn’t too serious.. then the tile shop where my Dad got our tile fireplace for the back room. Then carry on another butcher then Theresa fruit and vegetables shop then the hairdressers .. across the road was meinikins shop which was a Jewish family s shop but things were very awkward and he had to change his name.. I will end there.. I keep saying I could write a book about Wallgate and it’s great families, probably someday I will.

This photograph is late 1970s or early 1980s. The Wigan Corporation buses are in GMT orange and white livery. Wigan Corporation had 32 Leyland Atlanteans, FJP566G, GJP2-10G, KJP20-31J, NEK1-10K and by this time some ex Salford PRJ G and Bolton OBN H Atlanteans had moved to Wigan. The single decker is one of 11 Leyland Panthers, HJP950-958 960 961H, there was also a 12th one in the batch, HJP959H but that was scrapped after an accident when three years old in 1973 before GMT. A Ribble or LUT Leyland National further back near the pub, Grapes hotel I think it was called. Timberlakes garage, I think British Leyland cars they sold. Middleton and Wood funeral directors. Don't know what that building is way over on the right.

The building to the far right in a pub, the Grapes Hotel.
MrX.

I can't see the Wigan Observer van? They were always White.

I’m very appreciative of those kind remarks but full credit for these photos must go to Frank Orrell who took them in the first place and made such a great job. I merely ‘colourised’ them using today’s latest technology.

That stretch of Wallgate reminds me of coming home from Thomas More School on the Bus in the early 1960's.
Friday afternoon you would see bands of girls walking up into town from the mills and sewing factories for a drink before their leader with an 'L'' Plate on her back got married on the Saturday, all festooned in balloons and all kinds of stuff. At least I think they were balloons????????? I was after all only 12.

Nice photo of yesteryear , remember the road very well, caught to bus every working day to Goose Grean.

Mark, the Wigan Observer vans were indeed White, in the early days, the paper used Bedford HA vans. The first 1969 with suffix G reg. These vans were replaced by the same make of van around every three years. In 1977, United Newspapers owners of the Wigan Observer changed the make to Morris Marina 8cwt vans in 1977. Two new Marina's with suffix S reg were use by the paper, one is seen in the photo. You can see the blue van with the white WO logo on the side on the van, the white band on the wings read "the paper that cares".

Thanks Maureen, your knowledge of the shops on this part of Wallgate is very interesting. Equally as good as mine on Darlington Street and that area in the 1950’s and 60’s.
I think we all had our little limited but interesting parochial patch in those day. I once ventured all the way up Great George Street, you would think I had gone to the other side of the planet!!!!!

Hello Colin.. it has been said that Great George Street was the longest Street in Wigan ..and I forgot to mention Prices cake shop, the lady that served you was Mrs Jones who lived next door but one to us when we lived in Warrington Lane, she was lovely , I used to go every Saturday morning for a dozen cakes for my Mam..and they would be placed in a lovely box then a piece of ribbon tied around it.
I must also mention at the bottom end of Wallgate was Malleys shoe repair shop, my Grandad would give me money to go and buy a strip of leather then he would put our shoes on the last then attach the leather ‘wallah’ new shoes. . Further up Nelson’s sweet shop.. and the of course everyone’s GP.. Dr Hall who after going out to attend to everyone who were poorly with the Flu went home and died from I should think exhaustion.. this would be in the ‘60s’, there’s so much more but I’ll leave it at that for now.

Maureen thanks for the memory.
My dad also had a Last, he always bought quality shoes, the uppers would last for years and when the they needed soling or healing I would do the same as yourself in buying strips of leather from Jimmy Walkers Cobblers in Millgate just up from the Baths Hotel.