Wigan Album

Didn't there use to be a "Dr Who" style police box outside McCurdy's ?

John. Wasn't Veronica Almonds on the bend, but more into Scholes. I took many a call from Central Police Station, in the police box, just after the bend, into Scholes.

Great stuff this I am fascinated by old Scholes, all that character and ginnels. Anybody remember my nan's old shop selling refurbished prams?! Don't know the title of the shop but my nan enjoyed it.

I think the first shop on the far side of Crawford Terrace was a cloggers(Bolton's?), then Siney's barbers, then Sandersons confectioners run by two unmarried sisters and on the corner of Jackson Square was a chip shop. As Albert says on the other side of Jackson Square was Veronica Almond's. After The Earl of Balcarres pub there was a gap and on the other side a hardware shop, followed by a newsagents, Scholes British Legion and Vic Oldfield's electrical shop.

Veronica Almonds was on the left hand side going up Scholes opposite what looks like a bus shelter. I bought my wedding dress from there in 1961

I can see my old local, the Balcarres Arms on the corner opposite the end of Platt Lane, on the opposite corner was Joe Howards D.I.Y. shop, and across the way on the corner of Platt Lane was a wallpaper and paint shop, and I do remember the police phone box.

In reg suttons window. A sign that said........we sell wide bottom trousers

I didn't really know Scholes but I remember the name Reg Sutton. I think my brothers, (many years my senior), bought clothes from there , and I have a feeling someone came to our house to measure them. Evelyn, what was Veronica Almond's like? Was it just wedding clothes or was it a general clothes-shop? This picture must capture so many memories for the people who knew it well.

Derek, the gap you refer to is Molyneux St with Balcarres on one corner and Joe and Paula Roberts DIY shop on the other. The top of the street is still there but the street name plate is long gone. My Uncle Ernie Hankin and Amelia (Millie) his wife, Lynn and Stuart their children live on Molyneux St. My Grandparents Ernie and May Hankin lived in Mint Cottage at the top of Mint Court just a little further up before Longshoot H/C where Scholes Conservative Club was but a little further back. Mint Court led to Primrose Hill. After Molyneux St but before Mint Court was Wood's then Lloyd's newsagents. Then after Mint Court was I think Scholes British Legion.

A Wigan Borough policeman's wife had a small café, on the opposite side of the road, from the police callbox. I think it may have been where the gap,is between the buildings. The spare land that you can see, wasn't that where the Rose & Crown was, and wasn't it locally called the dust hole?

Further up from Veronica Almonds was Carters general provisions. Brenda Carter was in my class at St Catharine's school further up Scholefield Lane. Facing Reg Sutton's would have been Worthington's ice cream and toffee shop, demolished in this photo. This is approximately the area where the stone sculpture monstrosity spelling out Scholes is positioned. As a young teenager I remember surreptitiously buying packets of five "Domino" cigarettes,which along with "Park Drive", "Gold Leaf" and "Woodbines" served as an incentive to give up the weed at an early age, the colour green very much in evidence. My Granddad smoked them but after he had them under the gas grill to dry them out! Yuk. What great days.
Sherrington's hard ware shop at the bottom of Scholefield Lane was a veritable treasure trove for a young lad and as I lived just further up Scholefield Lane was able to enjoy the treat on a regular basis. What you couldn't buy there wasn't worth having. Green sticks for gardeners were used as arrows with cig packets cut up for flights and tyre valve caps as the business end. A stout tree branch and cord formed the bow. What fun we had in Haigh PLantations and over Platt Lane fields, re-enacting the cowboy and indian escapades especially after the ABC Minors on a Saturday.

The rubble across from sherringtons hardware shop was where Ted Worthingtons ice cream shop used to be,the other ice cream shop just before john macurdys furniture shop was Maggie Lee's great ice cream,great days.

Some wonderful and interesting information here, ladies and gentlemen. You should make plan of old Scholes or write a book between you before it all gets forgotten!

How lovely it looks. Pity they couldn't have preserved it.

