Wigan Album

Is that The Caroline Cafe on the corner, does anyone know? If so, Peter put my engagement ring on my finger in there in 1969....I was 17!! Awwwww!

Aw that is so romantic Irene..I take it you said yes. Just joking.
I believe my Welsh Gr Grandfather lived in that
Street after his wife died. He did re Marry.

No, it was Summer 1970.....I turned 18 in the October. I'm not good at Maths and it WAS a long time ago!! xx

The shop on the corner was a butchers which was named Meinekins,but because of the dislike of the Jews during the war years was renamed Marsdens and Mr Meinekins never came back.
The road facing the shop was where I crossed the road everyday to go to school..the policeman always took me across and he used to say " don't forget where you're going little lady when you leave School..I met him years later and he said" where did you get to " I just told him that life got in the way

Remember the advert Preston’s of Bolton Irene?
The young couple in a cafe the young lady looking somewhat bored until her would be fiancée produced the ring. Her face lit up all because the ring was from Preston’s of Bolton….aw. ;o))

Yes I do, Veronica. I'm afraid I lost my rag with someone on facebook last year who called "Ratner's" jewellery "trash" compared to Preston's of Bolton. The ring Peter put on my finger in The Caroline Cafe in my above comment was purchased from Ratner's in Wigan. I was 17 and now those numbers are the other way round....71! How many people whose ring came from Preston's of Bolton have celebrated their Golden Wedding? Hopefully many, but certainly not all. I was furious and told her so! I remember when my brother Colin got married, ( which I have mentioned on Ron's photo showing the derelict St. Mary's Church two photos back). Colin's wife's mother was from London and the posh London "Aunties" were in raptures over my Auntie Sally's diamond ring at the reception. Auntie Sally flashed it about and revelled in all the compliments, and she told us afterwards that it was sixpence from Woolworth's!!

I bought my second hand Austin 1300(on H.P. of course), from Timberlakes on the right of the photo. I can’t remember the price. Very early 70s.

I don’t think Preston’s were as good as Baker’s Irene. Such snobbery though between Jeweller’s…. If I was young again I would choose an old antique ring - (second hand) cheaper and better. You see some beautiful rings on ‘ Flog It’..

My engagement ring IS an antique now, Veronica!! LOL! xxxxx

I can't recall what the shop on the corner was Irene, there is writing on the wall but it's so faded it's unreadable.
The shop next door in the middle of the row was the Christian Centre, and belonged to the Scholes Pentecostal Church which then was on the corner of School Lane and Scholes, the church was previously across the road.
In the early 1970s Pastor Ray Belfield with Rev. Melvin Banks and others organised a massive Gospel Crusade at Central Park rugby ground, they also held other Gospel tent meetings around other areas of town.
The numbers adding to the congregation was so great that they ended up having to split the congregation at the Sunday morning services with some being at the church and others being at the Station Road cinema.
In the early 1990s the church moved to their new bigger premises on Pottery Road which now also houses The Edge Theatre and Conference Centre.

Irene - it was Gerald Ratner himself who called his products crap, back in April 1991. It cost him dear, such honesty!
Maureen - it was anti-German, not anti-Jewish, sentiment during WW1 which caused mobs to attack German-owned shops - and many of German heritage (such as our own royal family) to change their names.

Thankyou Cyril. Peter worked in Wallgate in the mid-1960s and recalls a Catholic Shop, but I don't think it was the Christian Centre of which you speak; it was more just for the Catholic faith. Caroline Street spanned across Wallgate on both sides of he road, so the Caroline Cafe could have been on the other side of the road from the buildings shown. I honestly can't recall it except for the engagement ring! We drove along Wallgate only recently and neither of us could recall just where the cafe was!

Yes Rev Long, you’re quite right, my Mam told me about the story and somehow as I wrote Jews I somehow knew it was wrong so thank you.

Peter's right about the Catholic Repository Irene, but it was a little further up Caroline Street, I can remember going to there with a pal who's mother wanted something from there, they went to St Edward's.

There is an article in a Past Forward about the pork butcher shop Mynekymes later Marsden, which Maureen commented on, see pages 10 and 11 in the link: https://www.wigan.gov.uk/Docs/PDF/Resident/Leisure/Museums-and-archives/archives/Past-Forward/pf64.pdf

There's also other interesting articles and one from Tom Walsh.

This photo by Frank Orrell on the Album, link below, shows a different view in Caroline Street and the corner shop looks to be a discount store, in the comments the boarded up shop was the Repository.
https://www.wiganworld.co.uk/album/photo.php?opt=5&id=31930&gallery=Caroline+Street%2C+Wigan&page=68

Peter the repository was situated on the photograph where the back of that vehicle is stood..I and my school friends would get our rosary beads and prayer books from there..it was run by the Lathams.

Thankyou Maureen and Cyril. Peter asks if Corlett's Electrrical Shop was on the other corner, please? Dou you remember?

Forgot to say Thanks to Rev David for the info on the owner of Ratner's Jewellers. I didn't know about that.

I can remember the Catholic Repository shop it was on the opposite side to St.Joseph's,nearer to the Wallgate end.

Yes I'm almost sure it was ,then it became a sort of clothes shop of a fashion and I remember I got my stockings there when I was getting married.

I remember the Ratner owner on the News denigrating his own company - it caused a bit of a ‘stink’ to say the least. What a fool he was. The shops were always brightly lit and attractive.

Does anyone know what the '91' refers to on the building? Could it have been number 91 Wallgate? Also, when was this building demolished, I can't remember it at all?

Interesting point, Paul. I can't be sure but think you're probably right as I feel I've seen the number written like that on other old commercial premises.

The number 91 is the street number of the property.
The building on the opposite corner of Caroline Street and Wallgate (still standing) is number 89.

Maureen your right i remember buying a pair of powder blue jeans
there in 1954 for Halfcrown a week, jeans had just about come the fashion then.