Wigan Album

I remember Mitchinson's Florist being in the entry off Standishgate, they also had another florist shop on Mesnes Street.

Ron, I don't know if Tom (I don't know his surname) who was born in and lived for a time in New Square is still around. He moved to Wales for a time and after retiring returned to Wigan and was a colleague at Asda before retiring from there in his nineties, probably someone in the office at Asda may have information. There was a write up about him here: https://corporate.asda.com/newsroom/2017/08/10/asdas-oldest-colleague-tom-celebrates-his-92nd-birthday-and-says-he-has-no-plans-to-retire

Cyril if he was 92 in 2008 Can't see him still being around..

The Tom that you mention isn't the one that sorts the trolleys out at Asda is he?..he is well into his nineties and would go to Wales every year for his holidays.

I've just been reading about him,his name is Tom Brogan..he was still still working when we used to go about three years ago..he walked like a young un..always had a spring in his step

That's him Maureen, my mother knew him when they were at school and he later moved up to where she and her family lived at High Street.

Ron this was around 7 to 8 years ago, but like you say he may be gone or close on being 100.

These Yards must have been terrible places to live, in both the 1861 and 71 censuses my gt gt grandparents and their 8 children lived in Smithy Yard which was on the Swinley end of Standishgate, what a life !!

I vaguely remember a yard like this one, just off Greenough Street, and the opening at the top brought you out onto Scholes, near the chemist.Does anyone remember this?

that would be crawford terrace in scholes edna at the back of jackson square

Good photo,it looks very 'Dickensian'.

Ron he was 92 in 2017 and hopefully he is still around

It reminds me of the place FAGIN lived in the musical OLIVER

There was a yard similar to this off the opposite side of Standishgate behind Mark Williams', The houses were still lived in in the 1950s when we used to cut through as a short cut after watching matches at Central Park. Does anyone know what the name of that yard was I wonder?

John that information is very interesting as on the back of the photograph it says MARSH'S YARD STANDISHGATE/CROMPTON STREET. So Maybe be this is the yard next to Mark Williams and NEW SQUARE is the one on the opposite side of Standishgate??? More investigation is required...

You could be right Ron, as the yard I mentioned was behind the buildings forming the angle of Crompton Street and Standishgate. I don't remember whether you could emerge on to Crompton Street though. There's a list of Wigan Yards on Wigan World but it's difficult to locate them unless you know the building numbers on the main streets and there could be some yards missing from the list.

As a point of interest Ron and John the next Alley up from there and next to what was the White Horse now the Ukulele is Marsh Lane.

If of interest to anyone it was Marsh Lane that (James Booth) George Formby Senior and his wife Eliza Hoy lived when married before later moving to Westminster Street.

Was it Marsh Lane behind Mark Williams?

John, yes I've for the list of yards but MARSH'S YARD isn't listed? I am going into town next week and I'll check the backs of SUBWAY and the shop next door, to see if they are anything like the ones on the photo.

I could be the last yard before Crompton Street. If you went out through the tunnel at the top of the picture Nymans jewelers would be opposite on the corner.

There must have been many forgotten yards that people didn't know about. My grandfather was born in Clockface Yard behind the shops in Scholes and Hardybutts. Humble dwellings squeezed in to make the most of any space available.

Edna, I think you mean Crawford Terrace. It was a nice clean place. Small terraced housing and the usual cobbled road. I used to nip down that way when going to Wigan sometimes. There should be a photo of it on WW album.

Thank you rt, and Veronica.I remember it now, wasn't there a clogged as well? Or am I mistaken?

Yes it was 'Blinkhorn's' cloggers Edna - where I used to take my dad's clogs on the left coming through the entry. He used to come up through a trap door and made me jump out of my skin! But there was always some comics to read whilst waiting. Used to have to wait ages! My dad used to say go to Blinkhorn's ''He blinks his eyes and blows his horn''. ,***

I've just been into town and checked the backs of the two original buildings on Standishgate i.e. SUBWAY and the shop next door and the configuration of the windows isn't the same as this image. I'm now presuming that this yard was the one next to MARK WILLIAMS shop and the houses on the left were behind shops on Crompton Street.

This may be of interest to some of you. My grandmother was married from number 2 Marsh Lane in 1920 at St George’s Church.On the 1901 and1911 census she lived at Colliers yard and their first child my mother was born at 4 St Anne’s Square are these all close together. I would love to know.

Ron, on Frank Orrell's Facebook page (link below) he has courtesy of Wigan Evening Post and Wigan Observer, a photo of Standishgate showing the shops of Voses and John Earl Travel and the Alleyway that ran off there with a sign for Mayfair Salon and Frank says that the address on the sign is New Square.

https://www.facebook.com/frankorrellphotography/photos/bc.AbrR0qW692JLj2aPGPIP3835d60YpwzvST78wcmriQyqn9haUkrvh_psEFi5IMfuP46s8g0IEsO3YTxh5HAB1nv-_j76mriHNUTEx4Re__wJYS6g22B-uIuTCy1uimLqD0OMGocQcbShY0atYpBIIEEy/1093896497750873/?opaqueCursor=Abql7n7Dmbl5fpc0IWFX5VYkGGPfWyyRx4Gj2M-FBxz6_9OBn-K6InodGdZqwwjl0GjlOJaR1ciCSWy3u43HLv5bdnHxWxc23TLCQT7saEwbrOMWpf2AKZqE6eEtYjyRaCP2osu0y-wgrfg5X0sF75s0jzmmuOPLY_Hpl-Nf2frsxqBDz2akrh602lGmCXfOY01YVTXbfm3wuvQZnXGvtVgZLLKGGq1lZUE092Gz5xEaFcFI2jryQV0AA1ivIyH-gkExcRnceDSjfMoy6DzRLr_FCKUB7J7wTSD3odUyRCX0VNERC7b5TwG1W3V7G7pYEtWnrUg3hCS0h9i8B-31OnOBj-awHtcsWciWRFheQAm1YUYlsZScLTXD5b6rQ5crUk0OB80qXcCHJTJm72xJ85UaIdP2EKpfBsieNwYV-0fqLa7rov2DogFpz_aObw4fHkHG758Be63Vs-w189EVMl7Dr_cOkLbJ2PV0buEi3DVbEysOb5Vi1Oq26gWORGmPYNtszGxIXqwn5oGBlYp_Yyyw9XeOI43lNlYkPx9-zJbf68j3aIludVlVz52o0ww3aktqhGpsBdjzUwDYOWY-5v82Hz5IZNZE0y07R8KM_ZDFSS_SAF1MRqN1MLlMt8kE8wpoIkFyX1mfx8IrIoOK3lIbnKXkgiTjbTw_d3UHuA_-xg

Thanks Cyril that link was most helpful I'll upload it to the web site. I knew there was an entrance to NEW SQUARE in that vicinity but could never find an image