Right oposite the bottom of scholefield lane near the lampost is philips entry next to philips chemist and suttons cloggers shop,the bloggers name was methusalem Sutton who was stone deaf and worked down the cellar making and repairing clogs,you had to bang on his counter very loud if he didn't reply you went down the cellar to speak to him personally,the till that he gave you your change from was on the counter as you entered the shop,you wouldnt be able to leave it there nowadays sad to say.

Right oposite the bottom of scholefield lane near the lampost is philips entry next to philips chemist and suttons cloggers shop,the bloggers name was methusalem Sutton who was stone deaf and worked down the cellar making and repairing clogs,you had to bang on his counter very loud if he didn't reply you went down the cellar to speak to him personally,the till that he gave you your change from was on the counter as you entered the shop,you wouldnt be able to leave it there nowadays sad to say.

John Alan, was the Mint Court you refer to the gap on Scholes before Longshoot and where you could walk right through to the Bowling Greens? I seem to remember there was a grocery shop on Scholes at the entrance to this gap and the people who owned the shop were called Heaton and also had a general haulage business and had Commer trucks with canvas hoods on the back. They were always involved in supplying their lorries to the Post Office to cope with the Christmas rush at the time when you could get up to three deliveries a day immediately before Christmas.

The heaton brothers mentioned by Derek b is correct,one of the brothers used to glue the posters for the film's that would be on the labour picture house in the following week,he only had one eye,we used to follow him and he would show us the latest films that would be coming on,he always had a bucket full of paste with is glue brush,does anyone remember Ricky Allen's dad who lived in linney street with is leather belt striking the stage before the saturday matinee to silence the kids down before the mystery riders and Johnny mack brown hit the screen.brillient memories of these far away days.

My wife told me, that on one occasion her mother took her, and her sister, to the Labour picture house, for some reason they could not go to The Scholes Cinema. They were asked whether they wanted upstairs, or downstairs. They wanted upstairs. The upstairs was one step up, from downstairs.

DerekB the gap you refer to is probably Coop St which is further up towards Whelley. If you check Scholes under places you will find various street plans which will show you the plan. You will find Mint Court also which led to Primrose Hill and the small holding to the left of Primrose Hill is Mint Cottage where my grandparents on my dad's side lived. The stone wall running down the Primrose Hill backs ran down to the steps leading to Regent St. As a lad I played at Mint Cottage and it was brilliant and Granddad kept pigs, chickens and a horse among other animals. Great memories. Granddad was a property repairer and worked with my Uncle Ernie (Hankin) until he fell ill and died in 1964. This I am sure is as a result of Scholes being decimated and both Uncle Dad (as I called him) and Nanny May having to move to Marsh Green in a flat. Tragic! The Heaton brothers did indeed have a removal business and moved me and my parents from Whelley to Beech Hill in 1967. I remember well we wanted to move over Whitsun weekend. No chance they said we can't move thi then its Whit Weekeend! Greta days.

the labour pictures had five rows of posh seats then all rest were long forms it was owned by reuben williams

John Alan, I remember well the steps going down to Regent St. Although we moved to Beech Hill when I was six I carried on at St. Georges school until I was eleven, going to my grandma's every school day for my dinner. My best schoolmate lived in Howard St which technically was a dead end, but there was always a gap in the wall wide enough even for an adult to walk through and across the field behind the Bowling Greens to the school. Another route to gran's at dinner time, which would give elf'n safety a wobbler, was through the woodyard (Ashcroft's?). Imagine kids today walking feet away from whizzing saws and precariously balanced piles of timber. No doubt, we weren't really supposed to pass through there but they were simpler times and everyone had more relaxed attitudes.

Reuben williams who had the picture house in scholes was my grandad...my grandmother Margret williams also had a babies clothes shop on the corner of greenough street..a large doubke windowed shop i believe

Lived in Vauxhall Road. 1953 to 1956. My Mam and Dad and family used the Scholes Labour club on a regular basis. Scholes labour club outing to Southport brings back memories.
When did the old Labour Club close?