Wigan Album

Is the pond, the "Raft Lodge"?

brillant photo thanks for sharing it.is that railway line whellyloop?.looks it to me

No Dave, it's the Great Central line from Tyldesley to Springs Branch. The Whelley loop is to the far right of Tom's photo, that loop was called the Lancashire Union Line.
I hope this helps, Dave.

Is that CWS Glass Works on the left ? Also Westwood Power Station cooling towers in the centre, and Westwood chimneys to the right.

It looks like those are the Westwood Power Station cooling towers in the distance. The factory to the left, is that the factory where they manufactured glass bottles?.

is that st nataniels? platt bridge centre background, in which case its lnwr to eccles junction from springs branch

the white building to the extreme right is the Strangeways pub on Liverpool road, the GC line would be just to the left of that, and the whelley loop, or Lancashire Union line, is in the distance, directly behind the Strangeways

To the extreme left CWS glass works, St Nataniels Church, Westwood cooling towers, LUT bus depot, Westwood power station, extreme right Liverpool road Platt-Bridge to Hindley, white building the Old Strangeways pub.
The railway line is the Eccles to Springs Branch and later used just for Bickershaw Pit, it was known as the GC line and is now disused. The Lancashire Union line known as the Whelley loop is out of the photo, that line was further back from the Strangways pub.

Sorry I have made a mistake...the line in question is not the GC line it's infact the L&NWR (London and North Western Railway) the GC line (Great Central) ran from Manchester Central to Wigan Central station, it ran just along side of the Strangways pub and under Liverpool road.

All correct Colin, but the white building on the right is Holland hosiery. Strangeways pub much further right off the picture.
Yes Phil, it's the raft lodge (that's what we called it as kids ) in the centre of the picture

the pond was called cromptons we used to fish there as kids i got a new pair of shoes which i can tell you was,nt a regular thing i went over cromptons the same day thew a brick up in the air kicked it in the pond and my shoe ended up in the middle i kept throwing bricks behind it to get the waves to bring it back to the bank it was working until my brother thew a stone and it went inside it and it sunk that photo brings back some great memories and one bad one

It was certainly known as Raft Lodge in the 50's, good fishing for carp,roach and especially perch. Cromptons was a long way off, on the right side as you got up towards the Springs Branch area.

this train line went from pit 2 springs branch 2 the right of the line is what we called v, as kids we spent all day on our motorbikes on v then we would shoot down the line as a short cut 2 get back 2 woodcock drive the pond is no longer there its a field and prison runs along it.

Geoff K
Definitley correct, its the Raft Lodge, I fished it loads of times, Crucian Carp, Roach, Perch and some decent Pike. Preffered to fish the GC a bit further along the rail line going towards Hindley, it ran along side Bickershaw borstal.