Wigan Album

Brings back memories of miners waiting for their transport to work, outside the Bluebell pub.
On the right, just a little way up Scholes was the Temperance bar where we used to go for a drink of Vimto after Youth Club had finished

The temperance bar was Bolton's and next door or thereabouts was a Chinese laundry.

I cannot remember when traffic lights were installed at Scholes Crossing. I seem to recollect doing point duty at this crossing,in the late fifties. I do remember, one night I was working the front of Scholes beat,and in those days you had to check that property was locked. On checking the pub, I believe it was named " The Harp Inn", the front door had been left unlocked. I went in,it was pitch black, I then heard a very deep throaty growl, beads of sweat was on my forehead as I banged my truncheon on the bar counter. after several minutes I did waken the landlord,and when he put the lights on, I saw the alsasian was chained at the back of the bar. What a relief. I had been too aprehensive to shine my torch.

When the traffic lights were first installed the old folk used to refer to them as electric bobbies

What's the writing on the pub wall under the window? "?WS" If am right the salvation army stand in the pub place now?

Just look at the signs prominently displayed at James Livesey's shop, Capstan and Woodbine, you'd think they were health products!

The letters would be EWS emergency water supply, a hang over from the war.

John B, people didn't understand that Smoking can damage your health as they do today. Adverts where all over the place then.

Great picture Dennis. I was born in School St in 1950, and remember 'old Scholes' even though we moved out of the area in 1953.

it used to say ews at top of clarrington grove on gable end it pointed to emergency war shelter which was further down clarrington grove

Tom. The old timers' in Ince used to refer to the traffic lights as "The Robots", as did a lot of the old miners'

Livseys tobbaconist and toy shop.I remember spending hours looking at the toy display in the right hand window.

By the way the chinese laundry was called moy toys

Carl , the Chinese laundry was origainally called Moy Toys, but was takenover by Wong's sometime in the late 40s,people still called by its former name untill it closed , including all my family. Their children attended St.,Patrick's School , there's a photograph on Wigan World (schools) taken in1949, on which Wong's son George is pictured. Mr.Wong ran the laundry, Mrs., Wong ran a chip shop further along Scholes , nextdoor to Pie Joes,situated on the corner of Union St., Wong's were a very nice family .
I also used to be fascinated by Livesey's toy window which would often have an electric train set operating ,quite a novelty in those day .

I seem to remember Liveseys toyshop having a wooden unit type of thing with a lot of small drawers and you could open them and see what was in them. I was very young and maybe I dreamt it. Can anyone remember anything like that in there?

In the days when "Wigan Borough Police Officers' wore blue shirts with separate collars, Most would take their collars to Wong's laundry, to be starched.I was one of them.

Old-time locals might be interested to know that I took the Funeral of Roy Topping a fortnight ago, and have just buried his ashes. He had a grocery store on Warrington Lane near Scholes crossing until it was demolished. Next door was Hollis' dairy, I believe.

Apart from JJ Broughton in Market St. and Howards in Mesnes St/Hallgate, I seem to recall that Livesey's was the only other shop in Wigan where you could buy Dinky Toys.

The aldy shown I think is Violet Crookes who lived in Isabella St. I went to St Catharine's Infants and Junior school in the fifties and played with her two sons David and Dennis. Does anyone remember Sholes Picture House further up on the left? The last picture shown in the early 60s was I think The Valley of Gwangii. It was later to become the "Bluesville" club. Up at the top nearer Greenough St there was Henrys newsagents and May Hollinsgworth Fishmongers, Poulsens confectioners... I could go on. Can anyone list all the pubs along Scholes??? I used to live in Golborne St then Scholefield Lane before moving into strange territory to Wright St in Whelley. Great days.

The lady crossing the road is mrs crooks who had a son called dennis.77

Doing family tree and come across a place in Scholes called 'down gates' which us supposed to be on or around where the Bluebell us on that picture has anyone heard if this place? My mother, born in 1920 used to work in a general store in Scholes when she had left school (lived in New Springs), only thing I remember her talking about was the large set of scales for weighing grain that she used to weigh herself.

Yes MoyToys was taken over by the Wong family, I am the grandson!
I am the son of Mary Jane Ng (nee Wong) she was the oldest daughter of Mr and Mrs Wong, sadly my mum passed away last year April 2017!

Block 5 flats .info chineese laundry and Close shops and family location lights at scholes Warrington Rd thanks ????

Owd Zach (my dear granddad was affectionally called) remembered a walk-in coal mine before the 1930s, at the bottom of Great Acre.
Long after we moved from no.75 to Stretford I was examining coal board maps and saw that the entrance is in the retaining wall opposite 75s back door. Ee owd mon! Wi cud uv 'ad er ewn cowal fe' nowt.

My grandparents used to run the bluebells pub back in the 30s I think .the Brockbanks