Wigan Album

Nice picture Tom, This Leyland National bus would have been
new to Liverpool Corporation about 1980/81. At Deregulation
in 1988, the bus fleets of Liverpool, Southport, Birkenhead,
St Helens, and Wallasey became Merseybos. I cant remember where route 540 went to from Wigan. I was a driver at Ribble
for 2 years in the late 1960s, and I would like to find a picture of a single deck Ribble bus, fleet number 899. There
were 2 of these at Wigan depot, 899 & 900, they were fitted
with coach seats, and had a luggage boot at the rear.
Regards, Ray.

This was new to Merseyside PTE, Liverpool Corporation having been absorbed by the PTE in 1969. Route 540 went from Wigan to Bolton via Hindley Green and Daisy Hill and was introduced after deregulation in 1986.

Stuart, Thank you for your information. Regards, Ray.

By 1995 when this photograph taken Merseybus for some reason was operating routes for a short time that had no need to be completely in Merseyside, such as the 540 Wigan to Bolton route. This Leyland National probably belonged at the St Helens depot. Wigan little theatre can be seen and the Scholes maisonette flats were identical to those in Worsley Mesnes and Dumbarton Green, Beech Hill.

I lived in the maisonette that is boarded up from 1986 - 1995 when it was condemned! Reason they all were condemned was there was a fire in this block 1991. I remember it well. Thankfully, it was a Saturday afternoon. Fire started in a middle one top floor. Smoke from same came in to mine at the end: mushroom effect. Night time we would have been seriously effected. Reason for fire was electric had not been checked since 1965! The emersion heater had caught fire in no 29. Not chip pan! Hence, they all came down. Took them nearly 4 years to do. We were all at risk for that time. I don't think it took long after that before all were demolished! Loved living there but, really cold places to live. All internal walls moved as well! As my father would say all were 'Gerrry Built'

To end, I lived in 31, the boarded up.

Hi Tony, how you doing ? I don't remember the fire in this building but remember them coming down. Thought at the time these haven't been up that long

I lived in Russell House just out of picture. We moved in August 1997. We were told that it was due to the construction. The front and rear elevations were wooden frames so not strong enough to support uPVC windows that were starting to be installed. They knew they could not improve then to modern standards so demand would simply disappear, despite virtually being in the town centre.