Wigan Album

I must have got the stone wall mixed up. I thought the railings were atop of these stone walls. But I knew there was some stone walls in the vicinity. Just around the houses.

I don't know that area, (at least as it was back then), but I find that very picturesque. I would have loved to have seen it at dusk when that gas-lamp was lit. especially on a snowy or foggy night, but it must have been treacherous to walk down those cobbled setts in icy weather.

Veronica, I love this picture, it encompasses every aspect of old Scholes area, including the cobbled streets.
I'm surprised that I can't see a face peeping through behind those net curtains in the house on the left, whoever was living there looks to have been house proud.
Now I can't get the music from that Hovis TV advert out of my head, perhaps that man up the street is delivering some.

Yes it does remind you of the Hovis advert. I think it was Derek B who was querying this place.
There was so many places when we were out and about in the school holidays. So much character how could we as school children ever be bored?. We rambled everywhere possible, never getting in any trouble whatsoever. It was the best playground there ever was and we were always climbing! We used to get home as black as oozle! I loved the school holidays. ;o))

Just to the left of the gas lamp there is a lady complete with pinny and she's kneeling down; so probably donkey stoning the steps, also those houses with the stone wall around the garden look to be solidly built, so it makes you think as to why they, and of course others too around Scholes got to be lumped in with the demolition order. The brickwork at the house where the man is pointing his arrow doesn't look at all bad either, I've seen a lot worse housing in other areas of Wigan that were left standing, and whose owners later had modernisation grants from the council.

Well spotted Cyril you’re right - that lady is scrubbing steps. A lot of good housing was demolished to make way for roads mainly.
Ps you don’t see young ones sweeping around their houses much.

Doing family research I came across Longshoot & understand it may have been some sort of practice area for archers...anybody know any thing about how it got its name ?
These photos are so interesting & very picturesque. I love them.

I’ve heard that before Helen. Also ‘Hardybutts’ was another place where Archers practiced..

I walked down this cobbled hill everyday when i went to St George's Primary School in the 70's. Going home after school we regularly walked on the outside of these railings back up the hill. The stone gateposts from the two houses were still visible in the 70's.

I used to enter this area from Coop Street which is over to the right. I also remember a high stone wall which we would drop off as far along as we could. It got higher as we neared the tennis courts. My cousin lived on the left of the tennis court entrance and we would go on to the swings, then down through a woodyard to the Douglas and then on to so many adventures.

I am pretty sure that this is not the path leading up to Longshoot to the rear of the bowling green. I seem to remember that the railings were on a low stone wall on the left as you walked upwards and the path was not as wide as the one in this picture. Also, I can't recall any house between the bowling green and the top of the path . Having said that, I could very well be mistaken and, if I am not, I have no idea whatsoever where this is.

Jim Sullivan was playing for Wigan in the local derby against St Helens. During the second half, he kicked the ball so hard it left the ground, cleared the River Douglas and was lost.
The game continued using the spare ball.
Later, several people went to search for the lost ball and it was eventually found in the long grass at the front of a house in Bank Terrace. The lad who found the ball exclaimed, "bloody hell fire, mon, that was a long shot".
Another searcher agreed, saying "aye, he must've give it some welly"!
Ever since then that area has been known as 'Longshoot' in memory of that long shot all them years ago and the neighbouring area has been called 'Whelley'. And, what's more, one of the modern-day streets has been named after the player who took that famous 'long shot', Sullivan Way.

The railings were on the right as you walked up and are still there. This map shows houses along the brew.
https://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/photo.php?opt=4&id=8158&gallery=Longshoot&page=1

Thanks! Veronica.
A black and white photograph which offers much more than a cobbled street scene.

There is a map item 8158 which looks like these houses could be Bank Terrace.
I couldn’t get into your info Pam sorry.
I only remember these out of the way places where we used to ramble but the names of these places escape me apart from the main Streets.

There’s another delightful photo of a little boy at Longshoot item 12792. I remember that area well for rambling around.

Hi Veronica i visited Longshoot many times in the late 40's and 50's and don't remember this 'bit'. My mother was born at no 31a and we used to visit the remaining family there. I have the photo of the little lad in my family archives for my family to see where my mum was born, that is when I'VE moved on, not too soon i hope.

If you enter Longshoot into search there are more photos and an interesting article from Past Forward magazine on how Longshoot got it's name.

Hello Roy, all I remember is that we used to come up here sometimes to go the old Bowling Green we used to pretend it was a little park! I know it’s not actually Longshoot but these quirky off roads seemed to blend and connect with Longshoot at some point. I know there was a wall at the bottom of Longshoot that we would climb on.
I will look up that tale in Past Forward Meg some really good stories of the past in them. In fact I wrote about John St where I lived a few years ago. Thanks for the input all.

Veronica, looking on the ancient map which Pam posted the link to, there is Bank Terrace as you say, also the path to it looks to lead up from Arundel Street and to the right beyond the railings the workings of sand pits are shown, there are further sand pits towards the bloody mountains, and also shown is the the Battle Site between Royalists & Parliamentarians, there's also a Hill Cottage shown and which looks to be a large house set within gardens.

A few comments about Longshoot, and links to articles by Joanne and dostaf:
https://www.wiganworld.co.uk/communicate/mb_message.php?opt=f9&msd=962042&page=2&subject=Longshoot

and another archery practice site Hardybutts:
https://www.wiganworld.co.uk/communicate/mb_message.php?opt=f1&msd=693253&offset=&subject=Hardybutts%3F

been around that area many times back in the1950s used to mate with the lads and girls from longshoot went st georges in the fifties best friend was tommy williamson his mother was may blan always in the plants that was the name we used cousin lived in last house next to bowling green also had there own bommie

the story about longshoot was oliver cromwell shot cannons from there at the parish church there is still marks on rear of church. camels hump used to be called bloody mountains were the was as battte between the royalist and cromwells roundheads

I can’t get to that map Cyril I have tried but sometimes it doesn’t work for me …dart! It would be interesting to see just for the battle site. Thanks anyway.

Veronica, try the link below, see if that works for you.

https://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/photo.php?opt=4&id=8158&gallery=Longshoot&page=1#google_vignette

Tom, Longshoot is also my understanding of how it got its name after the Civil War, nothing to do with Rugby.
If a ball landed from Central Park it would have to be fired from a canon.